You sit in the middle of a motorbike, well you have to I suppose. Drivers sit in the middle of F1 cars, probably because there's nowhere else to sit.......
Seriously though, I'm guessing that the convention for a car's driver to sit to one side depending on the side of the road used in that country, stems initially from the days of horse drawn vehicles and more recently from the need to have a transmission tunnel down the centre line of the initially, mainly RWD cars ? Add that to the convenience of not having to wriggle across to a centre seat and the convention seems to have stuck.
A centre seating position for the driver might be an interesting change. Maybe it would be more natural ? Perhaps it would do away with the need for LHD and RHD tooling ? Possibly it would allow three abreast seating ? Maybe it would be safer in terms of spacial awareness. I'm sure it has been tried but I wonder why it hasn't caught on ? The majority of everyday cars are FWD now so cabin space shouldn't be the limiting factor. There must be more downsides or is it just lack of commercial bravery ?
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It's not something I've thought much about. I don't know any different and don't think I'm missing anything. I think "commercial bravery" could be a misnomer in this case because of the limiting factor of a central driving position in ordinary (less than 6ft wide) cars. Three seats don't quite fit unless you're talking 'van' or 'mpv' - and even then it's a cosy bench-like affair. So "commercial suicide" might be better? Little demand for unaccommodating cars so fewer reasons to make it. Possibly. But you know more about it than me Humph.
You could always test-drive one of those 70s mobility cars to get a feel for it.
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Solve the problem. Buy a McLaren F1!
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When i finally get to drive a McLaren F1 i will let you know what it's like. Living near Woking in the early '90s meant that i was lucky enough to see a few of these fantastic cars on the road.
( i bought my eurolottery ticket yesterday ! )
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If the driver's seat was in the middle, how could one lean on the window sill? And having to flick one's dog ends and fast food wrappers over a distance would be a very hit and miss affair.
Edited by Robin Reliant on 06/03/2009 at 23:14
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Would also make it more challenging at the drive thru!!
And toll booths
But on the plus side you might get a more rounded, balanced, sound from the stereo
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And would the gear lever be in the centre of the floor or just flappy paddles or dash buttons or RR quadrant ?
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Good points Robin. I would envisage a front bench style seat one could sort of slither across. leather would be best for low friction. It would though need to be equipped with two fold down armrests to hold the driver in place on fast corners. Flappy paddle gear change or full auto. The dog end/litter issue could be addressed by specifying the sunroof option. Still working on the toll road problem and drive through fast food solution.
More to follow.......
;-)
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Blimey I think you may have a point there. With a few three across the front cars out there now why not have the wheel in the centre.
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There would be lots of disadvantages.
1. Where would they put the pedals and their associated underbonnet parts?
2. There would have to be either one seat at the front, or a bench seat, or three seats. One seat would be impracticable. Three seats would be impracticable in all but the widest cars. Bench seats are awful and would never catch on.
3. The driver's head would get in the way of the view in the rear view mirror.
4. It would be a long stretch to open a door.
5. It would be very difficult to have seat belts ~ where would the anchorages be?
Etc., etc., etc.
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The prototype LandRover had a centre seat.
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Overtaking would become more difficult.
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I'm sure there was a car in the 70s which had three seats with the driver in the centre. It was a very low sports coupe and not many were made. I think it was a Matra.
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I want to say Matra Murina I think......
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I want to say Matra Murina I think......
You probably want to say Talbot-Matra Murena I think ...........!
Edited by L'escargot on 07/03/2009 at 09:16
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The Murena had three seats but not the wheel in the middle.
A good photo at -
tinyurl.com/c3lbns
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Quite right L'escargot and Henry. That's the one.
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 07/03/2009 at 11:02
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Hmmm! Not so sure now. I remember seeing something around that time which either had a central driver's seat or a single driver's seat with two rear passenger seats or maybe I dreamt the whole thing!
Edited by andyfr on 07/03/2009 at 14:16
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Perhaps something like this:
www.microcarmuseum.com/tour/scootacar2.html
Perhaps not ;>)
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I want to say Matra Murina I think......
Possibly Talbot Matra Bagheera S
horrendous car complete bag of bolts but did look nice
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no that was left hand drive
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The late Gavin Maxwell who wrote books about otters (but was also accepted as a travelling companion in the marshes above Basra by the very ferocious and tough Wilfred Thesiger) owned a roadgoing pre-WW2 GP Maserati whose single seat had been skewed a bit to become two staggered seats, with the passenger seat placed further back than the driver's seat and the enormous steering wheel placed slightly to the right of centre. Must have been enormous fun, if minimally practical (and probably in road use a bit finicky and demanding on the maintenance side one would think).
Anyway that would have been driving in the middle as near as dammit.
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To be clear, I don't particularly want a car with a centre seat, just idly wondering why no one has ever made one really. Perhaps one of those early tiller steered things with a steam engine might have been mind you.
I have a vision of something as swoopy or even swoopier than the new Scirocco or Brera-ish, maybe even Zonda-esque with a centre seat and outrigger seats slightly behind the driver, a single wiper. no centre rearview mirror, flappy paddles and a mid-mounted engine....... I'm sure I drew something like it on the back of an excercise book in first form........
;-)
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To answer original question, because we don't drive in the middle of the road, but along one side (left in the UK) would be my guess.
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"I would envisage a front bench style seat one could sort of slither across."
Perhaps after the application of proprietary shoe spray - at £9,99 per can...
Nice try Humph...;-)
Edited by oilrag on 08/03/2009 at 09:17
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To answer original question because we don't drive in the middle of the road but along one side (left in the UK) would be my guess.
So this is why we bikers sit in the middle and ride down the middle :)
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Most don't they sit close to the white line for forward observation and ready for the next overtake.
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Well yes, Mr Chat. That is what I call the middle.
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There have been cars with the driver in the middle, with 3 abreast seating. The McLaren F1 has already been mentioned and there was also the Matra-Simca Bagheera in the 70's that had the same layout.
There are advantages and disadcantages to central, offside and nearside driving positions. The central one is more difficult to get in and out, and not all cars would be wide enough to accommodate 3 abreast comfortably, even if staggered.
Offside driving position (RHD in Britain), nearest to centre of road, is the best compromise since it gives the best view for overtaking and the best view round left-hand bends.
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........And some Paris buses used to have a central driving position
www.trussel.com/maig/richards/bus01.jpg
As did the very first Land Rover prototype.
www.lr-mad.co.uk/images/centre1a.jpg
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Madux
I'll have that :-)
Edited by Fullchat on 08/03/2009 at 11:52
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Finding the original 'Centre Steer' Land Rover prototype has long been the holy grail for Land Rover devotees, but it was almost certainly scrapped early on.
It was built by Rover as a feasability study for the Land Rover concept, using a secondhand Jeep chassis and axles but with Rover engine and aluminium body.
This is where the myth that the Land Rover is based on a Jeep comes from.
While the Centre Steer was being built, Rover was already at work designing the Land Rover proper, with its own axles, transmission and box-section chassis.
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