Power unit supporting apparatus for automobile

A power unit supporting apparatus for an automobile for supporting a power unit on a vehicle body, the power unit comprising an engine portion having a crankshaft arranged in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a transmission portion disposed at a first end of the engine portion aligned along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and a drive shaft disposed below the engine portion and which extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle body for driving wheels, said apparatus comprising:

• first elastic support means connected to the vehicle body for elastically supporting a first end of said power unit, said first end of said power unit being distal from a passenger compartment of the automobile;
• second elastic support means connected to the vehicle body for elastically supporting an intermediate portion of said power unit, said second elastic support means being located on an opposite side of the center of gravity of said power unit from said first end of said power unit;
• and
• displacement defining means connected between the vehicle body and a second end of said power unit proximal to the passenger compartment of the automobile, for resiliently restraining a vertical displacement of said second end to be within a predetermined range, wherein said first and second elastic support means have respective spring constants which are relatively large in a vertical direction of displacement of said power unit and which are relatively small in a rolling direction of displacement of said power unit.