How to make a graceful exit (and entry)?

Quick release steering wheel?  Will give more entry room and anti-theft security.

 

http://www.socalautoparts.com/...gleproductsearchusen

 

 

 

I hop in from the top, but I have bruised knees all the time.

Butt first.

 

Wombat, much has been written here about this (do a search in the archives on 'Chiropractor'), but the experts can't seem to agree.

 

As you can see already, the various solutions fall into two general camps - hardware and software.

 

I think I'm naturally more clumsy and less coordinated than most people, so only one method works for me.

 

Entering the Speedster:

 

First, open the door and plan a butt-first approach. The important thing is to not attempt a landing in the seat proper, but rather aim for the door sill and sit there first, with both feet still on the ground outside the Speedster.

 

Once seated on the door sill, transfer the butt into the seat and then swing the right leg - knee first - under the steering wheel. The knee-first attitude is crucial to the success of the maneuver.

 

Finally, swing your left leg in while pivoting forward into driving position. This always works and, properly executed, conveys confidence and a sense of mastery of one's machine.

 

Exiting the Speedster:

 

Carefully reverse the above procedure.

 

It is possible to enter the Speedster right foot first, as one would in a normal automobile, but this maneuver can easily go wrong, entails the risk of personal injury, and is recommended for experts only.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top down:  Open door and step in while still standing.  Position legs on either side of wheel.  Sit down.

 

Top up: Open door.  Insert butt through door and onto seat.  Pull in head, occasionally hitting head on top frame.  If that cranial-to-frame contact occurs, curse in a colorful manor.  Pull in right leg, dragging along bottom of steering wheel.  Reflect wistfully on why formerly easy entry has suddenly become difficult. Turn butt slightly in seat.  Pull in left leg.  Reflect on how easy entry into wife's SUV is.  Start car and hear lovely sounds.  Forget about entry drama and have fun.

 

Mitch,

Thanks for your wry post.

It put a smile on my face and reminded me of a class-act Thunderbird I once owned.

 

Upon opening the driver's door the steering wheel flipped up and to the right to gracefully, and with dignity, allow entering or exiting...My wife loved it!

 

Getting in and out of the 912 is an awkward maneuver compared to the speedster. The 912 steering wheel has a larger diameter than the speedster. The 'first in' right leg has to be cocked sideways at the knee to slide under the wheel...then it's a butt pivot to pull the left leg in!

 

Maybe Bruce Williams can dream up a 'knuckle' steering wheel coupler that permits notching the wheel up for enough room to easily slide both legs in?

Top down, normal entry. Top up, crawl in forward.

> On Nov 20, 2015, at 6:46 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <**************> wrote:
>

Jenny Craig? 

 

I'm just kidding, I am pretty spry still but I stretch every morning.  

I do it just like Lane.

I typically use Mitch's second suggestion:  Slide the right leg gently in, as normal, left hand deftly on the sill, swing my butt jauntily into the seat and pull in the left leg (OK, sometimes I use my arm to pull that leg in - Getting old ya know...)  

 

Getting out, I swing the left leg out, position the left hand on the sill and just swing/roll/pivot the body out to a standing position, all in one motion.  (I wish I had an old Disney instructional video of Goofy doing this, but I don't).

 

Using these techniques, top down or top up, I have yet to get stuck on any projections in the cockpit, nor have I ever ended up in a heap on the ground......Thus far, at least.

 

At first, I thought "I must be an Expert!" from Mitch's post, but then I came to my senses by realizing (1.) I'm 5'6" in my socks and easily fit into a Speedster, (2.) I weigh around 153 lbs., depending on bicycle miles ridden that week so there's no excess fat to deal with and (3.) I've still got most of the agility I had in my 30's, so swinging into the seat is no biggie.

 

That said, with a CMC roll bar installed, I have both seats back as far as I can push them so the backs touch the roll bar, and if you are more than 5'6" you simply will not fit.  I could remove the roll bar and get a few more inches rearward, but why?  I see that as a theft deterrent since I haven't heard of any midgets running around stealing Speedsters in New England.  I'm safe......

 

OK, Found a good, Goofy Clip:

 

BTW:  I think the idea of a detach-able steering wheel is a great idea.  I once had a car that automatically swung the steering wheel up and to the right when the ignition was shut off so you could get in/out easier.  Loved it.

 

The detachable wheel would be even better (and you could pop it under the hood when you leave for safety), but I wonder what you would use as hand-holds to help get you in or out?

A filmed Le Mans start at Carlisle would be interesting to see! Bruce could shout out "Gentlemen start your engines." Wonder how many windshields were cracked by using the corner for leverage?

 

There is no way one can enter/exit a Speedster gracefully...LOL...unless you're a physically fit 16yr old...LOL...the grace in these cars is the body design.

 

Now if you had a 'downtube' ala 289 Cobras from your roll bar(if you have one) to the pan just off the passenger side tunnel that'd be a different story...Step on the seat, left hand on the closed door, right hand on the downtube, step off the seat(either foot)and slide down, legs under the column...

Exit, grab the door and downtube, sliding your legs out, stand on the seat open the door and step out.

