Hundreds Of Products Ready Today. Dispatch/Collection Aston Martin Vantage bucket seat guide
V8 and V12, 2005 to 2018
Reach for the handbrake in a V8 Vantage and you find it high up and tight against your right hip, with the transmission tunnel doing much the same thing on the other side. Whatever seat goes in has to live in what is left, and that gap is narrower than the width of the car leads you to expect.
So this page is shorter than most of our guides, and deliberately so. One vehicle specific frame is made for this car, it is a Cobra, and the side mounts sold to pair with it are Cobra’s own. Work back from those two parts and the seat list more or less picks itself.
- One vehicle specific frame for the Vantage, and Cobra make it
- Cobra list it for the V8 and the V12, 2005 to 2018
- The frame is handed, so driver side and passenger side are different parts
- Priced one frame per seat, which means ordering twice for a pair
- Side mount only, with the Nogaro steel side mounts in between
- Every Nogaro shell measures 560mm across and 490mm at the base
- No roll cage is made for this shell, only a rear seat delete kit
One frame, and it settles the seat
The Cobra subframe bolts to the factory seat mounting points in place of the original runners, so nothing needs drilling on a standard floor. The seat then mounts to the frame on side mounts. There is no base mount option here and no second frame from another maker to compare it against, which is unusual on a car this popular and does make the decision quicker.
Because the frame is a Cobra and the side mount listed alongside it is the Cobra Nogaro steel side mount, the seat lineup below is the Nogaro family. Both parts either end of the seat come from the same maker, and the Nogaro is the shell Cobra sized to sit between that handbrake and that tunnel. If you have your heart set on another brand, ask us before you order anything. The answer comes down to the bolt spacing on that specific seat, and we would sooner check it than guess.
Frame plus side mounts
The usual route. The subframe goes to the floor, the Nogaro steel side mounts bolt to the sides of the shell, and the seat is then fixed in place. Nothing slides afterwards. You set the position once during the fit, which is fine if the car is mostly a track car or only one person ever drives it. It is also the lower of the two routes, because you are not giving up any height to a runner.
Frame plus the sliding kit
The Cobra Nogaro Sliding Fitting Kit is side mounts and a runner supplied as one part, SUBFR07EL-SUBFR31, on the 291mm wide handle type slider. You keep fore and aft adjustment on top of the frame, which is what you want if the Vantage is still doing road miles and two people drive it. It costs more than the side mounts alone and it hands back a little of the height the frame just saved you.
The fitting kit for a Vantage
The frame is part number SU-VW-Aston Martin Vantage and Cobra list it for the V8 and the V12 across the whole 2005 to 2018 run. It is handed, so the driver side and passenger side frames are different parts and you pick the side on the product page. Both sides are listed for right hand drive.
The thing that catches people out is the pricing. One frame carries one seat, so a driver and passenger swap means adding the frame to the basket twice, and the same goes for the side mounts. Order a frame on its own and put the seat you are fitting in the comments box at checkout. We check the pairing before anything ships.
- Cobra Vantage subframe, part number SU-VW-Aston Martin Vantage
- Listed for the V8 and the V12, 2005 to 2018
- Choose RHD driver side or RHD passenger side
- One frame per seat, so order twice for a pair
- Cobra Nogaro steel side mounts, part number SUBFR31
- Sliding version, SUBFR07EL-SUBFR31, on a 291mm handle width runner
Bucket seats that fit
The whole Nogaro range is one shell in different trims. Every seat below is 560mm across at its widest, 490mm at the base and 710mm deep, so a seat that fits your Vantage in one trim fits it in all of them. What changes down the list is the material, the finish and the price. Pick on how you want it to look and what you want to spend, because the fit is settled either way.
The one measurement that does change is the height of the backrest. The Circuit, Street, Club Sport and M Style shells stand 910mm tall. The Speedster is the same footprint with a 700mm back. If you are over 6ft, go for the taller shell, and the reason is the harness slots more than the headroom. A longer backrest puts the slots above your shoulder line instead of below it, so the belts pull back across your chest and not down on your shoulders. The Speedster suits a shorter driver, or anyone who wants more over the shoulder visibility on the road.
