Originally Posted by
davionics
One can only presume the engines were engineered in that position due to their increased aerodynamic lift profile.
Not really, they were engineered in that position because they are much bigger than the engines the plane was originally designed for and if mounted "normally" under the wing they would be too close to the ground (if not on it). Longer gear is not an easy option as it has to fold away into the same space or you have to redesign fuselage (probably causing cascade of redesign and re-certify changes), even so, I believe they have had to add several inches to the nose gear.
The A320 was designed for larger engines from the start, and hence doesn't have the same problem.