Seats For A Panther Kallista: Why We Fit The Corbeau Sportsman
Panther Kallista seats
We get asked about seats for the Kallista more than you might expect for a car Panther stopped building over thirty years ago. Cameron gives the same answer every time. It is the only seat in our Kallista section: the Corbeau Sportsman.
Garreth's part is making sure nobody orders it blind, so here it is written down: why this seat, how small it actually is, the trim argument the two of them have never settled, and what goes underneath it.
- The Corbeau Sportsman is the seat we recommend for the Panther Kallista
- 41.5cm at its widest, one of the narrowest reclining seats we sell
- From £468.00 each in black cloth, £480.00 in vinyl, £806.40 in leather
- Driver and passenger sides are separate options, so a pair is one of each
- Sold as the seat only, on a 291mm x 330mm base mount pattern
Why the Sportsman suits a Kallista
The Kallista is a 1930s shape built in the eighties: aluminium body on a steel chassis, Ford running gear from the 1.6 CVH up to the 2.9 V6, and a two seat cockpit with the transmission tunnel down the middle and not a lot either side of it. Panther trimmed them in leather when they were new. Forty-odd years on, plenty of those original seats are tired, and a lot of modern seats are simply too wide for the car.
The Sportsman is not. It is 41.5cm at the widest point of the frame, and it narrows as it goes up: 37cm across the shoulders, 24cm across the headrest. It reclines, it looks right in a period cockpit, and it sits low.
Cameron puts it more simply: it is the one that looks like it came with the car.
Depth front to back is 54cm, and height with the headrest fitted is 79cm. The headrest is an option on this seat. Leave it off and the line of the cockpit stays lower still.
Who it suits, and who it does not
The cushion is narrow as well as the frame: 27cm at the hip, 28cm at the thigh. Corbeau offer it for a 32 to 36 inch waist and a 36 to 38 inch waist, and it will take the bigger size, but at the top of that range you will feel the bolsters.
Garreth’s view is that in a Kallista that is usually fine, because nobody is doing a stint in one. It is a Sunday car. Cameron is less relaxed about it. If you are a bigger build and you sit in one at the showroom and it pinches, he would say so, and he would rather you knew now.
Not sure? Drop us an email or click to open a chat with your height and waist, and we will give you a straight answer.
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From £468.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Left, a pair in a Kallista cockpit, either side of the tunnel with the walnut dash in front. Right, our own fit photo of the seat with somebody in it, which is the honest way to judge the width.
Cloth, vinyl or leather
This is the one they disagree on.
Cameron says vinyl. A Kallista lives with the hood down, it will get rained on at some point, and vinyl wipes dry and does not mind. Black vinyl is £480.00 a seat, £534.00 with the headrest.
Garreth says leather, because that is what Panther put in the car and it is a sunny day car anyway. Black leather is £806.40 a seat, headrest or not. On a silver car with a walnut dash, it does look the part.
Neither of them has ever talked the other round. Cloth is there too, from £468.00, and any of the three can have contrast piping in blue, red, white or yellow in place of the standard black. Coloured piping brings cloth to £540.00 and vinyl to £552.00, before the headrest.
What goes underneath
The Sportsman is base mounted and comes as the seat only, with a 291mm x 330mm fixing pattern. What bolts it to your Kallista depends on what is already in the floor of your car. After forty years and a few owners, that is not always what left the factory.
So before you order, have a look under your current seats, then drop us an email or click to open a chat with a couple of photos of the runners and the floor mounts, and we will help you work out what the Sportsman needs underneath it.
The Sportsman is also handed, which catches people out. Driver side and passenger side are separate options on the listing, so a pair is one of each, not two of the same.
More on the Sportsman
We measured this seat properly in its own guide, with customer cars it has gone into: The Corbeau Sportsman: A Compact Recliner For Compact Cars. For another period-looking two seater with a tight cockpit, there is a customer’s Marlin Sportster with Sportsman seats. And everything we list for the car is in our Panther Kallista seats section.
Common questions
Will the Corbeau Sportsman fit my Panther Kallista?
It is the seat we recommend for the car, because it is narrow enough for the cockpit. What it bolts to depends on the mounts in your floor, so send us photos of what is under your current seats and we will check.
Does it come with brackets or runners?
No, it is sold as the seat only, and it base mounts on a 291mm x 330mm pattern.
How do I order a pair?
Choose RHD Driver Side for one and RHD Passenger Side for the other, as they are separate options on the same listing.
Do I need the headrest?
No, it is your choice when you order. Without it the seat sits lower in the cockpit, and in cloth or vinyl it is £54.00 less. In leather the price is the same either way.
Is it FIA approved?
No, it is a road and track seat, which is what a Kallista needs.
Can I use a harness with it?
It is listed as four point harness compatible.
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Talk to us firstSend us a photo of your Kallista's floor
Tell us your height, your waist and what is under your current seats, and Garreth and Cameron will tell you plainly how the Sportsman goes in. Or ring the showroom on 0115 9893488.
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