The Jetta Mk1 and Mk2 are at the age where the interior needs sorting properly. The original upholstery has been compressing and cracking since the early eighties, and the seats are almost always the first thing people tackle when they decide to do this car right. Some owners source old-stock fabric and re-trim like-for-like. The ones who come to us want more support than the originals ever had, and they want to do this once.
The difference a proper reclining seat makes is not subtle on a car this age. The original mounting puts you higher than most modern cars, so coming down an inch or two changes how the steering feels and opens up headroom. Keep the reclining backrest and the car still does daily use; lose it and you are into roll cage and harness territory, which is a longer conversation.
There is one frame we stock for these cars, and it covers both generations. The Cobra subframe picks up the standard VW seat mounting points with nothing drilled. The Mk1 and Mk2 share the same floor arrangement, so the one listing fits either car. Tell us the year at checkout and Cobra will confirm it against your specific car before it ships.
One thing in the product notes worth reading while the old seat is out: have a look at the metal around the floor mounting points. On a forty-year-old car, that is the least visible part of the floor and the best time you will ever have to check it.
Part 15451, £231.66 inc VAT per side. Pairs with Cobra 291mm runners and takes the Daytona, the Le Mans, the Stuttgart Signature and the Corbeaus. Base mount and sliding runner included in the price.
Every reclining seat we sell bolts down through a base mount pattern. The Cobra subframe is drilled at 291mm x 330mm. Cobra recliners use the same 291mm x 330mm pattern, so they bolt straight through. Corbeau drills their recliners for both 291mm x 330mm and 345mm x 271mm, which is why they appear in both of the frame routes Corbeau supply frames for, and why they also work here on the Cobra frame. Everything else in the catalogue that runs a different pattern will not fit this frame, so this guide sticks to the seats that actually work.
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Cobra subframe |
|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR | Both | Fits |
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | Fits |
| Cobra Le Mans | 291 x 330 | Fits |
| Cobra Stuttgart Signature | 291 x 330 | Fits |
| Corbeau Sportline RRS | Both | Fits |
The PSR is the seat Cameron puts in front of people who are not sure how involved they want to get. It is a proper reclining sport seat at a price that does not require a long conversation. Corbeau drill their recliners for both 291mm and 345mm patterns, so it goes straight onto the Cobra subframe without any route questions. It comes as a pair, which suits the way most people buy for a Jetta: one order, both sides done.
It is not a deep-bolstered race seat. The side support is there but the seat stays comfortable on a long drive and does not trap you getting in or out of a car that probably has a narrow sill by now. Vinyl trim rather than cloth, which matters on a car this age where you cannot always predict what the interior is going to do when it warms up. That is usually the right trade-off on a Mk1 or Mk2.
The Daytona is the seat we sell more of on Cobra-frame cars than anything else, and the Jetta is a straightforward fit. Deeper bolsters than the PSR, a recline action adjustable through a proper range rather than just locked or flat, and the full Cobra Signature customisation if you want to specify the trim to match the car.
That built-to-order element is worth knowing about on a Mk1 or Mk2. If you have a restored example with a particular colour scheme, or a rally replica with a specific interior direction, Cobra will match the seat to it. The standard offering is £599 inc VAT . Signature builds take a few weeks more and the price depends on the spec, but the standard Daytona is good enough that most people buy it as it comes.
The Le Mans has an unusual place in the Cobra range: armrests come as standard, which changes how the seat sits in the car. On a Jetta, where the door card is not usually a tight fit, the armrests clear without issue, and the wider seat feel suits someone who drives the car regularly rather than chasing lap times. The trim choices run from standard vinyl through the Heritage variant, which has a cloth centre panel that reads well in the brighter Mk1 colours.
If you want a seat with a period feel rather than an obvious motorsport look, the Le Mans is the right answer. It does not read as a race seat from outside the car. On a restored Mk2 going to shows, that is often exactly what someone wants.
The Stuttgart Signature is Cobra’s classic-specific recliner, and the Jetta Mk1 and Mk2 are cars where using it is the right call. The shape is deliberately period: a more upright backrest profile with subtle bolstering rather than the aggressive wing of the Daytona, and a look that sits in the car without suggesting it was transplanted from a race shop. This is the seat Cobra built for the historic competition circuit. On a Mk1 or Mk2, it fits the interior in a way that nothing more contemporary quite manages.
One thing to flag: it is made to order, so allow four to six weeks from ordering. If you need something quickly, the Daytona and the Le Mans are stock items.
