[wylde1]

the "overhang" is referring to whatever hangs outside the rectangle created by the wheelbase. So everything forward of the front wheels and back from the back wheels. if you look at some of the newer bmw's like the z4 for instance, there's not much hanging out forward or backward over the wheels. so it has a very small overhang. Imagine it this way if you glued all 4 wheels to the ground you have the same wheelbase. then you push the bumpers in closer to the wheels, that's probably what the gen6 will look like.

pushing the wheels to the extreme corners of the body helps handling and weight distribution immensely. there is less "swinging" effect of an outside weight. If you can keep all the weight of the vehicle inside the wheelbase (preferably down the centerline) you automatically have a much easier time making the handling more predictable and sharper in alot of cases.