Headroom/legroom in coupes

amg5872

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Hi, all. I asked this same question a while back about the Bavarias, but now the coupes are catching my eye and I'm looking for the right one to buy. My question is about the head room and leg room in the coupes. I am 6'6" and wondering if anyone has experience with whether taller drivers can comfortably fit in the coupes. Thanks for any thoughts you may have.
 

Arde

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HB_Chris is the person to ask.

Also make sure you have stopped growing before you pull the trigger on a coupe.
 

CSteve

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A former coupe owner had his seat rails moved by Mario at VSR. He was a tall guy, not sure how tall, and it worked for him.
 

phead82

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I'm about 6'2" and it's tight towards the headliner. Then again I have a sunroof, which may or may not eat away some headroom?
Agreed, HBChris is probably the guy to ask.
 

rsporsche

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as mentioned, HBChris is tall, but drives his coupe regularly ... so is Stevehose. it also depends on if you are long waisted vs. short waisted as to the approach that you take. i am 6'-3' but tall above the waist - so legroom isn't an issue, but i solve my issue by reclining the seat.
 

jmackro

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I am about 7" shorter than amg5872, but I will say this: If you have a hankering to own an older, European, sporty car, then the e9 has about much head and leg room as you are going to find. Yea you may have to modify the seat mounts to lower the seat and shift it rearwards. But compared with a 911, Alfa GT, MGB-GT or some other marque's coupe of the era, the e9 is huge.

My other suggestion is simply to find an e9 owner in your area and sit in his car. That experience will be worth about a thousand Internet messages.
 

Stevehose

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I am 6'5" and have room to spare. Of course, that takes away the back seat but that is off limits anyway. Like Jmackro said you won't find a roomier vintage European coupe.
 

HB Chris

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I'm 6'5" and have no problem, no sunroof though, they eat up an inch of headroom at least. Seat all the back until it touches seat belt retractor, and I raised front of seat by 3/8" to give me some thigh support, very comfy.
 

amg5872

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Thanks for all of the feedback. Sounds like it's potentially doable but may require some modification. Now I just need to find the right starter coupe...
 

JFENG

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limits your choice of non-std seats

Assuming your upper torso is proportioned like HBChris, you won't likely be able to upgrade the seats (Scheels, Recaros), with the exception of E21 or E24 sport seats. Best stick with worn-out originals.

Or, do a convertible conversion?
 

SHIMBIMMER

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Man...

I've never felt so envied for being 5'9" (6'0" with the afro!)!!

My business partner who is the recent owner of a GORGEOUS '69 912 looked a little crunched in my car at 6'3" - but then again - he had boots on and I have a feeling my seat doesn't go back as far as it should after re-installed from upholstery work.
 

rsporsche

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You may want to take a look at this thread.

http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12237&highlight=schmitt

I don't have any independent knowledge about seller...

i have heard mixed things about this seller, i have NO first hand knowledge but i spoke directly to two people who did. from what i have heard is that you want to look closely at what they have. they are generally pretty but some were coverups ... not that schmitt covered them up, but perhaps who they bought them from did. my point is, when the price is what they are asking for them, you would think they would be more diligent.
 

amg5872

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I thought I'd send an update in case anyone has the same question. I finally made my way to the driver's seat of a '72 3.0 CS (for sale at GLB Motorworks in St. Louis, in case anyone's interested). At 6'6", I had plenty of headroom, even with a sunroof. Legroom was the issue; doable, but definitely cramped. The seller said the seat could be moved back a few inches for under $500. As others have said, the cabin really is very roomy, even for large people like myself. Thanks again for all of the input...
 

tmason

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The pricing of these cars it's kind of a slap in the face to tack on another 500.00 to adjust the seat to your height! IMHO
 

CadillacGreen

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Just catching on to this thread...

I am 6'5" and drove my old Granatrot red one from Las Vegas to Seattle in one day...

I loved every minute of it...

It was a '74 so the wheel was smaller, but I had no problems...

A 635CSi with sunroof is a no go for me, but the E9's have the extra headroom.
 

Lotuss7

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I'm a little less than 6'-2". Would appreciate the extra inch or so afforded by not having a sunroof. Perhaps desirable but a noisy when open and a leak prone water trap. With a pillar less coupe just opening the windows is enough for me.
 
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