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Will I fit in a Seven inspired car
grassracer - 13/11/22 at 07:11 PM

After being out of the driving seat competitively/track wise for 8 years or so I'm now hankering over having another go.
I've always fancied a 7 inspired car and probably now in the best position I've ever been in regarding owning/building one.
The biggest concern I have is I'm 6'3, 120kgs and with size 11 feet. Will I fit and be able to drive comfortably any type of 7?
I don't mind, in fact I quite like the idea of having to make a few adjustments (lowered floor/foam seat/taller roll bar/clip off steering wheel) if required and putting my own stamp on something. Am I being unrealistic in even considering a 7?
Any makes better to look at or avoid in this area?
Thank you

jacko - 13/11/22 at 09:06 PM

The best advice I can give is go and sit in one but I would say you will fit knowing my son fitted in mine and he is 6ft 2 ins
Graham

[Edited on 13/11/22 by jacko]

big_wasa - 13/11/22 at 09:07 PM

I am a touch taller, a tad heavier and size 13 feet. Yes you can fit a book sized 7 with carful choice of seat and pedals. But comfortable. Maybe, maybe not. I could manage an hour or so at a time.
There is a 3xl version of the 7 world where you can drop in and have bags and bags of room but they are no Racer.

Roll bar will need mods for racing. My head is above the roll bar, let alone a helmet.



Not my pic, if it even works but a Viento next to a Velocity.



[Edited on 13/11/22 by big_wasa]

Feltwell - 13/11/22 at 09:52 PM

I'm about the same size as you, and I fit in a Luego Viento with no great problem - it's a bit snug on the width, but plenty of legroom with the seat right back. Of course it does depend on the exact car, what seats etc, but with a Viento you should be fine. I'll fit even better if I lose a few lbs!

In contrast, before I bought the Viento I tried sitting in a wide body Westfield at the factory - I did fit in it, but really it was too tight for comfort - the Viento is definitely better, if you can find one that you like.

JC - 14/11/22 at 07:38 AM

I have a Locost built on the McSorley 442 plans. Loadsa room! Not tall - 5’8, but the seat will easily go back another 6-8 inches, and the footwell is wide enough for me to have a full false pedal alongside the pedal box.

ianhurley20 - 14/11/22 at 09:06 AM

quote:
Originally posted by jacko
The best advice I can give is go and sit in one but I would say you will fit knowing my son fitted in mine and he is 6ft 2 ins
Graham

[Edited on 13/11/22 by jacko]


I agree with Jacko - this is exactly what I did. I went to shows with a tape measure and measured / sat in with permission/ all sorts of cars. I found that the old Robin Hood 2B+ had the widest cockpit and several models of Tigers were made for shorter people and eventually got a Haynes Roadster (the later version is 4 inches wider than the first and also has independent rear suspension. It was able to be adapted to fit anyone by changing the basic desing of the cockpit, as you say, lowered floor etc. I used MX5 pedals which were top hung , gave more room lengthways and a place to rest your size 11 footwear for your clutch foot. And of course Viento is king in this department - probably with a V8 it will perform rather well I think

rusty nuts - 14/11/22 at 10:26 AM

The Luego owners club often had potential buyers asking to sit in Viento’s because they couldn’t fit in any other 7s . Suspect the club probably convinced more buyers to buy than Luego ever did?

nick205 - 14/11/22 at 10:27 AM

quote:
Originally posted by jacko
The best advice I can give is go and sit in one but I would say you will fit knowing my son fitted in mine and he is 6ft 2 ins
Graham

[Edited on 13/11/22 by jacko]




Spot on advice - try them first!

Kit makers all have demo cars for you to go and try. They're keen for you to get in them, have a go and bee persuaded that theirs' is the kit for you. If you go down the Locost/Haynes self build route then there'll likely be members on here close enough to you for you to go an have a sit in.

Me, 5'11", size 11 & 80kg. I went to try the MK Indy demo car before making a final decision. Their demo car at time had was a Fireblade BEC, my GF was not impressed by the revs and noise! (I was building with a 2.0 Pinto Sierra engine anyway so no bother).

Feltwell - 14/11/22 at 10:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
The Luego owners club often had potential buyers asking to sit in Viento’s because they couldn’t fit in any other 7s . Suspect the club probably convinced more buyers to buy than Luego ever did?


Yep -that's why I bought mine!

gingerprince - 17/11/22 at 12:14 PM

I'm 6'4" and - ahem - getting rounder - had an MK Indy for 17 years. Seat is bolted to the floor rather than on runners to give a bit more space, and it's a small steering wheel. Seat "hugs me" a little more than it used to when I first bought it, but that just makes it more secure

I can't fit in a "standard" Caterham - and the MK, like many others, is bigger than a teeny-weeny Caterham - but it's doable. Just try it, first.

swanny - 18/11/22 at 08:27 AM

same here, a bit taller and heavier and fitted into a couple of robin hood, (series 3 and a 2b) we used to always expect to do mods when we bought a new one to get me comfy.

my last 7 was a locost with a fixed seat, build by a much shorter bloke than me, but somehow that just worked really well. (car was 6inches wider than standard which helped) but event leg length etc was all fine with no adjustments.

there are a good few people out there of this size and so there will be cars built with this in mind.

also different seats with thinner backs and seat cushions can make a massive difference too.

[Edited on 18/11/22 by swanny]