One honest caveat on the whole lineup. Every seat here is rated road and track, and none of them carry an FIA 8855 approval. For fast road use and trackdays that is no problem at all. If you need an FIA rated shell for a licence or a championship, tell us the class and we will look at what else can be made to work on this car, because it changes the mounting conversation too.
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The fit does not change across the range, so the question worth asking is which one you want to sit in and look at for the next few years. Cameron does the fitment side of this, and on a Vantage the two things he asks for first are your height and whether the car still does road miles, because between them they settle the backrest height and whether you want the sliding kit. Send that over with a rough budget and he will cut fifteen down to two.
Harnesses
Once the seat is holding you through a corner, the standard inertia belt is doing a different job to the one it was designed for. A 4 point harness is the sensible pairing with these shells for road and trackday use, and it is what most of the Nogaro range is listed as taking. The Club Sport Ebisu seats and the Street Carbon 40th Edition are listed for 4 and 6 point belts, so if you want a 6 point set those are the shells to start from.
Where the shoulder straps mount is the part to sort out first on this car, and it is not straightforward. The straps want a fixing behind the seat at roughly shoulder height and strong enough to take the load, and the standard rear belt anchorages are not it. There is no roll cage made for this shell to hang them from either. Tell us how the car is used and what is behind the seats before you order belts, and we will work out where they are going.
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The two TRS Magnum sets at the end of the row are FIA rated and carry an expiry date, so they only make sense if you are running in something that asks for them. If the Vantage is a fast road car with the odd trackday, a bolt in or clip in 4 point does the job for a fraction of it. Either way, the shoulder mounting on this car needs thinking about first, so message us with a photo of what is behind the seats and we will tell you what will work.
Cages and the rear seat delete
What does exist for the car is the SW Motorsports rear seat delete kit. It is built for this shell, so it drops into the standard mounting positions without fabrication on a straight car, and it is supplied powder coated black. It tidies up the space behind the front seats once the rears come out, which is worth having on a car that has just gained two buckets and lost the use of the back seats.
Before you commit, know that a cage is a notifiable modification, and depending on your insurer a seat delete can be too. Tell them before the car goes back on the road. If you are fitting the delete kit and harnesses at the same time, talk to us about both together, because what is behind the seats affects where the belts can go.
What fits what
Every seat on this page mounts the same way, so the columns that actually differ are the backrest height, the waist sizes each trim is listed for, the shell material and what the listing says about harness slots. Where a listing does not state the harness slots we have marked it not listed instead of assuming, so ask us and we will confirm it with Cobra.
| Seat | Mounting | Backrest | Waist | Shell | Harness slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tall back shells, 910mm | |||||
| Cobra Nogaro Street | Side mount | 910mm | 32in to 36in | Fibreglass | 4 point |
| Cobra Nogaro Circuit | Side mount | 910mm | 32in to 36in | Fibreglass | 4 point |
| Cobra Nogaro Club Sport Ebisu Edition | Side mount | 910mm | 32in to 36in | Fibreglass | 4 and 6 point |
| Cobra Nogaro Club Sport Ebisu Street Edition | Side mount | 910mm | 32in to 36in | Fibreglass | 4 and 6 point |
| Cobra Nogaro M Style Street | Side mount | 910mm | 32in to 36in | Fibreglass | Not listed |
| Cobra Nogaro Street Tartan Edition | Side mount | 910mm | 28in to 36in | Fibreglass | Not listed |
| Cobra Nogaro Circuit Tartan Edition | Side mount | 910mm | 28in to 36in | Fibreglass | Not listed |
| Cobra Nogaro Circuit Carbon | Side mount | 910mm | 32in to 36in | Carbon fibre | 4 point |
| Cobra Nogaro Street Carbon 40th Edition | Side mount | 910mm | 32in to 36in | Carbon fibre | 4 and 6 point |
| Cobra Nogaro Street Carbon 40th Edition Tartan | Side mount | 910mm | 28in to 36in | Carbon fibre | Not listed |
| Lower back shells, 700mm | |||||
| Cobra Nogaro Speedster | Side mount | 700mm | 32in to 36in | Fibreglass | 4 point |
| Cobra Nogaro Speedster Signature | Side mount | 700mm | 32in to 36in | Fibreglass | 4 point |
| Cobra Nogaro Speedster Tartan Edition | Side mount | 700mm | 28in to 36in | Fibreglass | Not listed |
| Cobra Nogaro Speedster Wet Lay Carbon | Side mount | 700mm | 32in to 36in | Wet lay carbon | 4 point |
| Cobra Nogaro Speedster Wet Lay Carbon Signature | Side mount | 700mm | 32in to 36in | Wet lay carbon | 4 point |
Common questions
Which fitting kit do I need for an Aston Martin Vantage?
