Another 3-seater

Another car that has a seat layout like our beloved McLaren F1.
http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=112&i=12097

Interesting stuff, sorry if it's only distantly related.

Quite a few cars have had this done. Ferrari did it in the 60's with their concept 365P. 2 were built however, so its not really a production car as such.

You say quite a few cars, then you only cite one...

Which cars do people know of that have the central driving position and 2 passenger seats, one on each side of the driver?

I only cited 1 because thats the only one i can remember but i know that at least 2 other cars have this seating position. I just can't remember their names. The Ferrari one is the most well known.

Another:

http://www.prewarcar.com/read_article.asp?ID=1014

And the Gibbs Aquada.

I thought Gordon Murray owned the patent for this design?

No. He used to draw the design when he was in school but as far as i know, he doesn't own the patent

McLaren/Murray does have the patent to the central 3-seat position. I think that it's somewhere in DA, it was one of the four new technologies which they had to get a patent for.

I thought they were granted over 70 new patents in the course of the McLaren F1's development?

The French Matra-Simca Bagheera and the Matra Murena from the 70's/80's were both three seaters ... albeit in a row.

As an aside, when I had my CRX Vtec show car (all carboned up ... Sparco Pro Race Seats, Cylinder Head, Dash, Pedals, Steering Wheel, Hood, Air Intake, etc., etc.) I investigated the possibility of making it a centre seater and installing carbon kart seats behind the principle driving position at either flank for passengers ala F1, but the main difficulty was trying to get the steering to work ... rather an important issue!!!

Excellent! Thanks for the info, guys. If you know of any other 3-seater cars, please keep 'em coming.

MB Roadcars in England have a prototype called the "EOS" for "Exigence of Speed" which features 3 seats and central driving position. Designed by Nick Sampson formerly of Jaguar and Lotus.
http://www.mbroadcars.com
Interesting - they refer to it as an original idea... :grinno:

Designed by Nick Sampson formerly of Jaguar and Lotus.


I can see quite clearly why "formerly of ..." are the operative words ... that thing's fuggly!!!

I can see quite clearly why "formerly of ..." are the operative words ... that thing's fuggly!!!It's the offspring of an Enzo, and a Zonda, and boy is it ugly.

EOS stands for Exigence of Speed...whatever image that is supposed to conjure up in the minds of fans and prospective buyers. I have actually seen this car, and I am still trying to get it out of my mind. It is truly hideous.

The guy was on the pistonheads forums for a while, expressing his surprise at the poor reception the car had received. Some people are just completely out of touch with reality. How anyone can think it's not hideous is beyond me.

<barfing at the EOS>

The guy was on the pistonheads forums for a while, expressing his surprise at the poor reception the car had received. Some people are just completely out of touch with reality. How anyone can think it's not hideous is beyond me.It saddens me how anybody who builds a lightweight car with a mid engine layout clothed in a Peter Stevens-esquel GT body styling thinks they can put the word "supercar" on it. People tend to argue about whether a McLaren or a Koenigsegg or Enzo is better, but in my mind they're all equally above the cheap kit knockoffs that have appeared during the past five years (whether by major companies or by small garage upstarts.)

Just because you build a lightweight, mid-engined car with a "GT" body shell, doesn't mean that you have a supercar.

Just because you build a lightweight, mid-engined car with a "GT" body shell, doesn't mean that you have a supercar.

To be honest, had I the spare cash, I'd gladly eschew the cloak-and-dagger antics of McLaren F1 ownership in favour of Ultima ownership (ala Albert and Edward) ... and with the spare change ... LOTS of fun purchases!

EOS--I am actually thankful it's so nasty. One less car for me to track.

Murray: What's cloak and dagger about F1 ownership?

Murray: What's cloak and dagger about F1 ownership?

I was inferring that even to purchase an F1 probably involves secretive negotiations - whether to obscure the ownership or to side-step punitive agency/auctioneer fees ... something, in itself, inspired by McLaren's 'cloak-and-dagger' stance ...

With the gene pool here- the likes of yourself, Peleton, Thorst, etc. ... if F1 ownership wasn't a subject of surreptitiousness ... we could list the ownership and provenance of EVERY F1 ... that's what I was alluding to!