Embraer’s Cockpit Office Chair Pays Tribute to a Legendary F1 Driver
Brazilian racing legend Ayrton Senna left an indelible legacy in the span of a relatively short motorsport career, which spanned 10 years and ended with his fatal crash at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. Known for his single-minded focus and fearless determination on the track, Senna also possessed an uncanny, almost intuitive connection to his machine. His skill and relentless focus earned him the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship three times, in 1988, 1990, and 1991. During his career, he won 41 Grand Prix races and took 65 pole positions, the latter being a record that stood until 2006.
In that same uncompromising spirit, Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer Executive Jets has created the Senna Cockpit, a high-tech office chair inspired by cockpits in the motorsport and aerospace industries. Under development for two-and-a-half years, the Senna Cockpit is a collaboration between Senna Brands, Embraer Executive Jets, and Metalcrafters Transparencies and Composites, Inc. (MTCcorp)—leaders in machining and fabrication for the aerospace industry. Only 22 examples will be produced. That number refers to June 22, 1986, the date of Senna’s first Grand Prix victory, when the triumphant driver waved Brazil’s flag on his winning lap at the Detroit Grand Prix.
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Designed and engineered by the Embraer Executive Jets Interior Design Team, and manufactured by MTCcorp, the Senna Cockpit weighs 80 pounds. The chair back raises and lowers along the carbon-fiber spine, and the chair’s articulation seems to defy gravity as one moves side to side, forward and aft, or rotates 360 degrees, almost as though floating. This is achieved with a mechanism similar to that employed for the seating of the Embraer Phenom 300E business jet.
One of the most unique features of the Senna Cockpit is that it breaks the mold of a traditional office chair, which relies on casters. Prior to locating the chair in the room, the user inserts the “Remove Before Flight” pin in the baseplate assembly to easily move the chair. The bottom of the baseplate includes five Teflon features designed for soft surfaces, and can be optioned with felt pads for hard flooring surfaces.
Exposed structural components are fabricated from 6061-T6 machined aluminum and carbon fiber. Billet-aluminum parts are anodized in black or champagne gold, while the carbon-fiber structural components maintain that material’s authentic look. Face plates are decorated in blue honeycomb-patterned carbon fiber. Foam-seating filler is upholstered in 100 percent full-grain aviation leather in rich navy blue, reflective of the Senna branding.
Gold-accent stitching, inspired by the paint of Senna’s 1986 Grand Prix victory car, is used metaphorically to represent the rain graphic found on the backrest and seat. Senna was known for winning in the rain. A champagne-gold anodized bar engraved with “DRIVE YOUR TRUTH” is mounted to the seat back, a reminder that even when sitting, success comes to those who focus on what’s ahead. Each chair is numbered “1 of 22” on a serial-number plaque. Priced at $36,000, a portion of each sale is donated to the Ayrton Senna Foundation, which assists with education programs in Brazil.
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