BMW 1 Series bucket seat guide
E81, E82, E87 and E88, 2004 to 2013
A small hatchback with the engine at the front, drive at the back and a straight six available in the middle of it is not a thing the market makes any more. That is most of why the 1 Series ended up where it did, on circuit, in the hands of people who bought it second hand precisely because of what drives which wheels.
The other half of the story is price. These are cheap enough now to be built properly instead of nursed, and that is the point at which the standard seat starts to annoy you. It is comfortable and it holds you nowhere.
What makes this car straightforward to buy for is that the mounting side is unusually well covered. Four different makers catalogue a frame for it and both routes are available, side mount and base mount. So the choice below is not about what exists, it is about how you actually use the car.
- Both mounting routes are available: side mount on a PCI sliding sub frame, or base mount on an OMP, Planted or Recaro frame
- PCI sliding sub frames keep the fore and aft adjustment, which matters on a car still used on the road
- The OMP subframe is priced as a single frame, so doing both sides means ordering two
- Recaro sub-frames take Recaro seats only, while base mount Sparco, OMP and Corbeau seats share one bolt pattern
- The Cobra F20 and F21 subframes are the next generation of 1 Series and do not fit these cars
- OMP make a bolt-in roll cage for the 1 Series, supplied in bare metal with feet to weld to the floor
Choosing the mounting route
Settle this before you look at a single seat, because it decides which seats are open to you and it is the part people get wrong.
A sliding sub frame from PCI Racing puts the seat on a runner, so it still moves fore and aft after it is in. That is the route for a car that is driven to the circuit, shared with somebody else, or used on the road during the week. It also takes side mounted shells, which is most of the competition seat market.
A direct fit subframe from OMP, Planted or Recaro is the base mount route. The seat bolts down through its floor pan onto the frame, it sits lower and more solidly, and you set the position once. Two things to know before ordering. The OMP frame is listed and priced as a single frame, and the pair is a separate part number, so a two seat job means ordering accordingly. And a Recaro sub-frame is drawn for Recaro seats, where the base mount frames from the others take the shared Sparco, OMP and Corbeau bolt pattern.
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Check the body style and the yearThis generation covers four body shells, the three door E81, the coupe E82, the five door E87 and the convertible E88, and the frames are not all catalogued the same way across them. The Planted bracket names 2008 to 2011 and the later straight six cars. If you are at all unsure which you have, send us the registration and we will match the frame to the car rather than to the badge.
Runners and side mounts
A side mounted shell needs a pair of side mounts to join it to the frame, and a base mounted seat can take a runner underneath it if you want the adjustment back. Both are ordered separately from the seat and the frame.
Side mounted competition seats
These are the fixed back shells. They hold you properly, they are the seats competition regulations expect, and every one below carries an FIA approval except the Recaro Pole Position ABE, which is the road and track version of the same shell.
Two of them are worth calling out for a 1 Series specifically. The Mirco RS2 and the Sabelt GT3 are the two here listed for all driver heights, where most of the rest are drawn for drivers under six foot. In a car with this roofline that is a real distinction rather than a technicality.
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Reclining and base mounted seats
If the car is still doing road miles, this is the half of the page that matters. A reclining shell gives up some of the outright support for a backrest you can adjust and a seat you can live with on a long drive.
The Cobra Monaco Pro is the useful one in the middle. It is listed for both base and side mounting, so it is the seat that lets you change your mind about the route later without changing the seat. The Recaro Sportster CS and the Recaro Speed are the two here with no waist restriction listed at all, which is the practical answer for a broader driver.
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Our picksPick the route by how the car gets used
A car that is driven to circuits and back wants the PCI sliding sub frame and a shell you can get in and out of. A car that is trailered or lives on track wants a direct fit frame and a fixed back seat, sitting as low as it will go. Cameron works out the fit and the combination for a given car, so send your height, your waist and which body style you have and he will narrow this page down to two options.
Harnesses
A bucket seat and the standard three point belt work together perfectly well on the road. Once the car is on circuit, the harness is what stops you loading the seat bolsters through every corner.
The thing to sort first is where the shoulder straps anchor. They want a fixing behind you at or above shoulder height, which in a 1 Series means a harness bar or the cage. Tell us what is behind the seats before you order belts and we will confirm it will carry them.
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Our recommendationsMatch the harness to the class, not the car
For fast road and trackday use the TRS Clubman and the TRS Magnum 4 point cover it without fuss. The Magnum 6 point Superlite and the Schroth Profi are FIA dated belts, which is what you want only if you are entering something that asks for them. Send us the championship and we will tell you which the regulations actually require.
Roll cage
OMP catalogue a bolt-in cage for the 1 Series. It is FE45 steel in 40x2mm and 50x2mm tube, with an X brace in the main hoop, door bars and a diagonal at the rear, supplied in two halves.
Two details from OMP that catch people out. It comes with feet brackets to weld to the floor and it does not include fitting bolts, and it arrives in bare metal ready to be painted. Budget for both.
What fits what
Waist, height and approval below are from each product listing. Where a listing does not state a figure the table says so rather than guessing at one.
| Seat | Mounting | Waist | Height | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recaro Pole Position | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Recaro Pole Position ABE | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Corbeau Pro Series X System 1 | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Mirco RS2 3D | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP RS-PT 2 | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sparco Evo QRT | Side mount | Not stated | Not stated | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sabelt GT3 | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Monaco Pro | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Recaro Sportster CS | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Recaro Speed | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Sparco R333 | Base mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Sparco R100 Martini Racing | Base mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | Road and track |
| Cobra Daytona | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Corbeau Sportline RRS (pair) | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
Questions about fitting seats in a BMW 1 Series
Do I have to give up the seat adjustment to fit a bucket seat?
No. A PCI Racing sliding sub frame keeps the fore and aft movement after the seat is fitted, which is the route most people take on a 1 Series that is still used on the road. A direct fit subframe from OMP, Planted or Recaro sets the position once and sits lower, which suits a car used mainly on circuit.
Will the Cobra F20 subframe fit my E87?
No. The Cobra subframes listed for the F20 and F21 are the next generation of 1 Series, 2012 onwards. They are a different floor. For an E81, E82, E87 or E88 use the OMP, PCI, Planted or Recaro parts on this page, and send us your registration if you want it confirmed against your car.
Can I put a Sparco seat on a Recaro subframe?
No. Recaro sub-frames are drawn for Recaro seats. The base mount frames from the other makers are more flexible, because base mount Sparco, OMP and Corbeau seats share one bolt pattern, so a frame for one of those will take the others.
Which seats suit a taller driver?
Of the fixed back shells on this page, the Mirco RS2 and the Sabelt GT3 are the two listed for all driver heights. Most of the rest are drawn for drivers under six foot. On the reclining side, the Recaro Sportster CS and the Recaro Speed carry no waist restriction in their listings.
Do I need a cage to run a harness?
You need a solid anchor behind the seat at or above shoulder height for the shoulder straps. A cage gives you that, a harness bar also does. What you cannot do is bolt shoulder straps to the floor behind the seat. Tell us what is already in the car and we will confirm whether it will carry belts before you order.
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