The Perfect Bucket Seats for Your Fiat 131 Abarth Rally Car
Seat guide, Fiat 131 Abarth
Few rally cars carry as much nostalgia as the Fiat 131 Abarth. Whether you are restoring one or building a tribute, the seats do a lot of the work: they set the look when the door opens, and they decide how well you are held in place on a stage or a fast road. This guide is about period looking, FIA homologated fixed back bucket seats that suit the 131's 1970s rally style.
We cover our first choice, the Mirco Classic FIA, why its size suits the 131's cabin, how to mount a seat in a car with no off-the-shelf seat frames, the alternatives for different drivers, and the cage and harness side of the job. Garreth and Cameron put it together from the questions classic car owners ask us most.
- Our first choice: the Mirco Classic FIA, a period shaped fibreglass seat
- FIA 8855-1999 homologated, HANS friendly, 4 or 6 point harness compatible
- Side mount only, sized on our listing for a 32 to 36 inch waist
- We know of no direct-fit seat frames for the 131, so plan a custom mount
- Mirco GT Classic and RTS-2 are the alternatives, the RTS-2 up to a 40 inch waist
- Safety Devices and OMP both list cages for the 131
Our first choice: the Mirco Classic FIA
For a classic rally look in a current FIA homologated package, the Mirco Classic FIA is the seat we recommend. It is a fixed back fibreglass seat designed for historic and retro cars. The shape is simple and period correct, much like the rally buckets of the 1970s, with no big head wings and no tall thigh bolsters. Underneath the old-school look it is a modern competition seat.
The shell is fibreglass, which keeps it light, at around 8.7kg. It is homologated to FIA 8855-1999, HANS friendly, and takes a four point or a six point harness; the six point is the one to run with a head and neck restraint. The date of homologation is on the label under the seat, and it is worth checking against your event’s rules before a season.
It suits the way a classic is used. The side bolsters are lower than a deep modern race seat, which makes it easier to climb in and out of a car that does road miles as well as events. Our listing sizes it for any height and a 32 to 36 inch waist.
Key features of the Mirco Classic FIA, from our listing:
- Fibreglass fixed back shell
- FIA 8855-1999 homologated
- HANS friendly
- 4 or 6 point harness compatible
- Side mount
- No lateral head support
- Shell in seven colours, trim in many more
Anything beyond black is made to order, and Mirco offer name embroidery.
Why the Mirco Classic suits the 131
It is the combination of looks and approval. Most homologated seats look modern, with tall bolsters and head wings that would be out of place in a 1970s cabin. The Classic keeps a period outline, and you can choose trims that suit the era: velour, vinyl with velour, a diamond stitch, or houndstooth.
The listing notes that most Classics we have sold went into Escorts, Minis and old Fords that race or hillclimb and need a current FIA label on a seat that does not look like a modern bucket. The 131 is exactly that kind of car.
For drivers who do not need a homologated seat, the strength and the finish still count. And if the car moves into competition later, the seat is already there.
Fitment and dimensions in the 131
The Fiat 131 is a compact 1970s saloon, so seat size matters. The Mirco Classic is made to fit smaller classic cars:
- Shoulder width around 580mm. As a guide we like to stay under about 600mm at the shoulders in a snug classic cabin, and the Classic is under that.
- Internal hip width around 400mm. Enough to be held without being clamped.
- A narrow, side mounted base. It stays clear of floor humps and sills, and you set the height and angle when you make the mounts.
The backrest is mid height with no head wings sticking out, so it sits well against the 131’s B-pillar and window line and keeps a period look from outside. Two seats side by side in a small cabin is where bulkier modern seats come unstuck, and the Classic avoids that.
Mounting seats in a Fiat 131
Here is the practical part. As far as we know, there are no vehicle specific seat sub-frames made for the 131. That is common with classic cars, and there are proven ways to mount a seat securely.
Custom brackets. Many historic rally cars use custom seat mounts: bars or plates fixed between the car’s seat mounting points, with the seat’s side mounts bolted to them. A motorsport fabricator can make a bespoke frame for the car. Because the Classic is side mount only, you need side mounts on the seat, and those bolt down to whatever the fabricator builds.
