RE: Driven: Zolfe GTC4

Author
Discussion

Raize

1,476 posts

180 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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rhinochopig said:
Hands up if you're over 6'2" (95% male) and into lightweight sports-cars?
95% of males are over 6'2"??? Where'd you get that one from?

CBR JGWRR

6,536 posts

150 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
quotequote all
Raize said:
rhinochopig said:
Hands up if you're over 6'2" (95% male) and into lightweight sports-cars?
95% of males are over 6'2"??? Where'd you get that one from?
95th percentile height.

dave stew

1,502 posts

168 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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mazdaman1980 said:
I lovethe promise and the ethos of the build but i still buy with looks in mind and that looks like a nasty, cheap kit car which is such a shame as i bet its an absolute riot to drive.

I guess its like having Elle Mcpherson with Jo Brands face!!
That would be a triple bagger!

binnerboy

486 posts

151 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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like the sound of the handling and the performance, I could probably live with the looks if it was cheaper, for that money I would probably go caterham anyway.

i can fit in anything being a bit of a short arse, probably the only time its and advantage blah

The point is moot however as I could probably only stretch to 1/10th of the price ,

so back to the classified looking for second hand kit cars

Stew2000

2,776 posts

179 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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I'm seeing Ginetta, Marcos and Lotus in that styling.

Krikkit

26,544 posts

182 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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rhinochopig said:
Well done Mr Coates you've successfully excluded a big percentage of potential customers. Even Caterham have learnt that lesson.

Hands up if you're over 6'2" (95% male) and into lightweight sports-cars?

Such a shame that this sector of the car market skimp on using proper design resources. Get an Ergonomist involved (or shoot the one you used).
Apart from punishing you freaky gangly bunch, read it again - 95th percentile with a helmet etc on (no doubt with an inch of room to spare to the roof), so 6'4" should be comfy, taking you up to at least 98%. That's not to mention the possibility of fabricating a lower seat.

sideways sid

1,371 posts

216 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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A head-to-head with the Ginetta G40R would be great to see/read. PH?

Gizmo!

18,150 posts

210 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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MCBrowncoat said:
I'm not sold on the styling though; why design a new car then stick wide arches on it? Why not just have them flared in the first place?
That's exactly what I was thinking.

rhinochopig

17,932 posts

199 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
quotequote all
Krikkit said:
rhinochopig said:
Well done Mr Coates you've successfully excluded a big percentage of potential customers. Even Caterham have learnt that lesson.

Hands up if you're over 6'2" (95% male) and into lightweight sports-cars?

Such a shame that this sector of the car market skimp on using proper design resources. Get an Ergonomist involved (or shoot the one you used).
Apart from punishing you freaky gangly bunch, read it again - 95th percentile with a helmet etc on (no doubt with an inch of room to spare to the roof), so 6'4" should be comfy, taking you up to at least 98%. That's not to mention the possibility of fabricating a lower seat.
I understand that, I'm an ergonomist. So what do us freaky gangly bunch do when we want to take our driver focussed car on track biggrin

Also if he's used a 95% percentile maquette in his cad drawings, reach, and leg room will be wrong for the taller driver.

I must admit it's a bit of a soap-box issue for me, as there are so many car manufacturers that get this wrong. We had a SportKa as a commuter for a while and despite it being low and tiny it had loads of head-room and leg room. If the ford handbag can fit us freaks in there is no reason why other small cars can't. Even my westy fitted my 6'5" frame easily.

You'd be surprised how many people on PH are over 6'3".

robsco

7,838 posts

177 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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I think it looks brilliant. And for those commenting on build quality "looking" poor, how can you make that judgment, unless you have seen the car in the flesh? Just my sort of car this, I love that front end.

Raize

1,476 posts

180 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
quotequote all
robsco said:
I think it looks brilliant. And for those commenting on build quality "looking" poor, how can you make that judgment, unless you have seen the car in the flesh? Just my sort of car this, I love that front end.
It's British, must be crap.
rolleyes

FWDRacer

3,564 posts

225 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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Looks are ahem " Challenging".

Like a Cox GTM that somebody has comprehensively screwed up.

robsco

7,838 posts

177 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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Raize said:
It's British, must be crap.
rolleyes
Unfortunately, you've hit the nail on the head. People really can be narrow minded.

Masher

39 posts

263 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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Should have gone to specsavers...........eek

dandarez

13,294 posts

284 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
quotequote all
rhinochopig said:
Well done Mr Coates you've successfully excluded a big percentage of potential customers. Even Caterham have learnt that lesson.

Hands up if you're over 6'2" (95% male) and into lightweight sports-cars?

Such a shame that this sector of the car market skimp on using proper design resources. Get an Ergonomist involved (or shoot the one you used).
Well, simples. You have the G40R instead. Cheaper £29k (if £38k then the G40R saving is a substantial!) plus better looking, Sutcliffe also tested it and really liked it. And, it's actually in production. And it's a true British marque with long standing history (1958) - or of course, buy a classic Ginetta G15 (I had one for 10 years, tiny car but my 6ft 1 posed no problems, although in those days obesity was rare!).

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/ginetta-g40-vid...



thelad288

1 posts

148 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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I have to say that that is as close to my perfect car as anyone has ever made. Looks wise, it's neat and compact to me. I love Caterhams having done many miles in them, but I always wish they made a coupe. The 21 GTO race car if memory serves me correctly would do me just fine.

Power wise, I think I would plump for the lower spec as the type of roads that I like to drive really don't need more than a Caterham with 150bhp (or maybe I'm just a wuss!!!)


veevee

1,455 posts

152 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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Proper sports car, I'd much rather have this than a lot of the stuff considered to be a 'sports car' nowadays - 500hp and weight approaching a small saloon!

Build quality looks a bit iffy but it's nice to see another small British company making something that looks like it might go pretty well?

Chris71

21,536 posts

243 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
quotequote all
Gizmo! said:
MCBrowncoat said:
I'm not sold on the styling though; why design a new car then stick wide arches on it? Why not just have them flared in the first place?
That's exactly what I was thinking.
My thoughts too.

It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but with what sounds like such a good package in other respects it's shame the body doesn't quite live up to the rest of it.

I wonder if the moulds are shared with anything? The front does look a little bit like a Caterham 21 with flared arches.

400SE Dave

1,296 posts

172 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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280bhp and less than 700kg. Why 4.5 to 60 then?? Can't be long geared as it 'only' does 140mph.

Would like to see the in-gear times, hopefully strong in there somewhere

carmental

71 posts

152 months

Friday 23rd March 2012
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UGLY!!!!!!! vomitvomitvomit