WORDS: OLLIE KEW IMAGES: MANUFACTURER, DETANY
TOPGEAR TOP 9
01McLaren F1/Gordon Murray T.50We had to start here. Gordon Murray says he had the idea of a centrally positioned driver as far back as the Seventies, but couldn’t realise his tri-seat supercar dream until the Nineties, with the iconic McLaren F1. Naturally his new T.50 keeps the layout – but is easier to climb in and out of.
02 Yamaha OX-99 This could’ve been Japan’s McF1: a Formula One inspired carbon lightweight with a 10,000rpm V12 in the back and a tandem central seating arrangement just ahead. Only three were made before the project was kiboshed by the early Nineties recession.
03 Carver Is it a car? Is it a bike? Whatever it is, the Dutch entry in the urban transport solution battle is this charmingly bizarre leaning contraption, which has now swapped petrol power for electric propulsion. Naturally, the driver sits right in the middle, with space for a brave passenger behind.
04 Czinger 21C If you want to sit slap bang in the middle, most carmakers favour a narrow cockpit with the passengers lined astern, to reduce frontal area and improve aerodynamic. That was Czinger’s philosophy for its hybrid hypercar. But, what if you fancy being more sociable with your passengers?
05Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta SpecialeThen you need to go for something rarer. Ferrari too has dabbled with an arrowhead seating arrangement, with this 1966 concept car. Only two examples of the 375bhp tre-posti (three-seater) design were produced, before Ferrari reverted to a more conventional two-seat set-up.
06 Citroen Karin Even Citroen has had a go, in the twilight of its glorious experimental p
