Disappointed

[hatters]

I was feeling great this morning I had found the Esprit that I had dreamed of .
It was calypso red (the same colour as my M1000 )and was up for private sale about 45 miles away ,it had a full service history and was M O T d and taxed what could be better .It had only done 64000 miles ,Oh I forgot to say the price was right as well
When my friend and I arrived the car was sitting in the drive it was bucketing down with rain ,not the sort of weather to take it out for a test drive .The interior was beige leather no rips or tears and nothing a good clean wouldn't put right .
Now for the disappointment ,I got in it and banged my head on the top of the door aperture and when I finally got inside it I felt very cramped and claustrophobic and my head was touching the roof I am almost 6 foot but there is much more room in my M100 than there was in the Esprit
So I didn't buy it .I am still undecided whether or not to go and have a further look at it when the weather is better but what ever I do it wont make it any bigger. WILL IT?

[rip]

No it won't get bigger.
I remember seeing it on Wheeler Dealers. Ed is 6'7" so stood no chance & was gutted that he could not drive it.
Chapman was not small & I'm sure Mike Kimberley would have been involved at the time. He is over 6'.

Frustrating but being too tall for it may save you a lot of money.

[MPx]

I'm really surprised! I'm six foot and relative to many have a longer torso, shorter legs (knuckles near the ground?). I do have to adopt a slightly uncomfortable driving position when wearing a helmet on track, but without the helmet, its fine - better than fine, I love it. To a degree it depends what variant of Esprit you were testing. The oldest are the smallest S1, S2, S2.2. The S3 and Turbo (like mine) were slightly bigger. The cabin in the Stevens facelift ('87 on) was bigger again and max size was attained in one of the Sport variants as the seats were so thin. Ian May fitted fine into his V8 at 6'6" and Rick Edwards seems very happy in his S4s at about 6'4" or more.

I actually find the M100 more awkward. Although no issue with the height of the hood, I'm looking down to see out of the windscreen which means things like traffic lights disappear above my line of sight, and the pram support steel for the hood is so close to the side of my head that a combination of spirited driving and a few bumps usually ends with a wack on the head.

Getting in and out of the Esprit is more awkward than the M100 (especially if some numpty parks close beside so that the door cant be fully opened, but its nowhere near an Elise like experience. And I'm also surprised you found it claustrophobic. The tunnel is a significant presence in the car, but the car is wide and you dont sit shoulder to shoulder with your passenger. I look on it more that I'm wearing the car, being right in the heart of it, rather than more on it which is the feeling when you sit higher.

But we're all different....if its not for you, its not for you, so be it. Shame though cos they're great cars...

[hatters]

I'm really surprised! I'm six foot and relative to many have a longer torso, shorter legs (knuckles near the ground?). I do have to adopt a slightly uncomfortable driving position when wearing a helmet on track, but without the helmet, its fine - better than fine, I love it. To a degree it depends what variant of Esprit you were testing. The oldest are the smallest S1, S2, S2.2. The S3 and Turbo (like mine) were slightly bigger. The cabin in the Stevens facelift ('87 on) was bigger again and max size was attained in one of the Sport variants as the seats were so thin. Ian May fitted fine into his V8 at 6'6" and Rick Edwards seems very happy in his S4s at about 6'4" or more.

I actually find the M100 more awkward. Although no issue with the height of the hood, I'm looking down to see out of the windscreen which means things like traffic lights disappear above my line of sight, and the pram support steel for the hood is so close to the side of my head that a combination of spirited driving and a few bumps usually ends with a wack on the head.

Getting in and out of the Esprit is more awkward than the M100 (especially if some numpty parks close beside so that the door cant be fully opened, but its nowhere near an Elise like experience. And I'm also surprised you found it claustrophobic. The tunnel is a significant presence in the car, but the car is wide and you dont sit shoulder to shoulder with your passenger. I look on it more that I'm wearing the car, being right in the heart of it, rather than more on it which is the feeling when you sit higher.
But we're all different....if its not for you, its not for you, so be it. Shame though cos they're great cars...

I may go and have a second look when the weather has improved