Coolest Single Seat Road Cars You Can Actually Drive

In this day and age, it's really hard to imagine a car with only one seat. We live in a time where minivans and SUVs seem to vie for how many seats they can cram into a single car, and where the phrase "roomy interior" has become a main selling point of cars across the country.

To a point, it's hard to understand why anyone would buy a single seat car. It makes carpooling impossible and would have major drawbacks when it comes to almost any day to day activity.

Believe it or not, you can find single seat road cars out there. Here are some that are legitimately street legal, according to the authorities.

Mazda Miata Mono Posto

The Mazda Miata Mono Posto may look like a sausage, but it still has the rare honor of being one of the only street legal single seat road cars in existence. Moreover, it's one of the only cars made by a major car designer on this list, which somehow makes it even more impressive.

The concept Mono Posto was issued out in 2000 and was a tribute to the roadsters of the 50s, and allegedly had a roaring exhaust akin to the old roadster cars of yore. That's great and everything, but there were too many issues with the Mono Posto to really name.

It was exceptionally bare-boned, with non-working doors, no roof, no windows, and no stereo included in the model. A 1.8L, four-cylinder engine also can only put out so much power.

While it may not have been one of the worst cars ever designed, it was pretty close. The concept flopped and the Mono Posto quickly found itself brushed under the rug.

Formula Ford Road Car (SLRC)

Believe it or not, there was a point where Ford had decided to create a series of street legal race cars. The rationale was that all of the cars had met the requirements of being street legal in the United States, so why not?

Unlike the Miata Mono Posto, the Formula Ford Road cars are bonafide race cars meant for the track... that also can be driven there, too. This makes them both single seat road cars and probably one of the most easily obtainable cars on this list.

If you're curious, they start at around $75,000.

Vanwall GPR-12

In the 1950s, Vanwall was a name that was closely associated with race cars—and surprisingly, race cars were not that different from the cars you'd see driving down the street. The Vanwall GPR-12 was one of the most race-ready single seat road cars from that time.

These days, finding a Vanwall GPR-12 that's from that era is nearly impossible. However, rumor has it that you can buy a replica, complete with the solid V12 Jaguar engine that made the GPR-12 such an enviably zippy car in the day.

Exomotive Atomic

This goofy-looking car may look like it belonged at a live shooting of Wacky Races, but in reality, it's one of many single seat road cars that ended up getting brushed under the rug due to a major design flaw.

Cute and dune buggy-like in appearance, the big issue with this street-legal four-wheeled car was its motor placement. Apparently, people really don't like to drive a car that has an open-air motor sitting on their passenger side.

Who would have thought?

Neander Cyclecar

Perhaps one of the oldest single seat road cars to make this list is the Neander Cyclecar—a seriously unusual design, if ever there was one. This bizarre little three-wheeler had two turning front wheels (!) and, to brake, drivers would have to pull up on the wheel.

Possibly because of its very unusual brake design or due to its extremely small build, the Neander Cyclecar never really caught on. Even so, you have to respect the level of creativity that had to go into making something like that.

Lamborghini Egoista

If you are a multimillionaire and adore being able to zoom in a car that more closely resembles a UFO than anything else, then the Lamborghini Egoista is perfect for you. This unique single-seater was only released in one year—2013.

During its time being flaunted, its slick V10 engine wowed car fans with its 600 horsepower output. Much of the design was inspired by fighter jets, including its bright orange canopy door and airplane-formatted signals on the front, back, top, and bottom of the car.

The Egoista was a very tight squeeze, though, and one of the flaws that may have detracted people from buying it was the fact that you had to remove the steering wheel in order to get into the car. (Seems like a lot of single seat road cars have issues like this, doesn't it?)

According to the designer, the Egoista "represents hedonism taken to the extreme." Though it was technically street legal, the car now sits in a museum as a work of mechanical engineering art.

Rinspeed ADVANTIGE R1

The only car you'll see that can give the Egoista a run for its futuristic design is the Rinspeed R1. This unique single-seater race car turned street-legal roadster is the only car we've ever seen that has a "floating" cockpit that will lean into every turn you make.

Is anyone else getting a very Star Wars pod racing feel from the R1, or is it just us?

BAC Mono

When the Briggs Automotive Company decided to make a street-legal race car, they ended up making one of the most well-designed single seat road cars in history. Along with having a car that can be driven street-legal, the Mono's peppy 285 horsepower engine was capable of hitting up to 170 miles per hour.

The BAC Mono managed to do all that thanks to a lightweight body—and it also fared a bit better than others on this list, primarily due to being somewhat normal in its design. This means no motors on the side of the car, no removable steering wheel, and no terrifying "swiveling seat."

Yeah, this seems like a better car than most on here.

McLaren F1 GTR 'Longtail' FIA GT Endurance Racing Coupe

Most people know the McLaren F1 for having three seats and being one of the most powerful muscle cars of the 90s and 00s. This much is true for the standard version; the Longtail coupe version that was issued in 1997 was much more extreme in its design.

Though it was specially designed for racing and record-breaking, it technically was street legal. This extremely aerodynamic car was made to maximize its speed, which meant that only one person could be in that car at any given time. Ergo, only one seat was added.

Electra Meccanica Solo

One of the newest single seat road cars on the market is the Solo, by Electra Meccanica. This "half car" has a single seat with a little room in the back for belongings, and was designed with environmentally-conscious individuals in mind.

As the name suggests, the Solo is totally electric and designed for a single commuter. The three-wheeled car is street legal in Canada, and while it's not meant to replace the family car, can get a good 100 miles on a single electric charge.

Of all the cars on this list, this one's the most affordable. News reports claim that the Electra Meccanica Solo only costs around $19,000 to purchase.

So, if you're a loner who is sick of Ubering to work, this might be one of the better electric cars you can buy—as long as you're in Canada.