Hundreds Of Products Ready Today. Dispatch/Collection Audi A1 GB bucket seat guide
Typ GB, 2018 onwards
Search for A1 seat fittings and most of what comes back suits the older car. The 8X ran from 2010 to 2018 and picked up a frame from Cobra and one from Recaro along the way. The GB replaced it in 2018 with a new floor, and the aftermarket has been slower to follow. Today there is one vehicle specific frame for this car, the SW Motorsport one further down the page.
That makes the GB easier to buy for than the 8X, because there is no frame decision to get wrong. It does put more weight on the seat, since everything has to work with that single frame. Measure your cabin before you commit to anything. The GB is a supermini and some of the reclining seats below are 580mm to 590mm across, so the gap between your transmission tunnel and your door card is the number that settles it.
- One vehicle specific frame for the GB, SW Motorsport part number SWS-Audi-A1-GB
- The frame is handed, so you choose RHD driver side or RHD passenger side
- Priced per frame, so a driver and passenger pair means ordering two
- Cobra and Recaro both list an A1 frame, but those belong to the older 8X
- Planted do not list a bracket for either generation of A1
- The frame takes a side mount shell on side mounts, or a base mount reclining seat
- Base mount bolt patterns vary by maker, four different ones appear on this page
- No bolt in cage is listed for the GB shell, the SW Motorsports half cage is the 8X car
One frame, and what goes on top of it
The SW Motorsport subframe bolts to the factory seat mounting points in place of the standard runners, so a straight car needs no drilling, and it sits the seat lower than the seat and runners that came out. It is handed, which catches people out. The driver side and passenger side are different parts and you pick the side on the product page, so check twice if you are doing both seats.
From there you have two ways to go, and they are genuinely different cars to sit in afterwards. A fixed back competition shell on side mounts is the lower and more supportive of the two, and it stops the seat moving at all. A base mount reclining seat keeps the car usable for two people and for a long drive. Both bolt to the same frame.
What there is not on this car is a third option. Cobra make SU-AU-A32-A1 for the A1 Mk1 and Recaro make 687519-29, and both of those sit with the 8X. Planted cover a good part of the Audi range, including the A3, the A4, the TT and the R8, but no A1 of either generation. So it is the SW Motorsport frame, and then the seat.
Frame plus side mounts
The competition route. The frame goes to the floor, side mounts bolt to the sides of the shell, and the seat fixes in place. Nothing slides afterwards, so you set the position once while you are fitting it. That suits a track car or a car one person drives, and it gives you the lowest seating position because no height is going into a runner. The side mounts are ordered separately and they need to suit the shell you have chosen, so tell us the seat.
Frame plus a base mount seat
The road route. A reclining seat bolts through the four holes in its own base, so the backrest still adjusts and you can sit in it for three hours without planning your exit. The catch is the bolt pattern, and on this page there are four of them. Cobra and some Corbeau seats are 291mm by 330mm, the Sparcos 345mm by 271mm, and the two Auto Style seats 345mm by 280mm and 405mm by 280mm. Send us the exact seat and we will confirm it against the frame first.
The fitting kit for a GB
SW Motorsport build the frame specifically for the GB, part number SWS-Audi-A1-GB, in steel. One frame carries one seat, so a pair means adding it to the basket twice, and the same goes for side mounts and runners. Put the seat you are fitting in the comments box at checkout and we will check the pairing before anything ships.
Side mounts and sliding runners are separate items here. The universal FIA side mounts below cover most competition shells, and the Sparco and OMP sets suit their own seats first. Runners go between the frame and the seat if you want to keep fore and aft adjustment, at the cost of some of the height the frame just gained you. If your model year or trim is not named on a listing, ask before ordering. It saves a return.
- SW Motorsport GB frame, part number SWS-Audi-A1-GB, steel
- Handed, so choose RHD driver side or RHD passenger side
- Universal FIA approved steel side mounts for a competition shell
- Sparco long side mount brackets, and OMP high profile side mounts at 380mm
- Sparco and OMP sliding runner kits if you want to keep adjustment
- The Cobra and Recaro A1 frames listed elsewhere on the site are for the 8X
-
From £99.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Bucket seats that fit
These are all side mount shells, so each one wants the frame and a set of side mounts underneath it. They are Sparco, OMP and Mirco, which is what has actually gone into A1s through the showroom, and every one of them is FIA 8855-1999 approved.
Height is the first thing to sort out. The OMP Champ-R, the RS-PT 2, the WRC-R and the Mirco GT are listed for drivers under 6ft. The Mirco RS2, the Mirco RTX-7, the OMP ARS-R and the Sparco Pro 2000 QRT are listed as suiting all heights. Get this the wrong way round and a tall driver runs out of backrest at the shoulders, with the harness slots sitting below the shoulder line so the belts pull down instead of back.
Waist size splits them too, and there is one seat here with more room in it. The OMP ARS-R is listed at 36in to 38in where the rest are 32in to 36in. If you are at the top of that range, start there, because a fibreglass shell gives you nothing.