Universal parts. Universal runners and frame rails can sometimes be adapted to a classic, usually with new holes drilled to match the car. Expect fine tuning or fabrication to get it right.
Fixed mounts for competition. If you are the only driver, mounting the side mounts to fixed brackets with no runners is usually the stiffest and lowest option, which also gives the most headroom. The trade-off is no fore and aft adjustment, so set your position carefully before anything is drilled or welded.
Whichever route you take, the mounts have to take motorsport loads. We recommend a specialist fabricator or seat installer, and your scrutineer has the final say on whether an installation is acceptable. Our guide to weld-in bars for motorsport seats goes into one of the common approaches.
Test fit before anything is permanent
Test fit everything. Put the seat in the car and sit in it before you drill or weld. Check the clearance to the cage if there is one, the doors and the roof, and make sure the wheel and pedals line up with you. Moving a bracket now is easy; moving it later is not.
If you are running a five or six point harness, plan where the anchor points go at the same time. The crotch straps may need their own anchor plates through the floor, and that is another job for a specialist.
Garreth’s advice is to sit in the seat in the showroom first if you can. We keep the Mirco Classic and other buckets on display for exactly that reason.
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Other retro style FIA seats to consider
Mirco GT Classic Edition. A period feel on Mirco’s GT shell, open at the shoulders with no lateral head support. Our listing sizes it for any height and a 32 to 36 inch waist, and it is FIA 8855-1999 homologated and HANS friendly, like the Classic. The dark tan trim suits a brown or tan interior.
Mirco Classic special editions. The same homologated Classic shell comes in houndstooth, diamond stitch, and vinyl with velour. It is the same seat, and you are choosing the cloth, which makes it easy to match the car’s era.
For larger drivers: the Mirco RTS-2. If you need more room than the Classic or GT give you, the RTS-2 comes in two widths, 32 to 36 and 36 to 40 inch waist, for drivers over or under six feet. It is a more modern shape, but can still be trimmed to suit. The Abarth Edition, in black velour with orange stitching, is an obvious one for a 131. It is closer to the width limit for the car, so we recommend a test fit.
Houndstooth is the cloth many cars of the era wore, and on the Classic shell it looks original from a distance while carrying current homologation up close.
The Classic is also offered in over 250 colour options beyond the standard ones, so ask if you are matching a particular interior.
Cages and harnesses for the 131
A fixed back bucket seat and a harness go with a proper harness mounting point, and in a rally car that usually means a cage. Safety Devices list a 6 point bolt-in cage for the Fiat 131 saloon (1974 to 1984), cage number G004, listed as FIA approved. The rear section can be used alone, and there are options with a harness bar. OMP also list a cage for the 131, the AB/105P/265, listed as FIA homologated.
Run the harness shoulder straps over a harness bar, not straight down to the floor, so they sit level with the harness slots in the seat. The harness maker’s instructions set out the angles, and your scrutineer will check the installation.
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Choosing for how you use the car
Think about how the car will be used. If it is mostly for shows and the occasional spirited drive, you can put the trim first and pick a pattern you enjoy every time you open the door. If you plan to compete in historic rallies or on track, put the fit, the homologation date and the harness set-up first. In most cases you can have both.
Send us your height, waist and what the car is for, and we will suggest the seat and talk you through mounting it.
What is the best bucket seat for a Fiat 131 Abarth?
Our first choice is the Mirco Classic FIA: a period shaped, FIA 8855-1999 homologated fibreglass seat that suits the 131’s cabin.
Are there direct-fit seat frames for the Fiat 131?
Not that we know of. Most 131s use custom brackets made by a fabricator, or adapted universal parts.
Is the Mirco Classic side mount or base mount?
Side mount. You need side mounts on the seat and a frame or brackets in the car.
What waist size does the Mirco Classic suit?
Our listing sizes it for a 32 to 36 inch waist and any height. For a larger waist, look at the Mirco RTS-2.
Is there a roll cage for the Fiat 131?
Yes. Safety Devices list a 6 point bolt-in cage for the 131 saloon, and OMP list one too.
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Our pickThe Mirco Classic FIA
Period looks, a current FIA label, and a size that suits the 131.
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