A central driving position rethinks the car around you, not the other way around. Sitting on the centerline gives you equal sightlines to both sides of the road, making corner entry, apex placement, and lane positioning easier to judge. The idea comes straight from racing, where single-seaters, endurance prototypes, and formula cars place the driver in the middle for balance, symmetry, and predictable feedback. On the road or on track, those advantages translate into cleaner steering inputs, more natural pedal alignment, and clearer communication through the chassis under braking and turn-in.
The tradeoff is complexity. Packaging passengers, meeting safety regulations, and homologating such layouts is expensive and difficult, which explains why so few cars have attempted it. This list spans everything from rare design studies and ultra-low-volume production cars, including one with a fan, to at least one machine with exceptional ground effect that was never intended for public roads. Some are single-seaters, others use tandem or three-seat layouts, but all seat the driver front and center. So with that, here are 10 cars that feature a central driving position.
BAC Mono
Production: ~150
Race car for the road' is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but the BAC Mono genuinely embraces that philosophy and takes the center driving position to its logical extreme. One seat and a steering wheel and not much else. You climb in wearing a helmet, strap into a six-point harness, and should feel a lot more exposed to the elements, considering there is no windscreen.
The Ford-derived 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-four produces about 332 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. However, the curb weight is just roughly 1,256 pounds, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 525-550+ bhp per tonne, putting it in the same league as some hypercars. 0-60 mph takes around 2.7 seconds, and top speed sits near 170 mph (still no windscreen). The seating position is custom molded to your body, and the pushrod suspension mirrors race car architecture. Road legality varies by region, but the intent is consistent, which is that this is not meant for transportation. It’s a precision instrument tool designed to do track duty or carve up a canyon road.
McLaren F1
Production: 106 total (all variants)
Gordon Murray conceived the McLaren F1; he didn’t choose a central driving position to be clever; he did it to eliminate compromise. His logic came straight from Formula One and two decades of endurance racing, where central seating delivers balance and visibility advantages. By placing the driver ahead of the front axle and aligning the steering wheel, pedals, and seat with the car’s mass, Murray eliminated the awkward offsets you subconsciously compensate for in most cars.
Power comes from a 6.1-liter naturally aspirated BMW V12 making 627 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. 0-60 mph takes about 3.2 seconds, and top speed famously reached 240.1 mph in 1998 with Andy Wallace at the wheel, making it the fastest production car in the world, a title and record that it held until the Bugatti Veyron came along in 2005 and hit 253 mph. Its defining feature is the three-seat carbon-fiber monocoque, a road-car first that combined race-car stiffness with everyday usability. Even the gold heat shielding in the engine bay was functional, not decorative. The McLaren F1 was the first production car to feature an all-carbon monocoque (CRPF), and it tips the scales at just 2,500 pounds dry. Values remain strong. An example with Brunei-provenance recently sold at RM Sotheby’s auction in Abu Dhabi for $25.3 million.
McLaren Speedtail
Production: 106
When McLaren returned to the center seat layout with the Speedtail, the objective had changed. This longtail exotic wasn’t about recreating the raw engagement of the F1. Instead, the Speedtail focused on stability, efficiency, and sustained high-speed travel. You still sit centrally, flanked by two rear seats, but the cabin looks futuristic, with digital mirrors replacing glass and a long, tapering body designed to cheat the air. Its defining feature is the teardrop body with camera-based mirrors, optimized purely for aerodynamic efficiency, with the overall coefficient of drag at just 0.17 Cd.
A 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 works with an electric motor for a combined 1,035 horsepower, with torque believed to be around 850 pound-feet. 0-60 mph happens in under 3.0 seconds. The hybrid-hardware makes it heavier than an F1, coming in at 3,305 pounds; however, top speed sits at 250 mph, making it the fastest McLaren ever made. The Speedtail proved the center driving position can evolve into a modern, technology-heavy interpretation without losing its core advantage: symmetry and confidence at speed.
Gordon Murray Automotive T.50
Production: 100
The T.50 doesn't follow trends and exists because Gordon Murray felt modern supercars had become overweight, overcomplicated, and disconnected. This is his reset, because you once again sit centrally, upright, complemented by slim pillars and physical controls that prioritize clarity over drama. Staying true to Murray's seven principles, everything you see here serves a function, and nothing is just for show. Its defining feature is the rear-mounted fan that, when combined with the flat floor, actively manages aerodynamics without oversized wings, providing upto 30 percent more downforce (up to 3,307 pounds at speed).
Power comes from a 3.9-liter naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 producing 654 horsepower and 344 pound-feet of torque, revving to an astonishing 12,100 rpm that pairs with a six-speed manual transmission. Zero to 60 mph takes roughly 2.8 seconds, with a top speed north of 220 mph. At under 2,200 pounds dry, the all-carbon GMA T.50 should feel agile and nimble at everyday speeds, with dividends that will pay off on the race track.
