Sanrivatti says we ought to try 'Apex Position,' a blend of motorcycle-style riding and driving, for a mid-engined supercar. For years, supercar manufacturers have made a great deal of fuss about how doors should open. Ferrari can get away with normal doors, but Lamborghini needs a bit more theater: thus, doors go up. Then there are McLarens and their dihedral butterfly doors. But one thing all these automakers haven't really messed with is how you're supposed to sit in your car.
That's all about to change, thanks to a new startup hypercar company. Engine? Unknown. Engineering partnerships? Unknown. Instead, Netherlands-based Sanrivatti is announcing its arrival by highlighting how the driver is going to interact with its upcoming hypercar in a previously unheard-of way. Instead of being seated in the usual sense, you're going to ride this thing.
View Price on AmazonSantiago Sánchez Rivero, Sanrivatti's young founder and CEO, started his career at Dutch low-volume specialist Donkervoort, builder of elemental and old-school performance machines. He's brought executives into the fold, bringing experience from the likes of Bentley and McLaren, but the inspiration for the fledgling company's car comes not from four wheels but two.
If it makes production, Sanrivatti's first car will feature what it calls Apex Position, a seating style that resembles how MotoGP riders sit astride their mighty steeds. Feet back, body position forward, hunkered low, and ready to lean into the turns. Of course, with four wheels you don't really need to get your knee down and scuff up those slider pucks, because you'll be inside the cabin.
Superbikes offer an experience as close to earthbound flight as any wheeled machine, so being able to "fly" your mid-engined supercar through the turns should be a thrill. And, as is important in an age when there's a new restomod or hypercar startup out seemingly every 30 minutes, it's a point of differentiation. Like the original Mercedes 300SL's gullwing doors, Sanrivatti's riding/driving position makes a statement.
Source: caranddriver.com
