Cars come in all shapes and sizes, but it's generally accepted that they have seats for two, or four, and quite possibly more. But these six cars reckon three is the magic number.
Matra Bagheera
Matra is long-forgotten these days, but back in the 1970s it was famous for its racing cars, and would later go on to produce the Espace for Renault. But it also built a road-going sports car, the Matra Bagheera, the most interesting feature of which was its three individual front seats.
Toyota IQ
Japan’s answer to the original Smart city car went one-and-a-bit better with 3+1 seating. The IQ’s compact length and incredible turning circle ought to have made it a smart choice for urban drivers, but it was too wide to nip through Smart-sized gaps in traffic.
Geeley GE
The standout, or should we say sit-down, feature of Geeley’s Rolls Royce-aping 2008 concept was a two-plus-rear-throne layout that gave CEOs the sensation of flying first class even when they were only flying down the motorway.
LRS Formula 1 three-seater
If you’ve ever watched F1 races on TV and fancied having a go, France-based LRS will let you loose in a 2011 Williams FW33 for just over £5000. Or, for a more reasonable £320, you can take a passenger ride in a customised three-seat F1 car via the same company.
McLaren F1
The world’s most famous three-seater’s central driving position was claimed to offer perfect weight distribution, and the fact that its lanky designer, Gordon Murray, could stretch out his legs without any annoying wheelarch intrusion, probably also had something to do with the layout. The only tricky part is actually climbing into that central seat. McLaren recently revisited the layout with the £1.75m Speedtail.
Fiat Multipla
Okay, so technically the Multipla has six seats, not three, as did the conceptually similar, but far less controversially styled Honda F-RV. But both cars stood apart from their MPV rivals by having three front seats, which, combined with the high-up driving position, would certainly make van drivers feel at home.
Keyword: Top 6 cars with three seats