23 replies to this topic

[Kingsleyrob]

I've spent some time searching the forum for this topic and drew a blank, but apologies if I have missed it.

I can't help being curious about the precise (ish) height of many of our heroes - in fact I was looking forward to measuring Sir Stirling up (metaphorically) at Aintree a couple of years ago at the 'Revival' attempt. Unfortunately (and I don't mean solely for my measuring exercise) he was in a wheelchair at the time after an operation on his back, so I still don't have a precise idea, even though I have been reading about him for years. As an aside, he was charming, chatting for a minute or so when I asked him so sign a 1962 British GP programme. We both agreed that it hadn't been a good year for him.

My curiousity was aroused again on flicking through Louis Stanley's 'memoirs' - he refers to Carel Godin de Beaufort's 'massive frame'. Others of interest on the tall side are Dan Gurney (6' 1ish?)and Mike Parkes. And on the shorter side Pedro Rodriguez, though I can picture him at about 5' 7ish, having seen him at Brands Silverstone and Oulton Park (IIRC).

I hope I won't be classed as 'tallist' or 'shortist' - for the record I'm an average-ish 5 feet 10 inches. So let's say I'm having a one to one with one of our heroes (Chris Amon...) standing at a bar - am I eye to eye or otherwise?

I'm sure amongs the knowledgeable fraternity here someone has the height (and maybe weight) data...or can point me to the thread already in existence?

Cheers!

Rob

[Michael Clark]

Quote

Originally posted by Kingsleyrob
So let's say I'm having a one to one with one of our heroes (Chris Amon...) standing at a bar - am I eye to eye or otherwise?



Rob

Chris would be 5 foot 8 ish. I think Bruce McLaren was about the same.

Of the other Kiwis, Howden is 5'10 ish and I would have guessed Denny was a fraction taller.

And Graham McRae would once have been a whisker under 6 foot.

Hope this helps.

[Kingsleyrob]

Thanks for the Kiwi perspective Mike - hands across the hemispheres! And guess what - we share the same birthday - I'm June 17th 1955

By the way, I've just posted a link to a Chris Amon tribute on Youtube at

Was privileged to see the great Kiwis as a youngster at a couple of home GPs.

From reading Chris's biography I gather he'd have difficulty with our upcoming smoking ban if I was able to buy him a pint in a British pub!

Cheers

Rob

[FLB]

Roger Williamson's fiancée Jacqui Hamilton says he was 5'8" in The Lost Generation.

[Hieronymus]

I am pretty sure there was a thread with the same drift some time ago. It is just a matter of finding it on the SEARCH BB link...which is not as easy as GOOGLE, for example.

[SpitfireJEJ]

Robert Daley's fascinatingly sinister book "The Cruel Sport" says of Jim Clark; "He is small, 5ft 7ins, tall, the same height as Moss......"

[Vicuna]

JYS - 5'6 and a half

Mario - 5'6

Gurney - 6'2

Hunt - 6'1

Sir Jack - once 5'10

Sir Moss - 5'7

Jim Clark - 5'7 and a half

Emmo - 5'9

Reutemann - 6'1

Jones - 5'10 and a half

Schenken - 6 foot

Wattie - 5'11

Surtees - 5'7

[Kingsleyrob]

Thanks a lot guys - your list really is helpful Vicuna.

Funny what a slightly different perspective it gives in the mind's eye (to me anyway). Never realised Mario was 5'6". Nor that there was hardly anything between Jim Clark and Sir Stirling. My perception had put Jim Clark slightly taller than stated by an inch or so. Only time I got near to him he was sitting behind the wheel of a Lotus Cortina at Oulton Park, 1967 I think.

Hey Vicuna - what do you mean Sir Jack once 5'10"!! I get your drift, perhaps he doesn't stand so straight these days, but he looks ok here in 2004, http://www.mgcars.or...ksonbrabham.jpg confirming that he and I are about the same.

So anything on CG de Beaufort and his 'massive frame'?

Graham Hill?

Fangio? About 5' 8" I guess.

Jean Behra?

Harry Schell?

Mike Hawthorn and Mon Ami Mate Pete?

Richie Ginther about 5'6" I guess, maybe plus another half inch or so.

And going back a bit (beyond my favourite era) I get the impression Dick Seaman was tall, 6 foot or so.

Look forward to more pearls of wisdom from my learned friends!

Rob

[Collombin]

Hawthorn was a big lad, 6 foot 2 I believe.

[ex Rhodie racer]

EB. Please could you enlighten me. Who was Floyd Clymer, and where, as well as under what circumstances, did he say that to Fangio?

[Kingsleyrob]

And how tall was he????

[Michael Clark]

Quote

Originally posted by Kingsleyrob


From reading Chris's biography I gather he'd have difficulty with our upcoming smoking ban if I was able to buy him a pint in a British pub!

Cheers

Rob

He gave up in August 2004

[Wolf]

Rhodie- this should provide sufficient info: http://forums.autosp...&threadid=89087 .

[LotusElise]

Stirling Moss is now shorter than my dad, who is approximately 5'6". Also, when compared to Dad, Derek Bell is one of the taller racing drivers - I would hazard a guess at 5'10" at least, maybe a bit more.
I read somewhere that Alain Prost is only 5'3" or thereabouts, probably the shortest World Champion.
I have been reading this thread with interest because I always feel the need to know how tall people are. I think it's because I'm so short myself. (Only just 5'2");)

[Kingsleyrob]

Good news about Chris giving up the fags!!

Not so sure about Alain Prost at 5'3" - was in reasonably close proximity to him at Silverstone early 90s and I'd have said more 5'6"ish, but I'll stand corrected, so to speak, by better info.

