Hundreds Of Products Ready Today. Dispatch/Collection Alfa Romeo 147 bucket seat guide
Type 937, 2000 to 2010
Ask what fits an Alfa Romeo 147 and the honest answer starts with one part number. There is a single vehicle specific seat frame we can supply for this car, it is a Sparco, and everything else on this page is built around it. That sounds limiting. It actually makes the job easier than on most hatchbacks, because once the frame is settled the only open question is what sits on top of it.
Sparco list that frame for the 147 from October 2000, so it covers the early cars and the facelift. It uses the car’s original seat runners and takes a few parts off the standard seat during fitting, which is worth knowing before the old seats get sold on.
- One vehicle specific frame for the 147, the Sparco direct fit sub-frame
- Listed by Sparco for the 147 from October 2000
- Frames are handed and priced one per seat, so a pair means ordering it twice
- Base mount and reclining seats bolt to the frame directly
- Side mount shells need the frame plus a set of side mount brackets
- Keep the standard seats until the swap is finished, the frame uses parts off them
How a seat mounts in a 147
Both routes start in the same place, with the Sparco 147 sub-frame bolted to the floor where the standard seat used to sit. What changes is the part between the frame and the seat.
Base mount, straight onto the frame
A base mount seat, bucket or reclining, bolts down through its own base and sits on the frame with nothing in between. This is the route Sparco designed the frame for, and it is the cheaper of the two because there is no bracket to buy.
Side mount, frame plus brackets
A competition shell has no base to bolt through, it is held by its sides. Sparco say their sub-frames will not take a side mounted seat without side mounts or adaption bars, so the shell route is the frame plus a set of Sparco FIA steel side mount brackets.
Most FIA rated shells are side mount only, so on a 147 the more competitive the seat, the more likely you are buying both parts. A few seats are listed for either, and the OMP TRS-E and the Cobra Monaco Pro below both carry base mount and side mount on their fixing type, which gives you a choice on the same shell.
The fitting kit for a 147
The Sparco frame is the part that makes the car specific. Sparco supply it handed, so a driver’s side frame and a passenger side frame are different parts and you pick the side on the product page. Pricing is per frame, per seat, which catches people out: a pair of seats means adding the frame to the basket twice and selecting a side each time.
Sparco are also clear that their sub-frames are made to suit seats of their own brand. If a seat from another maker is going on it, tell us which one in the comments box at checkout and we will check the fitment before anything ships. That is not a formality, some frames are a complete replacement frame and others are adaption bars that mount to what is already in the car.
- Sparco 147 sub-frame, SKU 00499083
- Handed, choose driver or passenger side
- One frame fits one seat
- Works with the car's original seat sliders
- Uses components off the standard seat during fitting
- Side mount brackets are FIA approved and sold as a set
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From £72.23 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Bucket seats that fit
These are shells we would put on a 147, and the brand list is not an accident. Sparco’s side mount brackets name Sparco, OMP, Cobra and Sabelt, so those are the four we can stand behind on this car. Seats from other makers may well go in with the right adaption, but we would rather work that out with you than list one and hope.
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Read this as a shortlist. We stock a good deal more than these and the right answer depends on your build and your size in a seat. Cameron works the fitment side here, and on a 147 the first thing he wants to know is which shell is going on the frame, because Sparco ask for that on the order anyway. Send us your height and waist and what the car is used for and he will narrow it down.
Reclining sport seats
If the 147 is still a road car doing the odd trackday, a reclining seat is the easier swap. These are all base mount, so they go straight onto the Sparco frame with no bracket, and they keep the backrest adjustment you lose with a shell.
Sparco seats are the direct match for a Sparco frame. The Auto Style pair are here because they share the same base fitment, which is why our own Endurance runner listing groups Sparco and Auto Style together. They are the value end of this section and they do the job.
