Tall People in Disappointingly Small Cars

[Dr B]

On 9/2/2024 at 7:58 PM, Bloo said:

The main problem is the gas pedal, which is between the brake and clutch pedals. My size 13 shoes do not fit.

I have found pedal placement (too close) and the size of the foot box in Italian cars of the 60's and 70's to be quite small even for average sized feet (mine are size 11).  I also recall seeing a rather large person (not tall but rather heavy) sitting in a C1 Corvette and the steering wheel touching his abdomen.

 

So, as pointed out in prior posts, it is not necessarily the overall size of the car but also the proportional sizes of various areas in the driver's compartment that can be quite limiting.

 

Robert

[coachJC]

I am 6ft 2 and have no problems in my Model Ts but I have also put the smaller earlier spider and steering wheels on both my 1920 & 1923 Ts and that makes a big difference. I struggle driving our 1929 Model A Convertible Cabriolet as I can't get my foot on the brake pedal without shifting out of 3rd gear.  I don't drive it very often so the first time every year I have to relearn my sitting  position and leg movement to get my foot on the brake, if I had a panic stop in that car I would be in trouble.

[28 Chrysler]

At 4'16" I don't have the driving impairments that most of you have.

I can say that on the newer cars the side windows are a bit to high in relation to the seat bottom.

[JACK M]

I tried a Beetle once and found that my feet were to big.

[8E45E]

4 hours ago, zdillinger said:

I'm 6'5" with disproportionally long legs, and this is one of the reasons I primarily focus on Packards. Never found one yet that I couldn't fit in comfortable.

Packards are nice with their 'chair height' seats; commonly found in a living room.    I can see low, bucket seat cars causing legroom issues.  For me, some seats can be too low, where the legroom will be fine.

 

Craig

[Pfeil]

Even from the beginning there was room for a hat.

Edited September 4 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[8E45E]

6 hours ago, 28 Chrysler said:

At 4'16" I don't have the driving impairments that most of you have.

I can say that on the newer cars the side windows are a bit to high in relation to the seat bottom.

Okay, I make that out to be 5'4",  correct?

 

Craig

[BillinMd]

16 hours ago, Pfeil said:

Even from the beginning there was room for a hat.

He also had a Maserati Ghibli that Algar had to custom fit for him.

[Hans1]

At Dearborn Flee Mkt, a long time ago, fell in love with a 58 corvette.  

At 6'5" and much thinner than now, could not close door with cramped legs and feet partially on pedals.

 

Still heart broken

[Pfeil]

On 9/5/2024 at 4:38 AM, BillinMd said:

He also had a Maserati Ghibli that Algar had to custom fit for him.

I find that hard to believe. The first Maserati Ghibli (of the three types) was 1967. Dr. Porsche, with hat, pictured in the photograph next to his VW died January 30, 1951

[BillinMd]

On 9/8/2024 at 2:26 PM, Pfeil said:

I find that hard to believe. The first Maserati Ghibli (of the three types) was 1967. Dr. Porsche, with hat, pictured in the photograph next to his VW died January 30, 1951

I was referring to Wilt in the last set of photos. And,  yes Algar was able to fit him in his Maserati.

[theconvertibleguy]

On 9/2/2024 at 5:54 PM, spaceage said:

At the last cars & coffee event, it dawned on Mr. Spaceage that a Corvette Sting Ray could probably never be in our future given his rather long legs. So here's a question for those of you who are of above-average height--

 

Have you ever fallen in love with a car that, as you later found out, you are too tall to drive? And how may that have impacted your search for a classic car to add to your garage?

 

Interested in hearing your stories!

So this has been my life in a nutshell. Even with modern cars, I have to psychically try it out to see if I can fit in the damn thing. Knees, head, feet, even hips (some of those sport cars I'm sure were made for dwarves). It's taken off any C1/C2/C3 Corvette, any Mustang ever made (the roof line is amazingly low, along with the steering wheel), any Miata or Porsche, and a few 60's cars even (steering wheels then were really low to the point that you have to straddle yourself in like you're mounting a horse since they're not adjustable.

 

Oddly enough, I find cars from the late 30's to early 50's to be much roomier then their late 50's to 1970 brethern. Strange. Should be the other way around. But ya my stature kills off ever owning a sports car. Many muscle cars too. Considering their price, probably for the best.