Head-forward driving position! New hypercar breaks convention
A new hypercar startup is challenging one of the most fundamental aspects of performance car design: where the driver sits. Dutch brand Sanrivatti has revealed what it calls the “Apex Position”, a head-forward driving layout that aims to create a closer connection between the driver and the machine.The idea sounds simple: Move the driver forward, tilt the body and change the sightlines. However, the thinking behind it runs deeper than that. While modern hypercars continue to chase higher power outputs, advanced aerodynamics and sophisticated electronics, Sanrivatti believes the driving experience can be transformed by rethinking the driver’s position inside the vehicle. The company says its new concept draws inspiration from high-performance motorcycles, where the rider is more physically involved with the machine and more directly connected to its movements.
What is the Apex positioning?
According to Sanrivatti, the Apex Position places the driver in a more forward-focused and central location compared to a conventional hypercar. Most high-performance cars position the driver behind the front axle in a relatively reclined cockpit. The new layout, however, moves the driver closer to the action and is designed to improve visibility, vehicle placement and overall engagement behind the wheel.
The company claims the setup offers a wider field of vision and allows drivers to judge corners and track positioning more accurately. It also aims to make the driver feel more involved during acceleration, braking and cornering, rather than being isolated from the vehicle’s movements.Sanrivatti founder and CEO Santiago Sanchez Rivero said the idea originated from a simple question: why does the connection between rider and machine feel more immediate on a motorcycle than it does in many high-performance cars?Cars, he argues, do the opposite. Layers of architecture, packaging and convention sit between the driver and the road. The faster the car, the more technology mediates the experience rather than amplifying it.The Apex Position is Sanrivatti’s attempt to close that gap. The driver sits more centrally within the vehicle, leaning forward rather than reclining. The field of vision is wider. Vehicle placement on track becomes more intuitive. The driver, in theory, stops being a passenger strapped into a very fast machine and becomes an active part of it.Sanrivatti says prototype development is progressing rapidly and more details about the hypercar will be revealed in the coming months. For now, the company’s focus remains on its central philosophy: designing a hypercar around the driver rather than around the machine.