McMurtry Spéirling
Production: ~100 planned
The McMurtry Spéirling exists to remove every assumption. You sit centrally in a single seat, surrounded by a carbon tub and a twin-motor electric drivetrain making roughly 1,000 horsepower with instant torque delivery. 0-60 mph takes 1.55 seconds, and top speed reaches about 190 mph, firmly placing this record-setter in our list of top 25 quickest production cars.
The defining feature is the patented fan system, which generates downforce even at a standstill by actively sealing the car to the ground. The headline figure is upto 4,400 pounds of downforce at speed and a weight of just 2,600 pounds. The Spéirling is track-only by design, and unapologetic about it. It earns its place here because it demonstrates why top-tier motorsports never abandoned the center seat.
Czinger 21C
Production: 80
The Czinger 21C reimagines center drive through modern manufacturing rather than nostalgia. Compared to other cars on this list, you sit front and center, with a passenger directly behind you in a tandem layout inspired by endurance prototypes. However, what truly separates the 21C is how it’s built. Additive manufacturing produces complex organic forms, ranging from suspension to structural chassis components optimized for strength and weight in ways traditional machining cannot.
A 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 pairs with electric motors to produce up to 1,250 horsepower and more than 1,000 pound-feet of torque, with power going to all four wheels. 60 mph comes up in under 1.9 seconds, and top speed exceeds 250 mph. With a lap time of 1:22.30, the 21C is back at the top for the production car lap record at Laguna Seca.
Delage D12
Production: ~30 planned
The Delage D12 is unmistakably French, and revives one of the most storied automotive marques, combining a lineage that goes back well over a century with modern endurance-car thinking. A street-legal hypercar designed to set records, you sit centrally, with a rear passenger seat once again in tandem, enclosed under a fighter-jet style canopy, inside a carbon-fiber chassis inspired by endurance racers and Formula 1 grand prix cars. Other highlights include push-rod suspension, a bespoke cabin, and chassis tuning, overseen by 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.
A 7.6-liter naturally aspirated V12 pairs with an electric motor to produce about 1,100 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque. 60 mph takes roughly 2.5 seconds, with a top speed exceeding 225 mph. The chassis uses carbon fiber throughout, and the weight stays below 3,500 pounds. You can learn more about the Delage D12 in a
" title="YouTube video" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen>Gordon Murray S1 LM
Production: 5
Showcased earlier this year at the Monterey Car Week, the S1 LM is Gordon Murray unfiltered. Built by Gordon Murray Special Vehicles in a run of just five cars, it sits outside normal production categories, but it is very much relevant to this list. You once again sit dead center, with two adjacent passenger seats on either side, surrounded by purposeful and evocative materials, with maximum analog engagement and minimal digital interferences. The philosophy traces directly back to the aforementioned McLaren F1 (more specifically, the track-bred GTR version). The resemblance is uncanny and the shape familiar, but the S1 LM follows that same basic formula, now refined over three decades, without regulatory compromises.
Power comes from a naturally aspirated 4.3-liter V12 believed to produce more than 700 horsepower, paired with a six-speed manual transmission and Rear Wheel Drive. Torque figures remain undisclosed, but expect a 0-60 mph time of under 3.0 seconds. Weight targets stay well below 2,100 pounds thanks to advanced carbon construction. Every example is commissioned and tailored, not spec-sheet driven. The S1 LM became the most expensive new car ever sold at auction, when it crossed the block for $20.63 million at RM Sotheby's Las Vegas auction last month in November.
Yamaha OX99-11
Production: 3
Yamaha may be well known for its motorcycles and musical instruments, but the Japanese brand also has ties to the automotive world, most famously for having tuned the howling gen-1 Lexus LFA's V10 engine. But back in the day, there was the Yamaha OX99-11, which remains one of the most ambitious cars ever attempted by an engine manufacturer. In the early 1990s, the Japanese bikemaker wanted to translate its Formula One program directly to the street. You sit in a tight single central seat beneath a canopy and a tandem seat arrangement, as we saw in the Czinger earlier, with minimal concessions when it comes to comfort.
Power comes from a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 that produces around 400 horsepower and revs beyond 10,000 rpm, but the weight sits around 2,500 pounds. Paired with a six-speed transmission and rear wheel drive, 60 mph takes roughly 3.2 seconds, with a top speed near 217 mph. Yamaha developed the engine, chassis, and suspension in-house, which proved financially unsustainable. Rising costs killed the project, making this one of two prototypes on our list.
Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale
Production: 2
Ferrari explored the center driving position long before it became fashionable. In 1966, Pininfarina built three 365 P Berlinetta Speciale cars, each featuring a central driver’s seat with flanking passenger positions, lending it the name "Tre Posti". These ultra-rare Ferraris were not static concepts, but fully functional road cars designed to explore mid-engine packaging and visibility.
Power came from a 4.4-liter naturally aspirated V12 making roughly 380 horsepower. Performance figures were secondary, but estimates put 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds and a top speed near 180 mph, figures that are still impressive by modern standards. More importantly, these cars previewed Ferrari’s eventual move away from front-engine layouts. Today, they exist in collections and museums, but their significance lies in proving that Ferrari once questioned the very convention of offset driving positions.
