It works
extremely well in low-grip situations, which is why the Alpine was such a rally weapon! Not for nothing, the 911 was very successful in rallying back in the early days too, though it was never campaigned by the factory.
In fact up until recently, one of the key factors in the 911's considerable racing success was because of its extra grip advantage over the driven wheels. Nowadays though, tire and aero technology have caught up to it and top-level racing 911s (the RSR) actually have their engines ahead of the rear axle, mostly in order to make room for a larger underbody diffuser at the rear.