Can you slam dunk a basketball and still drive something sporty?
While most performance cars adequately fit a person of average height (5-foot-9 for the American man), what about those who are taller than the norm? Which performance cars would you recommend for them?
And this is why I like sporty hatchbacks.
Other than "a convertible," I hate to admit that I don't have a solid answer.
It's probably safe to assume most Kei cars are off the list.
The '17 86 fits me at close to 6'2" but it's a fairly tight fit, I might change seats to gain a little headroom in the future. Pimpm3's taller than me and owns a 2022 BRZ, I had to slide his seat forward a couple clicks to drive it.
I'm 6'3", I drive a '90 Miata with factory seats, although the driver's side one has had a time-induced foamectomy (the foam has turned to dust and has sifted out through the bottom)
I'm 6'6" and begining a new project to fit myself in a Fiat X19 without ruining the looks of the car. It's not a smart venture, but I have a plan
Stock car wise, I actually can fit in a Lotus Evora quite nicely, though I'd need a race seat and fiddling to fit with a helmet
At 5-11 7/8 with a 32" inseam, I just barely fit in my old E86 (Z4) Coupe, i8 and Mark V Supra with a helmet on. No problem without helmet.
To tell the truth, I have more problems with my size 13 feet than anything else.
2019 Sierra High Country.
AWD and 420hp. It's plenty sporty. Fight me.
Anything made by porsche, after 2004.
ShawnG said:2019 Sierra High Country.
AWD and 420hp. It's plenty sporty. Fight me.
There's a hairpin turn coming up and a Miata in front of you. Can you flatten it before he makes it to the apex, or do you have to wait until the back straight?
In reply to ShawnG :
I'll meet you at the dragon with the Rio.... let's see who's "sportier" 
I'm short at 5'8" but I'm also mostly torso.
The basketball analogy falls flat, Muggsy Bogues was 5'3" and could dunk.
6'0" in a ND Miata RF. I fit, but had to get a seat lowering kit to be comfortable. Even so, with a helmet I run the top down or have to slouch in the seat.
My son is 6'2" or 3". Teaching to drive manual in an NA was pretty funny. I swear the top of the windshield was almost eye level. He really liked his Focus ZX3 and loves my Subarus. He seems to fit better in those. Amazingly he loved his mom's Mini too. I know a few tall guys that swear by Mini's.
if you can't fit - make it fit!
(drop the floor and add a bar) for the seat mounts - the other hole is just rust repair...
XL halos in an FC Rx7 - I'm 6'4" and there needs to be cage space too
dps214 said:Anything made by porsche, after 2004.
Seriously the 911. My 6 foot 8 brother in law is comfortable with the roof up for him.
Sports cars are revenge of the Hobbits................I count myself among them at 5' 7" & 142lbs. It's payback for the various HS sports we couldn't play.
OK on a serious note keep the answers coming I get asked all the time about what sports or race cars fit tall people and I would love to be able to list some.
Ironically enough there is a surprising number of open wheel cars that will fit tall drivers.
I'd suggest the Mazda RX8; but only without the factory sunroof and leather seats. The sunroof eats at least an inch of headroom due to the rails and the leather seats, even at the lowest position, are still higher than the cloth seats, although there's a partial work around where the rear mounting of the seat pan can be inverted.
I am 6'2" I fit in my 987.1 fine, but not with a helmet, Then I need to scrunch down.
I also fit well in my Opel GT and my 914 as well as my Golf. I also was fine in a GC8 2.5rs and a '91 Integra both even with a helmet.
I did not fit well in:
Our old NB Miata, though I could not have the seat all the way back. My eyes were at the top of the windshield and my head bubbled the soft top up if it was bad weather. To see my lanky ass get out with the top up must have been hilarious.
Mk1 Audi TT, not great at all. I was fine once I got in but it was a pain to get in and out. Bonk.
It isn't just a question of height, torso to leg ratio is important. I have a 32" inseam.and I am 6'5" so I rarely have legroom issues but often have headroom issues.