Two of them differ in ways the spec list does not show. The Sparco Pro 2000 QRT is listed for base mount as well as side mount, so it is the one shell on the page that works either way on the frame. And the three Mirco seats come in seven shell colours with a long list of trim options, which matters more than it sounds if you are matching an interior. The Sparco Grid Q and the Sparco Evo L QRT do not carry a driver height on their listings, so ask us and we will check those against your build.
-
From £324.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £354.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £349.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Reclining seats
If the GB is still your daily and it sees a circuit a handful of times a year, a reclining seat is the easier buy. The backrest still adjusts, you can get in and out of it without thinking, and everything here is rated road and track.
Width is where an A1 owner needs to pay attention. The Cobra Daytona is 580mm across at its widest on a 530mm base, and the Misano Anniversary is 590mm wide on a 520mm base. Measure between your tunnel and your door card at seat base height before you commit to either. The Daytona is also the heavier of the two at 13.5kg against 11.5kg for the Misano, and the Misano is made to order with a four to six week lead time, so it is not the seat to pick the week before a trackday.
Check what comes in the box as well, because it varies here more than usual. The two Auto Style seats are supplied with sliders included, where the Cobra, Sparco and Corbeau seats are the seat on its own. The Corbeau Sportline RRS and the Sportline Boss Evo 2 are both sold in pairs, so their price covers two seats and does not compare like for like against a single one. And the bolt patterns run to four different sizes across these eight seats, so the frame has to suit the seat you pick rather than the other way round.
-
From £499.17 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £1,374.17 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £235.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £374.56 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £710.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £235.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Eighteen seats is more choice than anybody needs for one small hatchback. On a GB the shortlist falls out of three answers: the gap between your tunnel and your door card, how tall you are, and whether the car still does proper road miles. Cameron handles the fitment side here, so send those three over with a rough budget and he will cut it down to a couple of seats and tell you exactly what they need underneath them. Ten minutes of that beats an evening of reading product pages.
Harnesses
Once a bucket seat is holding you through a corner the standard inertia belt is doing a job it was never designed for. A 4 point harness is the usual pairing for fast road and trackday use, and a 6 point is where you go if your class asks for it.
Sort out the shoulder mounting before you order any belts. The straps want a fixing behind the seat at roughly shoulder height, strong enough to take the load, and the standard rear belt anchorages are not that. This is the part GB owners get stuck on, because there is no bolt in cage listed for this shell to solve it. Send us a photo of what is behind your front seats and we will tell you what will work.
On approvals, the Schroth Profi 3×2 and the TRS Magnum 6 point Superlite are FIA 8853-2016, and the TRS Magnum 4 point is FIA 8854-1998. All three carry an expiry date that runs down whether the belt has been used or not, so they earn their money only if you are running in something that asks for them. For a road car with the odd trackday the Takata Drift II or Drift III, or the TRS Clubman, does the job for a fraction of it. The Takata and Clubman belts are not HANS compatible, so if you run a head restraint go for one of the three FIA sets or the Schroth.
-
From £370.01 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £245.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £205.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £229.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £270.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £100.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £80.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
The honest order on this car is shoulder mounting first and belts second, because buying belts first is how people end up with a set that has nowhere sensible to bolt to. Tell us how the car gets used, whether a head restraint is going on, and what your class requires if you are competing. If none of that applies and it is a fast road GB, the TRS Clubman clip in is the one most of our customers settle on.
What fits what
Everything below fits an A1 GB on the SW Motorsport frame. What changes is how it mounts, what it is approved for and who it suits. Where a listing does not state something we have marked it not listed instead of guessing, so ask us and we will confirm it with the maker.
| Seat | Mounting | Approval | Driver height | Waist | Harness slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side mount bucket seats | |||||
| Sparco Grid Q | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Not listed | 32in to 36in | 6 point |
| Sparco Evo L QRT | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Not listed | Not listed | 4 and 6 point |
| Sparco Pro 2000 QRT | Base or side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | All heights | 32in to 36in | 6 point |
| Mirco GT 3D Fabric | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32in to 36in | 4 and 6 point |
| Mirco RS2 3D | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | All heights | 32in to 36in | 6 point |
| Mirco RTX-7 3D | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Over and under 6ft | 32in to 36in | 4 and 6 point |
| OMP ARS-R | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | All heights | 36in to 38in | 4 and 6 point |
| OMP Champ-R | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32in to 36in | 4 and 6 point |
| OMP RS-PT 2 | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32in to 36in | 4 and 6 point |
| OMP WRC-R | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32in to 36in | 4 and 6 point |
| Base mount reclining seats | |||||
| Cobra Daytona | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm | Road and track | All heights | 32in to 38in | 4 point |
| Cobra Misano Anniversary | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm | Road and track | All heights | 32in to 38in | 4 point |
| Sparco R100 Vinyl | Base mount, 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | All heights | 32in to 38in | 4 point |
| Sparco R333 | Base mount, 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | Under 6ft | 32in to 36in | 4 point |
| Corbeau Sportline RRS, pair | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | All heights | 32in to 38in | 4 point |
| Corbeau Sportline Boss Evo 2, pair | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | All heights | 32in to 38in | 4 point |
| Auto Style Type JW | Base mount, 345mm x 280mm | Road and track | All heights | All sizes | 4 point |
| Auto Style Type AK | Base mount, 405mm x 280mm | Road and track | All heights | All sizes | 4 point |
Common questions
Which fitting kit do I need for an Audi A1 GB?
