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Customer question, classic Ford build
This one came in as a phone call about a classic Ford build: Sparco GT or Cobra Le Mans? Both are period-look reclining seats, both sit at similar money, and from the photographs they can look like the same answer twice.
They are not, and it made for a proper back and forth across the counter, because Cameron and Garreth would put them in different cars for different reasons. So here is that conversation written down: the measurements side by side, what each seat is actually like, the sliders we fit under each one, and the honest answer on frames for a classic shell.
- Sparco GT: 860mm tall with its removable headrest, 550mm wide, under 6ft drivers, 32 to 36in waist
- Cobra Le Mans: 820mm tall, 540mm wide, 13.4kg, all heights, up to a 38in waist, armrest option
- Different base patterns: Sparco 345 x 271mm, Cobra 291 x 330mm, so the runners are not interchangeable
- The Le Mans is hand trimmed in the UK to your spec, and the Heritage edition opens the trim menu right up
- No off-the-shelf subframes exist for most classics. We cover what that means honestly below
The measurements side by side
Cameron always starts here, because in a classic cabin the tape measure settles arguments that brochures cannot. Sparco publish the GT at 860mm tall, 550mm wide and 570mm deep, with the headrest in that height. Cobra build the Le Mans at 820mm tall, 540mm wide and 620mm deep, at 13.4kg.
| Sparco GT | Cobra Le Mans | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall height | 860mm (headrest fitted) | 820mm |
| Overall width | 550mm | 540mm |
| Seat depth | 570mm | 620mm |
| Weight | Ask us | 13.4kg |
| Headrest | Adjustable, removable | Adjustable |
| Armrests | No | With or without, your choice |
| Recline | Yes, twin lever | Yes |
| Trim | Synthetic leather bolsters, microsuede centres | Hand trimmed in the UK: vinyl, leather, spacer fabric, tartan, two colour combinations |
| Options | Houndstooth edition | Heated seat, lumbar support, Heritage, carbon and tartan editions |
| Base bolt pattern | 345mm x 271mm | 291mm x 330mm |
| Driver height | Under 6ft | All heights |
| Driver waist | 32 to 36in | 32 to 38in |
| Harness | 4 point compatible | 4 point compatible |
| Use | Road and track | Road and track |
| Price today | £505.89 | From £619.00 |
Sparco GT figures are Sparco's published spec. Le Mans figures are from the seat we sell.
Drawn to the same scale, adjustable headrests on both. The GT carries 40mm more height and the Le Mans carries 50mm more seat depth under your knees. In a classic cabin both numbers matter more than any spec sheet suggests.
What each seat is like to live with
The spec table makes them look like twins, which is exactly why the counter conversation got interesting.
Cameron’s reading: the GT is the sportier shell of the two. The bolsters are more aggressive than anything else in Sparco’s reclining range, it holds you noticeably better on a spirited drive, and the microsuede centre keeps you planted in a way smooth vinyl never will. The price of that support is the fit window: under six foot, 32 to 36 inch waist, and honest about both. If you are at the top of that window, sit in one first.
Garreth’s reading: the Le Mans is the one you order when the interior matters as much as the driving. It is hand trimmed here in the UK to whatever the car needs, leather, vinyl, spacer fabric, tartan centres, two colour work with contrast piping, and you can have fold-up armrests, a heated base and lumbar support in a seat that still looks period. It takes all heights and a bigger waist window, and a pair trimmed to match a classic interior can pass for factory. His view on the money: the GT is the better seat per pound for a driver it fits, and the Le Mans is what you pay when you want the seat built around the car.
Pick the Sparco GT if
You are under six foot with a 32 to 36in waist, the car gets driven hard, and you want the most supportive classic shell for the money. £505.89 as catalogued, plus runners.
Pick the Cobra Le Mans if
You want the trim built to match the car, an armrest option, a heated base for a classic you drive all year, or you are taller or broader than the GT allows. From £619.00, built to order, allow 4 to 6 weeks for made to order trims.
One more Le Mans worth knowing about before the money conversation: the Le Mans Heritage, at £649.00. It is the same 820mm shell built on the original Le Mans design, with fluted centre panels and no logos anywhere, which is exactly what a period interior wants. The trim menu opens right up too, leather, vinyl and basketweave centres among it, all hand made in the UK like the rest of the range, with the same heater and lumbar options. Garreth rates it as the sweet spot of the Le Mans family: a £30 step up from the armrest seat that buys the cleaner period look and the wider trim book.
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The sliders we would fit
Both seats are base mounted, and on a classic road build we fit sliding runners under either one, because a fixed seat in a car with more than one driver is a daily annoyance. The two seats take different runners and they do not swap, so buy the pair that matches the seat.
The GT uses Sparco’s 345mm x 271mm pattern, and the Sparco twin runner kit covers both seats in one £78.00 order. The Le Mans uses Cobra’s 291mm x 330mm pattern, and Cobra’s runners come in 291mm and 405mm handle widths, so order the 291 option for this seat. One useful side note from Cameron: the 345 pattern is shared across Sparco, OMP and Corbeau, so GT runners carry over if the seats ever change. Cobra’s pattern is Cobra’s own.
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Frame compatibility on a classic shell
For modern cars we sell direct-fit subframes that bolt to the factory seat points. For most classics, the Escort Mk1 and Mk2 included, no off-the-shelf subframe exists for either of these seats, from us or from anyone. Nobody makes one, because the volumes are too small and the floors vary too much after fifty years of repairs.
The route we use, and the one on the customer Escort we fitted this summer, is runners on the seat and a simple fabricated frame or adapted original mounts between the runners and the floor. Any competent fabricator or restoration shop can make one in an afternoon, and it puts the seat at the height and reach you actually want instead of where a bracket decides. You can see the finished result in our customer Escort write-up.
Common questions on these two
Which seat sits lower?
Neither, out of the box. Backrest height differs, but how low you sit is set by the runners and the frame underneath, and both seats sit on the same style of runner. If outright lowness matters, say so and we will spec the mounting for it.
Can the Le Mans be trimmed to match my interior?
Yes, that is the whole point of it. Cobra hand trim it in the UK, and we post physical trim samples so you can hold them against the car in daylight. We never match a colour off a screen, and nor should you.
Will these fit a Ford Escort Mk2?
Both shells suit a classic Ford cabin at 540 to 550mm wide. The mounting is the real question: runners on the seat, then a fabricated frame or adapted original mounts to the floor, exactly as on the customer Escort in our write-up.
Do they work with a harness?
Both are 4 point compatible, and both carry on working with the standard belt for road use.
What are the lead times?
The Sparco GT comes as catalogued, so it moves quickly when in stock. The Le Mans is built to your trim order, so allow 4 to 6 weeks on made to order specifications. Ring us for the current picture before you plan the build around either.
Is one of them lighter?
Cobra publish the Le Mans at 13.4kg. Sparco do not publish a seat weight for the GT, and we would sooner weigh one than guess, so ask and we will put one on the scales.
The next step, whichever way you lean
Ring 0115 9893488 with three things: your height and waist, the trim the interior needs, and the measurement between your original runner centres. Cameron will settle the fit question in two minutes, and if it goes the Le Mans way Garreth will get trim samples in the post the same day. Better still, come and sit in both with the tape in your pocket. The seat that suits you will make itself obvious the moment you drop into it.