Nutty Ferrari Patent Shows Adjustable Cockpit With Three Pedals

Patent filings from Ferrari reveal the brand is working on an interesting method of shifting the driver over in its cars. Under the filings, Ferrari is working on a movable driver’s seat, wheel, and up to three pedals that will shift on a track towards the middle of the car, resulting in a McLaren F1-style center-seat driving experience. Alternatively, the vehicle could be piloted from off-center, as in existing Ferrari road cars. Information found by AutoGuide in the patent seems to indicate that this will, unlike some center-seat vehicles, not fit three passengers. Ferrari’s patent filing states that “a side door can be… opened and closed to allow a driver to enter the passenger compartment.” If anything, this suggests there may be room for a single one, likely to the driver’s right as in conventional cars. Still, it isn’t entirely clear, as other diagrams leave no room for a passenger.

The filings go on to show that the system would likely be entirely drive-by-wire, which would allow the wheel and pedals to move quite a lot independently of the seats, as stated later in the filings. Ferrari says the pedals can be locked in “any possible position,” and that it would want the mirrors of the vehicle to adjust along with the seat position. The groundwork for external controls has been laid here as well, and Ferrari indicates it would want the seat’s position to be controlled in several ways not illustrated, including by mobile device. There are also manual backups for redundancy.

Ferrari’s patent reveals that the brand is aware the configuration can support a three-pedal setup- potentially one with a clutch pedal. In descriptions for the pedal box, the filing says that “although the figure shows only two pedals, the set of pedals could comprise an additional pedal, for example to control a clutch of the vehicle, in particular one provided with a manual gearbox.” It’s by no means confirmation, but the filing shows Ferrari is at least mindful of a car with three pedals for the first time in a long time. More likely, this third pedal shown in the diagrams is how the seat will be operated.

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