Like LotusElise I guess I'm a bit fascinated with height, hence the thread. Ridiculous as it might sound I can start building a picture of some of the guys round at my place for a barbeque in the garden, or a drink at some bar, and see the relative heights.

Maybe I'm just a suitable case for treatment...

Rob

[Kingsleyrob]

On re-reading my previous post it occured to me that as TNF is read around the world, and that some expressions are peculiar to certain countries and not others, I'd like to make clear that in the UK cigarettes are often referred to as 'fags'.

I wouldn't want to start off any unfounded rumours about Chris Amon - I was pleased to learn in 'Forza Amon' that he had found a happy life with wife Tish.

Rob ;)

[ovfi]

Sometime ago, David Castelhano posted pictures of Ginther, Andretti and Clark... they seem to have same height. If Andretti and Ginther are 5'6", Clark must have had the same height.See link below:

http://forums.autosp...181#post2555181

[ex Rhodie racer]

Quote

Originally posted by Wolf
Rhodie- this should provide sufficient info: http://forums.autosp...&threadid=89087 .

Wolf, thank you for that

[Michael Clark]

Quote

Originally posted by Kingsleyrob
On re-reading my previous post it occured to me that as TNF is read around the world, and that some expressions are peculiar to certain countries and not others, I'd like to make clear that in the UK cigarettes are often referred to as 'fags'.

I wouldn't want to start off any unfounded rumours about Chris Amon - I was pleased to learn in 'Forza Amon' that he had found a happy life with wife Tish.

Rob ;)

I assisted Eoin Young with 'Forza' and see quite a bit of Chris and Tish. I don't think Chris had realised how busy retired people can be...

Tish is on the golf course at every chance she gets and they have three grown up children including the twin boys - one being an ardent McLaren fan and the other a hardline Ferrari fan!

[Kingsleyrob]

That's really interesting Michael!

I know this is is a bit off my own thread, but I can't help wondering if Chris realises how popular he is. He was my favourite as a youngster, and I remember doing a jig when I heard on the radio that he'd won that non-championship Argentine GP. But of course there weren't many more jigs that I did during his F1 career.

He seems to have loads of fans on TNF.

I saw him at Oulton Park in the late '60s and at the British GPs in '69 and '70. I have a treasured autograph!

Maybe if he'd have won one or some GPs his stature and reknown wouldn't be as great as it is among those of us who know what he really deserved - a bit like Sir Stirling never winning the World Championship.

And when it comes to the famous Amon luck, thankfully he is still with us when sadly so many of his contemporaries aren't.

Anyway, next time you see him maybe you can tell him he still has a fan in England who enjoys spotting him on Youtube videos, especially with that distinctive helmet.

Rob

[Michael Clark]

Chris has been an occassional visitor to TNF. He was truly amazed/astonished/humbled by the length of the 'Keir thread' that I assume you know about.

Keir afterall provided the title to the biography.

Chris is largely without ego. As recently as last weekend at Phillip Island, first up McLaren mechanic Wally Willmott told me he always thought that if Chris was just too modest for his own good alongside many of his contemporaries of the day.

His kids grew up not knowing what their father had achieved. It wasn't until they'd retired and moved away from the farm that Tish insisted the walls of the home be adorned with paintings and photos of her husband the racing driver.

And yes - just above the telly is that famous photo of him at Oulton Park in 1968...

As for his helmet - he took delivery of a new boat a couple of years ago. While I wasn't on the maiden voyage, we had a trip not long after. It's a big white boat with two narrow blue stripes running just above the water line.

I suggested we paint the left one red and he thought that was a good idea.

By the way, the boat is called 'EFF-1'.

I'll let others get back to the subject at hand, namely the heights (or lack of) of racing drivers.

To that end - some that F1ers I have encountered (my estimates from 6'2 and a half)

Senna - 5'9

Warwick - 5'9 and a half

Rothengatter - 6'1

Brundle - 5'8 and a half

Blundell - 5'9

Mansell - 5'10

Schumacher - 5'9

Jim Hall - 6'1 and a half

Morbidelli - perhaps 5'5, no more

Alesi - 5'7

Berger - 6'1

[Collombin]

Gilles Villeneuve was 5' 6 and a half in height, but about a foot taller in stature.


Off topic, that reminds me of a comment made by Joel Garner (the 6 foot 5 West Indian fast bowler, a massive man). He was being looked up and down admiringly by a young lady who asked him if he was built "in proportion"

Garner replied "No Ma'am, if I was built in proportion I'd be 8 foot 6".

[Keir]

I always thought that Chris was about 5'7" as I am the same height !

With our advancing age, maybe Chris and I will shrink together !!

[petefenelon]

Quote

Originally posted by E.B.
Gilles Villeneuve was 5' 6 and a half in height, but about a foot taller in stature.


Off topic, that reminds me of a comment made by Joel Garner (the 6 foot 5 West Indian fast bowler, a massive man). He was being looked up and down admiringly by a young lady who asked him if he was built "in proportion"

Garner replied "No Ma'am, if I was built in proportion I'd be 8 foot 6".

Which reminds me of something that great Lancastrian wit and cricketer David Lloyd once said. After leaving Lancs he went up to Cumbria to play minor counties cricket, and the local radio station interviewed him by phone - it was going OK until they asked him how it felt going from captaining the West Indies to playing for one of the minor counties. Bumble ummed and ahhed and pointed out that he was from Accrington and had played for England...

"Eeeh bugger, they've signed the wrong one".

Bumble also points out that there is one surefire way of telling him apart from the great C H Lloyd - he's seen Clive in the showers "but that's another story" ;P