3 seaters - why so few?
Discussion
After watching the McLarem in the Alps video I was thinking why has no-one made a 3 seater since, a bit more practical than a 2 seater and many families have only 1 child.
Is it a hang up from 2 seats when courting and 4/5 with a family? The engineering challenge of gearbox linkages (less of an issue with paddle shifts), propshaft (not a problom with fwd or mid/rear engine), steering rack?
Given the cost savings for a manufacturer not having to do lhd/rhd versions I'm surprised it hasn't been done again.
I can only think of two centre driver 3 seaters:
Ferrari 365P Berlinetta
McLaren F1
A few other 3 (front) seats:
Matra Bagheera
Fiat Multipla
Wide cars with bench seats
Is it a hang up from 2 seats when courting and 4/5 with a family? The engineering challenge of gearbox linkages (less of an issue with paddle shifts), propshaft (not a problom with fwd or mid/rear engine), steering rack?
Given the cost savings for a manufacturer not having to do lhd/rhd versions I'm surprised it hasn't been done again.
I can only think of two centre driver 3 seaters:
Ferrari 365P Berlinetta
McLaren F1
A few other 3 (front) seats:
Matra Bagheera
Fiat Multipla
Wide cars with bench seats
Difficulty of ingess/egress perhaps, if we're talking about everyday cars, which maybe not such a drawback with exotica.
Also peoples perception that a three seater is not a 2 seater with the bonus of an added seat, but rather a four seater that's a chair down. There is also the fact that if you do produce a 4 seat car, chances are it is not much more difficult to engineer it into a 5 seater which opens it up to wider market, even couples with only 1 child will end up at some point having to transport there childrens friends or other family members.
Also peoples perception that a three seater is not a 2 seater with the bonus of an added seat, but rather a four seater that's a chair down. There is also the fact that if you do produce a 4 seat car, chances are it is not much more difficult to engineer it into a 5 seater which opens it up to wider market, even couples with only 1 child will end up at some point having to transport there childrens friends or other family members.
kambites said:
I've often thought one of these would be a perfect weekend car for me as I can't fit both kids in the MX5 
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