I don't fit in the brz, any BMW sedan with a sunroof, minis with sunroofs, all miatas, all mr2s, corvettes, Honda Civic type r, and all Porsche sports cars due to headroom issues.
My head was pressed hard against the headliner in the last 911 I sat in. It was a sunroof car but you have to pay big money to get a non-sunroof 911 in my experience. I had a bit more room in the Lotus Evora GT but there is an integrated roll bar behind the seat that meant I couldn't lean my head against the headrest.
I fit in non-sunroof minis and I have owned 3 (r53, r56, f54)
I fit in non sunroof bmw sedans if I swap the seat (e28, e36, e46)
I fit in BMW z3s after swapping the seat and building a custom seat bracket.
Vw gti, Ford focus, and Subaru WRX are generally good but I have never owned one.
In reply to z31maniac :
Bogues couldn't dunk, Webb (who was 5'5) could.
I'm 6'2 with a long torso (seriously my build is weird, my torso is long and my arms are long, but my legs are actually quite short for my height. The real challenge for me is finding something that I can fit in while wearing a helmet. Even more so if you taken consideration. Things that I fit in with a helmet but the roof tapers at the front cutting off my field of vision.
at 6'2 with a 32" inseam (long torso) I find my c6 corvette roomy and with a helmet I have to slouch just a touch... As a rule of thumb, german cars are easier for me to fit in.
Porsche 911 (996 and 997) I fit fine in and have no trouble driving/getting comfortable in.
Miata's I can fit in an NC with a seat lowering kit but can't adjust/move around too much. I sat in an ND and fit about the same, roof down i could make it work, roof up
first gen BR-z i fit in the passenger seat with a helmet on, never given the opportunity to drive one.
F series and G series BMW's I fit fine in with a helmet.
Karacticus said:At 5-11 7/8 with a 32" inseam, I just barely fit in my old E86 (Z4) Coupe, i8 and Mark V Supra with a helmet on. No problem without helmet.
To tell the truth, I have more problems with my size 13 feet than anything else.
I have size 15s, and I've encountered that once or twice. However, more times than not, I don't have this issue, strangely enough - maybe it's because I'm just too tall to fit otherwise (6'4").
M007chan said:I'd suggest the Mazda RX8; but only without the factory sunroof and leather seats. The sunroof eats at least an inch of headroom due to the rails and the leather seats, even at the lowest position, are still higher than the cloth seats, although there's a partial work around where the rear mounting of the seat pan can be inverted.
The RX-8 has always tempted me, but I've been worried about fit. I got to give one a try.
ojannen said:It isn't just a question of height, torso to leg ratio is important. I have a 32" inseam.and I am 6'5" so I rarely have legroom issues but often have headroom issues.
I don't fit in the brz, any BMW sedan with a sunroof, minis with sunroofs, all miatas, all mr2s, corvettes, Honda Civic type r, and all Porsche sports cars due to headroom issues.
My head was pressed hard against the headliner in the last 911 I sat in. It was a sunroof car but you have to pay big money to get a non-sunroof 911 in my experience. I had a bit more room in the Lotus Evora GT but there is an integrated roll bar behind the seat that meant I couldn't lean my head against the headrest.
I fit in non-sunroof minis and I have owned 3 (r53, r56, f54)
I fit in non sunroof bmw sedans if I swap the seat (e28, e36, e46)
I fit in BMW z3s after swapping the seat and building a custom seat bracket.
Vw gti, Ford focus, and Subaru WRX are generally good but I have never owned one.
OK, so cars that I've found that I fit comfortably in at 6'4", with room for a helmet and then some (as there should always be space).
BMW M3, G80/G81 gen - the M Carbon seats are a tad narrow for me, though
BMW M4, second gen - the M Carbon seats are a tad narrow for me, though
Mini (take your pick)
Subaru WRX, second gen - probably the roomiest and most comfortable car I've driven
Toyota Supra, fifth-gen - takes some gymnastics to get in, but once in spacious
I'd love to get a car for under $5k that's RWD, has a manual and fits me. That's my personal challenge.
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