Me time: 10 single-seaters for a solo road trip
It’s great to share a road trip with friends or family, but sometimes there is joy in solitude. And with these ten cars no one else can be invited.
Road trips are fun when shared with your nearest and dearest. The shared experience, fun adventure and a common destination are part and parcel of most road trips. In the very early stages of our relationship my better half and I spent nearly two weeks in a car as we drove around the island of Iceland and it was great. Often vacations are as much about the trip as they are about the destination. But what if you want to head out onto the open road, without hurting anyone’s feelings. Well, you take one of these single-seaters.
Gorgona Cars NM
Mazda’s venerable Miata can be considered one of the all-time great driving machines, especially in first-gen/NA guise. Somehow, Gorgona Cars of Rome has improved the recipe. They’ve removed the passenger seat and fitted the Naked Monoposto with the drivetrain from the latest-gen MX-5. Less mass, more power - score!
Vanderhall Speedster
US-based Vanderhall already produces a pared-back open-top model called the Venice. But if you prefer to enjoy the Pacific Coast Highway on your own you need the Speedster. It uses the same three-wheel base but does away with the second seat. Power is still derived from a 1,4-litre turbocharged engine mated with a six-speed transmission.
BAC Mono
The Mono is the closest you will come to driving a single-seat racecar on the road. It has a central seating position and race-derived suspension with pushrod-activated inboard springs and dampers. Power comes from a turbocharged Ford four-pot engine. Without the driver aboard it weighs a scant 500 kg, even less than an F1 car. Discover BAC boss Neil Briggs’ Favourite Detour.
Dowsetts Tipo 184
It may look like a pre-war Grand Prix racer but the Dowsetts Tipo 184 is a road-going machine based on the world’s best-selling roadster. Under that retro skin is a set of Mazda second-generation MX-5 (NB) mechanicals so you can fuel your Fangio dreams without fear of breaking down.
Peel P50
The Peel P50 is the world’s smallest car, which also means it has absolute minimum occupant capacity as well. You aren’t so much going on a long road trip with this as you are heading to the shops, or to the postbox if you live on a large enough estate.
Ferrari SP1 Monza
The Ferrari SP1 Monza may just be the polar opposite of the Peel. It has no roof and is powered by a manic 6,5-litre V12, with over 600 kW. The SP1 is bound to blow your hair back as it can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 2,9 seconds and from 0-200 km/h in 7,9 seconds.
Lamborghini Egoista
Most would hide the fact that single seaters are selfish pleasure, but Lamborghini just came out and named their car Egoista which means “selfish” in Italian. This cross between a jet fighter and a futuristic Le Mans racer was intended for production, but sadly remains a one-off. The outlandish exterior covered the underpinnings of a Gallardo, including its naturally aspirated V10.
Porsche Boxster Bergspyder
The German carmaker has produced many open-top single-seat racecars over the decades. So it is sad that this modern-day Bergspyder remained a show car and did not make it to production. A 3,8-litre flat-six, mated with a six-speed manual, powering just 1 130 kg would have been a real treat.
ElectraMeccanica Solo
The Canadian-built ElectraMeccanica Solo is the only EV on this list, so it’s ideally suited to the eco-conscious traveller. Mind you, with a range of about 160 km you aren’t venturing too far, but you are doing so in near silence, and isn’t that one of the main reasons for solo driving…?