All three were unibody cars, dubbed the Y-body platform, combining the frame and body into a single construction, making them comparatively lighter and smaller. All three put into production new technology pushed by John DeLorean, on which GM had been working for several years prior, but the Tempest was by far the most radical. A flexible steel shaft rotating at the speed of the engine delivered power from the front-mounted engine through a "torque tube" to a rear-mounted transaxle. This innovation provided close to a 50/50 front-rear weight distribution that improved handling as well as featuring four-wheel independent suspension. It almost eliminated the large floor "hump" common to front-engined, rear-drive cars.