The Cobra direct fit subframe, part number SU-VW-Aston Martin Vantage, which Cobra list for the V8 and the V12 from 2005 to 2018. On top of that you need side mounts to connect the shell to the frame, either the Nogaro steel side mounts on their own or the sliding fitting kit if you want fore and aft adjustment.
Do I need one frame or two?
One per seat. The price shown is for a single frame, so a driver and passenger swap means adding it to the basket twice, and the same applies to the side mounts. The frame is handed as well, so select the correct side each time.
Can I fit the seat with just the frame?
No. The Nogaro is a side mount shell, so something has to go between the seat and the frame. That is either the Nogaro steel side mounts or the sliding fitting kit, which is the side mounts and a runner supplied as one part.
Will I keep fore and aft adjustment?
Only if you go for the sliding fitting kit, SUBFR07EL-SUBFR31, which includes a 291mm handle width runner. The plain side mounts fix the seat in one position, which is lower and perfectly sensible on a car that only one person drives.
Will a Sparco, OMP or Recaro shell fit instead?
The only vehicle specific frame made for this car is the Cobra one, and the side mount sold with it is Cobra’s own Nogaro part, which is why the whole seat lineup on this page is Nogaro. That does not automatically rule out another shell, but it does mean the bolt spacing has to be checked against the side mounts first. Send us the exact seat you are looking at and we will confirm it before you order.
Which Nogaro should I pick if I am over 6ft?
One of the 910mm backed shells, so a Circuit, Street, Club Sport or M Style rather than a Speedster. The taller backrest puts the harness slots above your shoulder line, so the belts pull back across your chest instead of dragging down on your shoulders. A tall driver in a short shell runs out of seat exactly where it matters most.
Is there a roll cage for the Vantage?
No. Custom Cages make kits for the DB3S, DB4 and DB7 but nothing for the 2005 to 2018 Vantage, and we cannot source one elsewhere. If your class needs a cage in this car it is a fabrication job. What does exist is the SW Motorsports rear seat delete kit, which is built for this shell.
Are these seats FIA approved?
No. The Nogaro range is rated road and track, and none of it carries an FIA 8855 approval. That covers fast road use and trackdays without any trouble. If you need an FIA rated shell for a licence or a championship, tell us the class you are running in and we will look at the options, because it changes the mounting conversation as well as the seat.
Do I need a harness bar for a 6 point harness?
You need something behind the seat at roughly shoulder height and strong enough for the load, and the standard rear belt mounts are not that. There is no cage available for this shell to use instead, so the shoulder mounting is the first thing to settle on a Vantage. Send us a photo of what is behind your seats before ordering belts. Check the seat as well, because only some of the Nogaro trims are listed for 6 point belts.
Can I keep the standard seat belt?
Usually yes, though the buckle often ends up somewhere new once a bucket seat goes in, and on a Vantage that area is already tight. Check you can reach the buckle and that the shell is not fouling it before the car goes back on the road.
More help
This is the only Aston Martin guide we have written up so far. If you are running something else, or you want the fitment on your Vantage confirmed against a specific seat before you spend anything, both links below go to the right place.