- Sanrivatti says it is developing a radically driver-focused hypercar architecture.
- The company claims the design begins with the human body, not the chassis.
- Similar ideas have surfaced before, including Chevrolet’s wild Chaparral 2X concept.
A new hypercar startup is making some very big promises. Dutch-based Sanrivatti says it wants to reinvent the relationship between driver and machine with what it calls a “driver-centered vehicle architecture,” anchored by a superbike-inspired seating position that puts the driver dead center and stretched forward, closer to a rider tucked over a sportbike than someone seated in a car. The company claims its future hypercar will offer the most driver-focused experience the world has ever seen.
That’s an ambitious statement in a world already packed with track-focused exotic vaporware. It also doesn’t bode well that nobody has pulled this off before because the idea isn’t excactly new.
Starting With The Body, Not The Chassis
Founded by automotive engineer Santiago Sánchez Rivero, Sanrivatti says it approaches vehicle design differently than traditional supercar and hypercar manufacturers. Instead of beginning with a chassis, powertrain, or aerodynamic package, the company says it starts with the human body itself. According to the startup, factors such as posture, balance, instincts, and physical interaction become the foundation for the entire vehicle architecture.
The company hasn’t revealed exactly what this architecture looks like beyond some very simple line drawings, but its description sounds more inspired by motorcycles than conventional cars. Sánchez says the project draws heavily from the “immediate and physical” connection between rider and road found in the superbike world while maintaining an analog driving experience. That’s where things get interesting because we’ve seen this layout in the past.
Read: Engler F.F Superquad V10 Is A Hairdryer On Wheels That Does 0-62 In 2.5 Sec
We’ve Seen This Idea Before
Perhaps the most famous example came from Chevrolet in 2014 when it unveiled the outrageous Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo concept. Rather than sitting upright behind a steering wheel, the driver lay almost face-down in a prone position while controlling the vehicle through body movements.
It’s worth noting that the Chaparral was never meant to be a real production car. The laser propulsion system probably makes that obvious… but ideas from it, like the four-wheel steering, aerodynamics, and more, are real. If the face-first driving position were so beneficial, it’s likely that we would’ve seen a major automaker leverage it before now.
That said, we can’t help but hope Sanrivatti pulls this off, even for the novelty alone. The company says more details are coming in the months ahead.