The RRS is the upper end of what makes sense on most Mk1 or Mk2 builds. At £984 for the pair, you are spending more than strictly necessary in many cases, but if the car is a serious restoration and the interior is meant to reflect that, the RRS is where you end up. The backrest is sculpted in a way the PSR is not, the vinyl is a better grade of material, and the trim detail is a step up. It also comes in a Low Base version for drivers over six foot, which is worth asking about on a car that already puts you relatively high before the seat goes in.
Same pattern story as the PSR: Corbeau drill for both 291mm and 345mm, so it goes straight onto the Cobra subframe.
The Cobra subframe bolts to the Jetta’s factory floor mounting points, no drilling. Two things to sort at this stage: torque the floor bolts correctly, and check the seat belt buckle clearance before you drive. A sport seat puts the buckle in a different position to stock, and on a car with age-related floor tidying ahead of it, you want both sorted before the car moves.
Between seat and subframe go the sliding runners. The subframe is priced per side, so a pair of seats means two subframes in the basket. The runners are a separate item again, one per seat side:
| Your seat | Runners to order | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR or Sportline RRS | Corbeau 291mm sliding runners, priced per pair | Cobra subframe |
| Cobra Daytona, Le Mans or Stuttgart | Cobra 291mm seat runners, per side or as a pair | Cobra subframe |
One Corbeau note: their runner listing states the handle width (291mm), not a bolt pattern number. Order the 291mm handle width for these seats on this frame.
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Waist | Height | Weight | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR | Both | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £558 a pair |
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £599 |
| Cobra Le Mans | 291 x 330 | All sizes | All heights | Not published | £619 |
| Cobra Stuttgart Signature | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £709 (MTO) |
| Corbeau Sportline RRS | Both | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £984 a pair |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 29 September 2026. Where weight says not published, the manufacturer does not give one and we will not guess it. The Stuttgart Signature is a made-to-order seat; the price above is current and the build time is four to six weeks from order. Waist and height figures are the manufacturers’ published fitment ranges.
Not on a standard floor. The Cobra subframe bolts to the factory seat mounting points. While the seat is out, check the metal around those fixing points: on a car this age it is the easiest time you will ever have to see that floor properly.
Yes. The Mk1 and Mk2 Jetta share their floor mounting arrangement, so one listing covers both. Tell Cobra the year at checkout and they will confirm it against your specific car before it ships. If you have been told you need a generation-specific frame, that is not correct for this listing.
No. Sparco recliners use a 345mm x 271mm base mount pattern, which does not line up with the Cobra subframe (291mm x 330mm). The seats in this guide are the ones that fit: Cobra recliners at 291mm x 330mm, and Corbeau recliners drilled for both patterns.
No. The Cobra subframe for the Jetta ships from stock. The Stuttgart Signature is a built-to-order seat, which adds four to six weeks to that seat's delivery. If you want everything at once, the Daytona and the Le Mans are stock items. You can also order the subframe first and the seat separately when you are ready.
Yes. We have covered the Mk5, which uses a different fitting generation. You can read that guide here: Top 5 reclining seat choices for the Volkswagen Jetta Mk5.
If it were my money: the Corbeau PSR for most Jetta Mk1 and Mk2 owners. It does the job, comes as a pair, and works straight onto the one frame available for this car. The Cobra Daytona if you drive the car hard or want a seat that looks properly made rather than fitted off-the-shelf, and you are not fussed about the classic-specific aesthetic.
The Stuttgart Signature is the right seat if the car is a serious restoration of a Mk1. It is the only seat on this page that was designed with this era of car in mind, and it shows in the way it sits in the interior. Just allow the lead time when you plan the build.
If money is the main question, the PSR at £558 a pair is hard to argue with. If it is not, the Misano Anniversary is the best reclining seat Cobra make in this pattern and we have fitted it in cars older than these, but at over £1,600 each it is a different kind of order.
Ring us on 0115 9893488 and tell us what generation you have and what you are trying to do with it. A few minutes on the phone and we can confirm the whole kit before anything gets ordered.
The five reclining sport seats we rate for the Volkswagen Jetta Mk1 and Mk2, with the Cobra subframe that covers both generations and bolts to the factory floor without drilling.
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Eleven HANS-specific six-point harnesses across Sparco, OMP, SCHROTH, Sabelt, TRS, Willans and Corbeau/Luke, with 2-inch shoulder straps and practical fitting checks.
The five reclining sport seats we recommend for the Volkswagen Golf Mk8, built around the Cobra direct-fit subframe that bolts to the factory mounting points. Runner included in the frame price.
Fitting OEM Mk3 Recaro Sportster CS seats into a 2005 Megane 225 Mk2: why SW and KTR 345 mm patterns are not a 405 mm match, and what to check before ordering.
