Startup Aims to Make Cars Drive Like MotorcyclesSanrivattiBased in the Netherlands, a new startup called Sanrivatti is still in concept mode but has experience onboard from Bentley, Lotus, and others.There's no word on powertrain details, but the company's MotoGP-like driver position is certainly unique.If it works, this head-forward position might change decades of how drivers have experienced the road.For years, supercar manufacturers have made a great deal of fuss about how doors should open. Ferrari can get away with normal doors, but Lamborghini needs a bit more theater: thus, doors go up. Then there are McLarens and their dihedral butterfly doors. But one thing all these automakers haven't really messed with is how you're supposed to sit in your car. That's all about to change, thanks to a new startup hypercar company.SanrivattiEngine? Unknown. Engineering partnerships? Unknown. Instead, Netherlands-based Sanrivatti is announcing its arrival by highlighting how the driver is going to interact with its upcoming hypercar in a previously unheard-of way. Instead of being seated in the usual sense, you're going to ride this thing.AdvertisementAdvertisementSantiago Sánchez Rivero, Sanrivatti's young founder and CEO, started his career at Dutch low-volume specialist Donkervoort, builder of elemental and old-school performance machines. He's brought executives into the fold, bringing experience from the likes of Bentley and McLaren, but the inspiration for the fledgling company's car comes not from four wheels but two.SanrivattiIf it makes production, Sanrivatti's first car will feature what it calls Apex Position, a seating style that resembles how MotoGP riders sit astride their mighty steeds. Feet back, body position forward, hunkered low, and ready to lean into the turns.Of course, with four wheels you don't really need to get your knee down and scuff up those slider pucks, because you'll be inside the cabin. Still, superbikes offer an experience as close to earthbound flight as any wheeled machine, so being able to "fly" your mid-engined supercar through the turns should be a thrill.And, as is important in an age when there's a new restomod or hypercar startup out seemingly every 30 minutes, it's a point of differentiation. Like the original Mercedes 300SL's gullwing doors, Sanrivatti's riding/driving position makes a statement. For the former, it was form following function. For the latter, it's a way to stand out from the crowd.AdvertisementAdvertisementFurther, maybe this unusual setup is genius, actually. Human beings have been riding horses for centuries longer than cars have existed. We've all taken up the standard seating position from riding in wagons, but in so many period dramas, the romantic lead is riding a galloping horse across the wind-blasted heath, not bouncing along on a buggy.There's a long way to go before this concept becomes reality, but there's appeal here for sure. Could the hypercar version of the Flying Dutchman come out of the swirling mists, fully engineered and ready to ride?➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029