Height problems

[matthayden1019]

Hello,
Long time lurker here. I've been looking for the right Elan for the last year or so. My main hesitation on pulling the trigger is the comfort. I'm 6'3" and about 200 lbs. Now according to Harry's Garage...he says there is plenty of room for someone of my size to fit comfortably in an Elan.

I live in Minnesota (USA) and there aren't many Elans around for me to test out or sit in. Obviously I don't want to buy one and find out I won't be able to drive it. My father has a Fiat X19 that I barely fit in, and I had some trouble fitting in a triumph TR4.


Does anyone have any input on this?

I apologize if this topic has been discussed on here before, I couldn't find anything on it.

Thank you!

[sng]

I am 6' 2" and about 186 lbs and fit no problem, I don't have the seat on it's max setting so you should be fine.

I also put 80 plus thousand miles on an X19 in the 80's when I was much lighter and more supple, when I sat in one recently it was very tight and I wondered how I use to drive it so far. A great car that I miss very much and always thought the Elan much more fragile than it ever was, the X19 always delivered.

[smo17003]

I'm 6' 2"/180lbs and my head just touches the headliner in my Coupe, with the seat fully back. I'm tempted to try it forward one notch as my legs are at a bit of a stretch.
I recently spent two very uncomfortable hours as a passenger in a friends MX5 with far less leg room.

[vstibbard]

I’m 6’4” 190lbs and have seat located in rear most channel and most reclined setting and also column moved ~1” out towards the driver. I’ve driven ~500 miles in day in comfort.
Cheers
V

[maxminshull]

I'm 6'6 with a 36in inseam and fit fine.

A smaller 26R style wheel will help vs the early large wood rim wheel on an S1/S2.

https://jacobengineering.co.uk/index.ph ... -wheels-2/

[steve lyle]

The bigger issue might be foot size, particularly width. There isn’t a lot of space between the gas and brake pedals. It’s not unheard of for me to catch the gas pedal a bit when braking.

[gav]

I’m a mere 6’ and fit fine but made two reversible changes to make life more comfortable which may be worth considering - I set aside the original seats and used a pair of early exige (also Elise) seats that had the effect of lowering me in the seat and provide the added benefit of a built in head restraint.
I also warmed up and reset the brake pedal nearer towards the clutch so that my wide feet dont catch the throttle when braking. May have gone a little too far and am currently toying with reducing this a little. I did have to square up the pedal face (the bit you press) but I did it in a way that allowed me to restore the original pedal if needed
Hope this helps
Gavin

[RotoFlexible]

I'm 6'3" also. (I was taller in the '60's when I first started driving the Elan, but I shrank.) 36" inseam. I fit fine, but I do fill up the available space. The seat is all the way back and the hood is close to my head (when it is up, which is infrequently). Getting in and out with the hood in place requires some convolutions but I can still manage it at 73. I have size 13 feet and have to wear driving-specific narrow shoes to avoid hitting the gas and brake at the same time.

[tonyabacus]

Certainly the pedal issue is one many have issues with. I wear my old racing boots which help and carry my normal shoes in the boot. I guess tennis shoes would probably do the same job at less cost
Tony

[types26/36]

Height is not a problem, it’s the lack of space between the tunnel and the clutch pedal giving nowhere to rest the foot during long driving with no gear changes. ….size 11 (UK) and broad feet! ……helps with narrow shoes but not the perfect solution

[ericbushby]

Hello all you big footed people.
I had the same problem with my Elan when I bought it. I wrote up the modification that I did at the time but it appears to have timed out now.
My feet are too wide to only press one pedal at once safely.
I respaced the pedals accordingly and found it to be a great improvement.
I bent the pedals to the left, 1/2" for the brake and 1" for the clutch.
The pedals are 1/4" thick mild steel and bends easily just with a vice and a hammer.
I think 3/8" and 3/4" adjustment may be sufficient for most people.
As you say, I cannot rest my left foot to the side so it has to be moved back and under when not needed.
I did this nine years ago and have always been completely satisfied with it. I consider it is one of the best modifications I have done.
It takes some time but costs nothing.
The pedals don`t look straight on the second photo but they are.

This applies to right hand drive cars. I know nothing about LHD cars
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

[gjz30075]

Works for LHD cars, too! And I have small feet. If I need to rest the clutch foot, I slip it under
the pedal