Sanrivatti, the Netherlands-based hypercar start-up, has shared engineering analysis relating to the head-forward driving position in its ‘Apex Position’ prototype car whereby the driver sits central and forward in the cabin rather than reclined behind the front axle.
This driving position, similar to a kneeling posture, is intended to give the driver an extended field of vision of the road or track ahead, and enable more precise vehicle placement through earlier identification of braking, turn-in, apex and exit points.
Sanrivatti’s engineering team have conducted virtual testing of the car using a dedicated digital development simulator that enables them to explore driver eye point, sightlines, peripheral vision, positioning and vehicle architecture.
For the most recent tests, they focused on a model of Corner Three of the Silverstone Circuit in the UK. They added 10 benchmark hypercars and track cars to the simulation, which were positioned at precisely the same point. According to the team, their findings showed that the head-forward architecture would enable the driver to see 3.2 times more of the circuit itself, including more of key areas.
The simulation measured the overall view through the cockpit and how well it would enable the driver to judge vehicle position, timing and the next stage of the track. The engineers also focused on the amount of actual track surface that would be visible from the driver’s eye point, including the sections of track that help the driver anticipate and approach a corner efficiently, from braking and turn-in through to apex and exit.
In a separate CAD-based analysis by Sanrivatti of vertical visibility in the vehicle, the team claim that Apex Position achieved a 28-degree vertical field of view, compared with 15.5 degrees for the benchmark hypercar used in the study, representing an increase of 80.6%.
Separate analysis using dedicated physical simulator found that the design of the Apex Position removes structural obstruction from the driver’s horizontal view across the full range of peripheral vision that was tested.
“Apex Position was never only about changing where somebody sits in a car. It’s about changing what the driver sees, feels and experiences from behind the wheel,” said Santiago Sánchez Rivero, founder and CEO of Sanrivatti.
“When more of the road is open in front of you, you can read what is coming sooner. You see the braking point, turn-in, apex and exit more naturally, and that changes the fundamental relationship you have with the car. For us, that connection is everything. We want the driver to feel part of the machine and part of the road ahead, rather than separated from either.”