The SW Motorsport direct fit subframe, part number SWS-Audi-A1-GB. It bolts to the factory seat mounting points in place of the standard runners, so a standard floor needs no drilling. On top of it you need side mounts if you are fitting a fixed back shell, or nothing extra if you are fitting a base mount reclining seat whose bolt pattern suits the frame.
Will the Cobra or Recaro A1 frame fit my GB?
Do not order either without asking us first. Cobra SU-AU-A32-A1 is described as the A1 Mk1 frame, which is the 8X, and Cobra also make SU-AU-S1-MK1 for the S1 which they date 2010 to 2018. The Recaro frame, 687519-29, is listed simply as the Audi A1 frame with no year range on it at all, and it belongs with the 8X too. The GB has a different floor. If you want to run a Recaro shell in a GB, send us the seat and we will get the frame question answered properly before you spend anything.
Do I need one frame or two?
One per seat. The price shown is for a single frame, so changing the driver and passenger seats means adding it to the basket twice. It is also handed, so those two are different parts. Pick RHD driver side for one and RHD passenger side for the other, and check that on the order before it ships.
Is there an S1 version of the GB?
No. The S1 was the 8X only, which Audi built from 2010 to 2018, and there is no S1 in this generation. The quickest GB is the 40 TFSI. If you have an S1 you want the 8X guide instead, and the Cobra S1 frame, not anything on this page.
Which reclining seats will bolt to the frame?
That depends on the bolt pattern in the seat base, and there are four different ones across the seats on this page. The Cobra seats are 291mm by 330mm, the Sparcos 345mm by 271mm, the two Corbeau seats offer either of those, and the Auto Style seats are 345mm by 280mm and 405mm by 280mm. Tell us the exact seat you want and we will confirm it against the frame before you order.
Will a bucket seat fit inside an A1 GB?
Yes, but measure first. The cabin is narrow and the wider reclining seats here are 580mm to 590mm across. Measure between your transmission tunnel and your door card at seat base height and send us the number if it looks tight. A side mount competition shell is usually the easier fit of the two, because it is narrower at the base and it sits on the frame instead of over it.
Which seat should I pick if I am over 6ft?
One that is listed for it. The Mirco RS2, the Mirco RTX-7, the OMP ARS-R and the Sparco Pro 2000 QRT all cover taller drivers, where the OMP Champ-R, the RS-PT 2, the WRC-R and the Mirco GT are listed under 6ft. A taller backrest puts the harness slots above your shoulder line so the belts pull back across your chest, which is the whole point of them. A tall driver in a short shell runs out of seat exactly where it matters.
Will I keep fore and aft adjustment?
Only if you add a runner kit. Side mounts on their own fix the seat in one position, which is lower and perfectly sensible in a car one person drives. A Sparco or OMP sliding runner kit sits between the frame and the seat if you need to move it, and you give up a little of the height the frame just saved you. A reclining seat is the other way to keep the car workable for two drivers.
Do I need a cage to run a harness?
Not necessarily, but you do need something solid behind the seat at roughly shoulder height, and the standard rear belt anchorages are not it. On a GB this needs settling before you buy belts, because the SW Motorsports half cage on our site is built for the 8X A1 and S1, a different shell. Send us a photo of what is behind your front seats and we will tell you what will work.
Are the FIA harnesses better?
They are certified to a standard, which is a different thing from better for your car. The Schroth Profi 3×2 and the TRS Magnum Superlite are FIA 8853-2016 and the TRS Magnum 4 point is FIA 8854-1998, and all of them carry an expiry date that runs out whether the belt has been used or not. If your class asks for FIA, buy FIA. If it is a fast road GB with the odd trackday, a road and track rated Takata or TRS Clubman is the sensible spend.
Which harnesses work with a head restraint?
The Schroth Profi 3×2, the TRS Magnum 6 point Superlite and the TRS Magnum 4 point are all listed HANS friendly. The Takata Drift II, the Drift III and both TRS Clubman belts are not. If a head restraint is going on, or you think one might later, buy from the first group.
Can I keep the standard seat belt?
Usually yes. The buckle often ends up somewhere new once a bucket seat goes in, and in a car this size that wants checking properly. Make sure you can reach it one handed and that the shell is not fouling the stalk before the car goes back on the road. Do it while the trim is still off and it takes two minutes.
Is this guide right for the older A1?
No. This page covers the GB, the second generation built from 2018, which is the five door Sportback. The earlier car is the 8X, 2010 to 2018, and it has its own frames from Cobra and Recaro. Use the A1 8X guide linked below for that one.
More help
If you have the earlier A1, the 8X guide covers that car and the two frames made for it. If you want the fit on your GB confirmed against a specific seat before you spend anything, the contact link is the quickest way to get it checked.