Which Seat Fabric And Leather Options Suit An Austin Healey 3000 BJ8?
A customer with a 1967 BJ8 asked us two things: can a seat testing visit cover leather and other trims, and would it land during an exhibition? Trim we can answer properly. The Cobra Cub is the seat we list under Austin Healey, and it comes in leather, vinyl and spacer fabric. Whether a date falls during an exhibition isn't something we can see from our pages, so you'll need to ask us when you book.
- Prices read from the live site, inc VAT
- Trim options come from the product listings
- Fit is confirmed against your own measurements before you order
Leather, vinyl and fabric are all available for a BJ8
£309inc VAT
The Cub is the seat listed under Austin Healey. Ask us about the recliners.
- The Cobra Cub comes in leather, soft grain vinyl and spacer fabric, and the Signature listing takes any one or two colours.
- The Cub is listed under Austin Healey, not under the BJ8 by name, so we confirm it against your sill to tunnel measurement.
- If you want a recliner, the Corbeau Sportsman and Cobra Le Mans both offer leather, but neither is listed for the Healey.
- Whether a visit falls during an exhibition is not on our pages, so ask us when you book.
Leather, vinyl or spacer fabric: what the Cub comes in
The trim list depends on the seat, so start there. The Cobra Cub is the one we list under Austin Healey, and it comes in three materials: leather, soft grain vinyl and spacer fabric. The two standard Cub listings do them in black, in a mix of finishes. If you want colour, it’s the Signature listing, which takes any one or two colour combination in leather, vinyl or spacer fabric, with matching or contrasting piping and stitching.
Garreth’s tip is to look at the mixed finishes first. Leather facings on a vinyl back, vinyl outers with corduroy centres, or vinyl outers with basketweave centres all look right in a 1960s sports car. Open the listing and pick the trim to see its price before you fall for the full hide.
| Trim | Cub, no headrest or with headrest | Cub Signature |
|---|---|---|
| Leather all over | Black | Any one or two colours, matching or contrasting stitching |
| Soft grain vinyl all over | Black | Any one or two colours, matching or contrasting piping and stitching |
| Spacer fabric all over | Black | Any one or two colours, matching or contrasting piping and stitching |
| Leather facings, vinyl back | Black | Not listed |
| Vinyl with corduroy centres | Black | Not listed |
| Vinyl with basketweave centres | Black | Not listed |
Taken from the Trim options on each listing. Open the listing and pick your trim to see the exact price.
The Cobra Cub: the seat listed for Austin Healey
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From £309.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £279.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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Product cards show prices excluding VAT. Prices in the text include VAT.
The Cub is Cobra’s most compact fixed back bucket, 460mm wide through the shell and 460mm across the base. It stands 520mm tall without a headrest and 680mm with one. All three are steel framed, base mount on Cobra’s 291mm by 330mm pattern, four point harness compatible and sold as a seat only. They’re Road and Track approved, not FIA homologated.
The listing says that if your car is in the category list the dimensions have been checked, and Austin Healey is in it. It doesn’t name the BJ8, though. Cameron wants one number from you before he’s happy: the width at floor level between the sill and the transmission tunnel. Send it with the car and he’ll check it against the seat.
Every Cub is hand trimmed in the UK. You give us the colour and stitching when you order so we can confirm it before the seat is built, and the timings are on the product page.
How to choose between leather, vinyl and fabric
Leather
Our Cobra leather listings say it breathes, so a long stint in a warm cabin is more comfortable than on vinyl, and that it wears in rather than wearing out. They also say it wants looking after.
Vinyl
The same listings call vinyl the sensible choice for an open car left outdoors. Soft grain vinyl is on every Cub listing, on its own or mixed with corduroy, basketweave or leather facings.
Spacer fabric
Black spacer fabric all over is on the two standard Cub listings, listed as 3D SpaceTech on the headrest version. The Signature listing offers it in any one or two colours.
Garreth’s tip is leather for a Healey that gets driven in decent weather and put away dry. For a car that spends time with the hood down or lives outdoors, Cameron’s fitting view is vinyl or a leather and vinyl mix. Between the two, it comes down to how yours gets used.
If you’re torn, ask us what the mixed trims look like in person before you commit to leather all over.
If you want a recliner in the Healey
Neither of these is listed under Austin Healey, and both are wider than the Cub. They’re here because both come in leather, and some drivers get on better with a reclining backrest. Measure the cockpit before you get set on either one.
