Lotus 61: will I fit?

[wjpierce]

Hello all. Happy New year.
I am considering the purchase of a Lotus 61 FF. I am 5'10 and weigh 195 lbs. Can I fit in the car? I know Lotus was known for their really small cockpits but understand that they may have changed their ways to accommodate larger drivers. Anybody with experience with these cars? Thanks for looking and responding. Bill Pierce Lompoc, CA

[tstrong]

Yes, I am about your same size and have driven a friends 61 a couple of times. You may need to modify/ eliminate seat but should be able to get a good fit. Like most vintage cars it is fairly roomy compared to say a Swift or mid/late 90’s VD. Todd

[Bardahl77]

Yes, I am about your same size and have driven a friends 61 a couple of times. You may need to modify/ eliminate seat but should be able to get a good fit. Like most vintage cars it is fairly roomy compared to say a Swift or mid/late 90’s VD. Todd

Back when tires were skinny and drivers were fat?

[Roland V. Johnson]

You may also have to make sure it has a removable steering wheel. Sometime people install a larger fuel cell and that can cause problems also.

[Earley Motorsports]

Hi. I’m 5’9” and 190 and I fit. I fit with the original seat but took it out just to get a little lower. The thing to look out for is how broad are your shoulders as if it is a 100% original body they were very narrow in the opening.

[wjpierce]

Thanks to everyone for their input. Very Helpful.

[Rob McClelland]

I've had mine for 20 years and will say bodywork is a point to consider. I'm 6'1 with long legs that required the pedals to be mounted on the radiator side of the frame rail and removal of the seat. The cockpit opening is narrow and I had to make alterations to the original body so my shoulders had room. I ended up purchasing a new body from Peter Denty and the opening was very accomodating.

Rob

[e-drive115]

I’ve had six Lotus 61’s over the years and I am about your height and weight. What the others has said is good info ..... take the seat out and cast a bead seat will help a lot, removable steering wheel certainly aids entry/exit. Something else that I did on my later cars is to move the headrest back by replacing that tube with one that has a bend in it. It will help you lay back in the seat and allow you head to rotate upward so you can see better.

[halcyon]

You'll probably be OK. It depends on whether your height is in your torso or legs.

I am 5'11" & 180 lb, and I barely fit in my Type 69. When I first sat in the car, I was two inches above the roll hoop (4 inches above passing the broomstick test). Removing the original seat and pouring a thin bead seat got me to even with the roll bar. I found the other two inches by cutting away the pedal box mounting brackets and moving the pedal box as far forward as possible (pedals are now 1/8" from hitting the frame when depressed). If you are willing to extend the height of the roll hoop, then you would have another parameter to play with. It's still a tight fit: The pedal box is challenging, toes can get caught on the frame; I bang my knuckles on the bodywork when shifting to third if I don't rotate my hand sideways; I have to turn sideways to get my hips to fit through the bodywork opening; etc. It's still my favorite car in the garage to race.

[Jerry B.]

Bill......
U can fit if u shed about 15 pounds.....r u buying another car ?.

[provamo]

you fit in a 51 you should fit in a 61

[Henrik]

Hi,
I'm 180cm / 80Kg and moved my master cylinders in font of the bulkhead to gain legroom, I now have no problem getting under the narrow cocpit bodywork.

see 2008-12-01: Progress
http://hhtech.se/2008_news.php

/Henrik

Hello all. Happy New year.
I am considering the purchase of a Lotus 61 FF. I am 5'10 and weigh 195 lbs. Can I fit in the car? I know Lotus was known for their really small cockpits but understand that they may have changed their ways to accommodate larger drivers. Anybody with experience with these cars? Thanks for looking and responding. Bill Pierce Lompoc, CA

[Lotus7]

.....(pedals are now 1/8" from hitting the frame when depressed)......

Sorry to hijack the thread, but have you considered what happens if you get a hydraulic leak at one end of the car? The balance bar will allow the pedal to stroke farther than usual before generating any stopping pressure.