Hello All,
This may seem to be a silly question but, I was wondering if anyone had problems sitting in a E-type. I'm 6'1" and I have yet to sit in a E-type . It has always been a dream to own one and I'm currently in the market to restore one. Am I wasting my time? Are there mod's that can increase leg room?

 

You might be comfortable in one of the long wheelbase versions: a Series I-II-III 2+2 or a Series III roadster.

I personally don't think you'd be happy in a short wheelbase E-type. I'm 5'9" and feel cramped...and that's after I *get* in...which in itself is a little tricky.

Not sure about mods to increase leg room

You'll just have to try a couple on for size and judge for yourself :-). Fun to drive, though. Nothing remotely like a modern car of course, but still fun.

I'll have to run for cover after saying this but I'd rather have a mid-60s Corvette...if I couldn't have both, of course :-)

Cheers
DD

 

At 22 years of age and 5'11", I loved my Series II E-Type and was very sad to see it go when I needed a four seater saloon.

Fast forward thirty years through several Jaguar saloons and I could finally go back to an E-Type. The test drive told me I wasn't 22 any more! Climbing over the sill and folding myself into the seat didn't have the same grace or ease.

There's no doubt the E-Type is beautiful to look at and an excellent restoration project. It was a phenomenal car to own in the early 70's but don't expect a driving experience anything like an XK8.

Find an example restored to the condition you would expect to match with your project and drive it before committing yourself. As a long held dream, the negatives may be completely irrelevant to you.

Graham

 

My son, who is 29 and 6', is not comfortable in my '95 XJS convertible. In particular he finds the foot wells to be too narrow for his big feet.

 

Even worse in an E-type :-)


Cheers
DD

 

I have 1/2 dozen E-Types and recently bought an XK8 ... which has all the "cool" of an E-Type, but it's actually drivable and comfortable ... something the E-Types weren't. If you really want something similar from those days that you can actually drive around in, maybe consider a Healy 3000 or something like that.

If you just want to restore an E-Type and drive for an ice cream cone, 3 weekends a year, you'll find a way to squeeze into it ... & it will be a squeeze.

 

will give you some encouragement re the e-type- the point in restoring these is not to end up with a ride that compares to something coming off todays factory line- these are wonderful cars to drive in their own right- the later cars (mine a series 3) are a bit more a touring car, i suppose, but fantastic for long drives once you have gotten the car "sorted out"
as to gettin' in and being comfortable?- i am 6'1" and can tell you there is plenty of room for legs- and at least in the 2+2, there is plenty of head room, as well

have fun!

 

Some more size encouragement.... I have owned my S1 OTS since 1971. During all those years, I have been right at 6ft even (maybe I have undergone some geezer shrinkage of a quarter inch or so), and I have "grown up" from 140 lb up to 155 lb. OK, always been the skinny type. Never in all that time have I experienced any issues about fitting into the E-Type. Even with 68 years on my own chassis, I never think twice about crawling into/out of the car. It is very "senior friendly" with the wide door sills - just plop one's kiester on the door sill and slide over into the driver's seat.

For a more easily found size reference, try sitting in a first generation Miata (I've also owned three of those). The interior dimensions seem to be quite similar (except the E-Type drops its steering wheel bottom a bit closer to my thighs). If you do not fit into the Miata, a S1 (2-seater) E-Type may be a challenge. As previously mentioned, a 2+2 is more spacious, as is the S3 V12 model.

 

A smaller steering wheel will help; there are also throttle linkage kits available these days which will allow you to re-locate the pedals. Which believe it or not makes a huge difference.

 

Thank you all for the suggestions. However, who sell throttle linkage kits?

 

At 6'3" , 210lbs., I sit comfortably in all XKEs and E-types. The only problem I have is that the windscreen top is exactly at eye level. The XKE and E-type Coupes and 2+2 have a higher windscreen and I can see very well. Even at my height and weight, I could adjust the seat in a Triumph GT6 and be comfortable but not the TR6. If you cannot find a linkage kit, the old time method of pedal adjustment was with a cutter and welder. My first Jag was a 53 XK 120 Roadster and then a 57 XK140 MC Coupe, learned how to overcome the leg room issues.

 

I know what you mean about the windscreen height! At almost 6'5", the drop top version just wouldn't work for me. My compromise 72 2+2 has plenty of leg and head room, though. It's a sure thing nobody's going to use the back seat with me driving!