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Harnesses
A bucket seat changes what the belt has to do. The seat is now holding you through the corner, and a standard inertia belt is built to let you move. What you buy depends on where the car goes. Bolt in and clip in club harnesses suit a road car with occasional track use. If the car is competing, the FIA rated belts carry the standard the scrutineer is looking for, and you need a mounting point behind you that is up to the job, which usually means a cage or a harness bar.
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FIA belts carry an expiry date and championships check it, so buying the cheapest rated set is a false economy if it runs out mid season. If you tell us the class you run in, or that the car never leaves the road, we will point you at the right one rather than the dearest one.
Roll cages and bracing
Eligibility is the other thing to settle first. Approvals vary by discipline and change year to year, so check the regulations for your championship before ordering rather than after. If a cage has to be signed off, the paperwork follows the car, so keep it with the logbook.
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What fits what
Mounting, sizing and shell material for everything above, so you can see in one place which seats need the brackets and which do not.
| Seat | Mounting | Waist | Height | Shell | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucket seats, on the Sparco 147 frame | |||||
| Sparco Sprint | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | Steel | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sparco Rev QRT | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sparco QRT-R | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP TRS-E Velour | Base or side mount | 28in to 36in | Under 6ft | Steel frame | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP Champ-R | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP RT | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Carbon or fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Monaco Pro | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Steel frame | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Suzuka T GT | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sabelt GT3 | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sabelt Titan X-Large | Side mount | 36in to 40in | Over 6ft | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Reclining seats, straight onto the frame | |||||
| Sparco R100 | Base mount | All sizes | Over and under 6ft | Steel frame | Road and track |
| Sparco R100 Martini Racing | Base mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | Steel frame | Road and track |
| Sparco R333 | Base mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Steel frame | Road and track |
| Sparco GT | Base mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Steel frame | Road and track |
| Auto Style Type BS5 | Base mount | All sizes | Under 6ft | Steel frame | Road and track |
| Auto Style Type AK | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Steel frame | Road and track |
Common questions
Which fitting kit do I need for an Alfa Romeo 147?
The Sparco Alfa Romeo 147 direct fit sub-frame, SKU 00499083. It is the vehicle specific part and Sparco list it for the 147 from October 2000. If the seat you are fitting is a side mount shell you also need a set of Sparco FIA steel side mount brackets to go between the frame and the seat.
Do I need one frame or two?
One per seat. The price on the product page is for a single frame and the frames are handed, so a driver and passenger swap means adding it to the basket twice and selecting the correct side each time.
Can I fit a side mount bucket seat using only the frame?
No. Sparco state that their sub-frames take base mountable bucket seats and reclining seats, and that a side mounted seat needs side mounts or adaption bars. Budget for the frame and the brackets together if you are going down the shell route.
Will the Sparco frame work with a seat from another brand?
Sparco make their sub-frames to suit their own seats and will not guarantee fitment with another maker. Their side mount brackets are the more flexible part, and the listing names OMP, Cobra and Sabelt seats as fitting them. Whichever way you go, put the seat you are fitting in the comments box at checkout so we can check it before it ships.
Does the 147 keep its original seat runners?
Yes. The Sparco frame is designed to work with the car’s original sliders and it uses some components off the standard seat during fitting, so hold on to the old seats until the swap is finished and everything is in.
Are the roll cages for a standard 147 or the GTA?
Read the vehicle line on each one. The Custom Cages kits, both SW Motorsports cages and the strut brace are all listed for the 147 GTA. The OMP weld in cage is listed against the 147 without that qualifier. Ask us first if your car is not a GTA.
Do I need a harness bar or a cage for a 6 point harness?
The shoulder straps need a mounting point behind the seat at the right height and strength, which on a 147 means a cage or a harness bar rather than the standard rear belt mounts. Sort the mounting before you order the belts.
Other Alfa Romeo guides
We have written the same guide for a couple of other Alfas. The 156 shares its era and its parts bin with the 147, so if you are running both it is worth a look.