The Corbeau Sportsman is one of the smallest reclining seats we sell. The listing gives a 40cm base and a maximum overall width of 41.5cm, and it comes in cloth, leather or vinyl. The leather version uses leather on the headrest, front, middle and base with a vinyl rear panel.
Piping can be black, blue, red, white or yellow, and the headrest can be left off if the car suits that better, but the listing says the brackets or sliders, mounting height and clearance still have to suit your car, so a floor measurement matters here too.
- From £468 inc VAT
- Cloth, leather or vinyl
- Reclining, base mount, 4 point harness compatible
- Headrest included or omitted
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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
The Cobra Le Mans with armrests is the touring seat of the pair. Trims run from black soft grain vinyl or black leather to spacer fabric, any one or two colour vinyl or leather, and leather with Dinamica. The listing also offers a fitted seat heater and lumbar support, which have to be chosen when the seat is built.
At 540mm wide on a 540mm base it’s wider than the Cub, and it has armrests. Garreth’s tip is that it suits long drives. Cameron will want to see the cockpit measurements before confirming it goes in a Healey.
- From £619 inc VAT
- Vinyl, leather, spacer fabric or Dinamica
- Reclining, 540mm base, with armrests
- Heated seat and lumbar option
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From £619.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Which seats can be trimmed to order
The Cobra seats above are hand trimmed to order, with the colour and stitching confirmed with us before the seat is built. The Cub Signature is the one with the widest choice of colour. Ask us if you want to see what a particular finish looks like first.
If you want something more elaborate, our Intatrim brand guide covers the hand trimmed classic seats. The guide says Intatrim offer 250 plus colours, other trims on request, six piping colours and heating on all fifteen models. It also says the listed version is the most basic one in black vinyl, so ring before ordering leather or anything textured.
What a seat testing visit can cover, and the exhibition question
We’ve done this before. A customer brought an Austin Healey in for seat testing, and we wrote it up in Austin Healey Classic Bucket Seats In-Store. The listings say our showroom team sit in these seats every day, so bring your height, your waist size and the sill to tunnel measurement and we can go through fit and trim in one visit.
What we can’t tell from our pages is which trims will be on the floor on a given day, or whether a date falls during an exhibition. Ask us before you travel, say which seat and which trim you want to see, and we’ll tell you what can be done.
Common questions
Can I have leather in the Cobra Cub?
Yes, the Cub listings offer black leather all over and black leather facings with a vinyl back, and the Cub Signature takes any one or two colour leather combination with matching or contrasting stitching.
Can I choose a colour other than black?
On the Signature listing, yes: any one or two colours in leather, soft grain vinyl or spacer fabric, with matching or contrasting piping and stitching. The two standard Cub listings offer black. If you want a mix, tell us the colours and we will confirm it.
Will the Cub fit a BJ8?
The Cub is listed under Austin Healey, and the listing says the dimensions have been checked for cars in that category. The BJ8 is not named, so send us the floor measurement between the sill and the tunnel and Cameron will check it before you order.
Is the Cub FIA approved?
The listings give it as Road and Track approved, not FIA homologated, with slots for a four point harness.
Can I have a heated seat?
The Cobra Le Mans with armrests lists a fitted seat heater and lumbar support, chosen when the seat is built. The Intatrim guide says heating is an option on all fifteen of its models. We have a separate guide on adding heating to a Cobra Classic bucket seat. Ask us about the Cub.
Why does each price say from?
Each of these listings has trim and headrest options, so the price shown is the lowest across them and you open the listing and pick your trim to see the exact figure.
Will my appointment fall during an exhibition?
Nothing on our pages says, so give us the date you have in mind when you book and we will tell you.
What we would buy
Garreth
Garreth's top tip
For a Healey I'd take the Cub Signature and spend the money on the colour. In a car this small the seats are most of what you see, so leather in a shade that sits right with the rest of the trim is worth having.
If the budget is tighter, the standard Cub with leather facings and a vinyl back looks right and keeps the cost down.
Cameron
Cameron's fitting view
I'd start with your sill to tunnel measurement, because everything else hangs on it. The Cub is the only seat here that Cobra list for the Healey.
The headrest is worth a thought. It suits a road car. The Cub is 160mm shorter without it, which gives you headroom with the hood up.
Not sure which trim or seat suits your BJ8?
Tell us the car, your height and waist size, and the trim you like the look of. Cally, our digital receptionist, takes your details and Cameron comes back with a seat that suits.