 

With a top up, Cobra or Speedster, duck your head, slide in head first, bringing your right leg over, banging the steering wheel, slide your butt into the seat while rearranging your self, bang your head on the cross bow, lift your dangling left leg, banging your knee on the door sill...anyway you get the drift...no friggin' way exiting one of these with top up is graceful to an onlooker...like trying to get an oversize sardine out of a can...LOL

 

There is just no way to be "James Bond cool" with these cars when entering or exiting...LOL

 

 

 

I have a tilt steering wheel installed in mine, I was going to remove for a stock one but it does make getting in and out easy peasy.

 

Bill I will take some pictures after work and post them up.
Steering column is from a early/mid 1970's GMC hence why I want to replace it but it does make it easy to get in and out.

Is there a car out there that has a narrower door opening?

Try getting in and out of an Austin Healey Sprite/MG Midget with the top up.  The front edge of the door is about even with the front of the seat bottom.

 

EDIT: And don't forget a 550 Spyder.  Imagine getting in and out of one of those with the top up.  It ain't pretty!

With driver door open... Put left hand on open door and right hand on top of the driver seat.... Now stick right leg in and place right foot on accelerator.... Now fall into seat....bending your knee towards the shifter...Make sure no passanger is in the other seat because your body & shoulder shall hit them... Thats how I get in.... I'm always first

Reminds me of -

You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out,
You put your right hand in,
And you shake it all about,

You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That what it's all about.

Lol, you guys gave me a chuckle. I never thought I would see a how to ingress and egress into a speedster.  I need to see a movie   Honestly, I tried to get into a speedster with the top up and found it impossible unless I got in on all 4's, but really, no matter how I tried a strait jacket was all I could think about when I was doing it and maybe the need for a Valium... or any other chillout substance.  Argh... Hency, my roadster is custom made for a long torso, and placed low low, hence I can at least get my head in with the top up... 

 

Procedure.... Drum roll please...

 

Getting In, open door, left hand on door edge, put right foot in, twist body now place left hand on sill plate while you drop butt into the seat.  Finally bring the left leg in. 

 

Getting out, left leg out, left hand on sill, turn or twist to position weigh to Push up with left hand and stand up on left leg while pulling right leg out and getting it on the ground.  Voila!

 

Don't you people understand the Speedster was designed for Pigmies and short people? If your 5'8'' or less you have NO problems! Can't fit? Buy a H2! LoL

I agree with Tom about getting in with the top up. Crawl in head first then settle in.  I feel like a total idiot and am glad I can get in in the garage......

Greg, your system beats ALL others and enjoyable every time. LOL

Open door, place left hand on steering wheel and right hand on back of drivers seat.  Shift weight to left leg and place right leg on brake or gas pedal while swinging your rear end in and lowering it to the seat. Lift left leg in to the car, close door and start your engine after putting on your seat belt.

My TD has a smaller door. I do the bend right-leg-under-steering-wheel thing but I'm built like Gordon & only 50 years old...

 

Other people have struggled.

 

Now I have another reason to attempt to stay in shape as I age.

If you're having trouble getting into your speedster, you might want to delete that 356 coupe from your bucket list. 

 

Anyone remember the Flooseberry Flop from the Olympics.

So you want us to jump into the seat backwards and upside down?

yes, just like at the drive-in movie on Friday night in the back row,,err,maybe u dont remember,, I do and I THINK I had a good time..cant really remember her name...

There was just one? 

Yeah - her name was "Mal".....Short for 'Malcontent'.

This out to do it. https://youtu.be/boca2jOR_Cw

 

I place butt half on seat half on sill facing out......then I point both knees sideways towards the shifter spinning them together under the wheel using my left arm to raise my butt enough to pivot my a$$ on the seat cushion. Sometimes I put right hand on e-brake pivot and left hand on sill and do sort of an arm lift to get my butt situated.

 

~WB

Kahuna, that was so fake! You can see his legs disappearing into the door on any of the slow-motion sequences, that passenger door took some gnarly hits as did the asphalt below the door when that moron hit the dirt!

 

I prefer to enter my speedster while it's standing still. Butt-first

Yes, I find that the "while it's standing still" part is very helpful.

All Buttiful descriptions

I love small cars.  I am only 5 ft. 6 inches tall, so no problem.  I do find that on my speedster, when getting out of it, I was pushing the rubber molding out of the chrome strip under the door, so began the process of placing my left hand over the rubber piece, when I exist the car.  I also have only a 14 inch steering wheel. In most States, there are limits on how small of a steering wheel diameter one can have legally.  I know they make some small ones but not very Porsche looking . Someone needs to come up with a low cost flat bottom steering wheel, in the aftermarket parts.  I see these showing up on some new cars. 

 

I liked the Goofy movie. Amazing that since 1950, the date I think I read on the copyright, nothing much has changed with the attitude of the driver. Maybe, gotten worse with road rage.  Now, they are shooting other motorist. 

 

With a light weight fiberglass car body I am driving very careful and letting the Goofy driver have the right of way. 

This out to do it. https://youtu.be/boca2jOR_Cw

 

The UN-edited version shows the paramedics putting his diss-lodged limbs into a cooler.