Lathes.co.uk is your friend. It appears, from a quick scan, that centre height was only 1 5/8”? SoI doubt the centre height over the saddle was that much – possibly the swing over the saddle, maybe? I might be wrong, of course.

**LINK**

Bill is correct. I've just measured mine and the swing in the gap is 5-1/4"

John

Although not entirely clear when I had a quick look it did appear to be fairly indicative, from this section, that the information was there somewhere.

Quote: “ Although sold with the Flexispeed name cast into the bed the only advertisements seen for this later version show the "Meteor 11" model, but it is known that when the lathe was supplied with a single swivelling tool slide (as distinct from a compound slide) and without the automatic carriage traverse it was known as the "Meteor 1". The pitch of the leadscrew was coarsened from 12 to 8 t.p.i. with the fine feed rate of the carriage, using the original worm-and-wheel arrangement, set at 0.0015" per revolution of the spindle. Whilst the turning capacity of the lathe was unchanged the finish was improved by the use of chrome-plated handwheels and levers – and then promptly ruined by castings painted in a ghastly light-blue Hammerite.“ Unquote.

Not sure James, but the receipt for my Simat is dated 1982 (£95)

Bill