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BMW 6 Series E24 bucket seat guide

1976 to 1989

An E24 is a grand tourer and it has become a classic while nobody was looking. That changes what a seat has to do in one. It still has to hold you, because the original items were built for comfort and have had forty years to give up, but it also has to look like it belongs in a car with that dashboard.

Which is why this page is arranged the way it is. The period styled and reclining seats come first, because on most E24s that is the right answer and there is a genuinely good choice of them. The competition shells are further down for the cars that have earned them.

Mounting is settled and simple. Two frames are made for the car, both base mount, and one of them is shared with the E28 5 Series.

  • Two frames fit the E24: a Planted bracket for the 1976 to 1989 chassis and a Corbeau direct fit sub-frame
  • The Corbeau frame is listed for the E28 5 Series and the E24 together
  • Both are base mount, so a fixed back shell needs side mount brackets on top of the frame
  • No sliding sub frame is made for the E24, so a runner underneath is how you keep adjustment
  • The Cobra Classic CS, OMP Silverstone Classic and Sparco R100 are all listed for all waists and all heights
  • The Cobra GT3 Historic is drawn for drivers under 6ft, which is worth checking in a low roofed coupe
BMW 6 Series E24 on track with a helmeted driver
The E24 on a trackday

What is on this page

  1. Mounting route
  2. Classic seats
  3. Competition seats
  4. Harnesses
  5. Fit table
  6. FAQ

The two frames

Planted list a bracket for the E24 chassis across the whole 1976 to 1989 run. Corbeau list a direct fit sub-frame that covers the E28 5 Series and the E24 together, which is a useful thing to know if you also have the saloon.

Both are base mount. A classic or reclining seat bolts straight down onto the frame. A fixed back competition shell hangs on side mount brackets that pick up on it instead, which is an extra part rather than a different route.

There is no sliding sub frame for this car, so the fore and aft position is set at fitting. On a GT that usually carries two people and their luggage, a runner under a base mounted seat is worth the small amount of extra height it costs.

Check the floor before the frameThese cars are old enough now that the floor around the original seat mounts is worth a proper look before anything is bolted to it. If there is corrosion at the mounting points, sort that first. A frame is only as good as what it is fixed to.

Period styled and reclining seats

This is the half of the page that suits most E24s. These seats hold you far better than a tired original and they sit properly in a period interior rather than looking like something borrowed from a hot hatch.

Three of them are listed for all waists and all driver heights, which is unusual and useful: the Cobra Classic CS, the OMP Silverstone Classic and the Sparco R100. The Sparco R100 is the only seat on this page whose listing explicitly covers drivers both under and over six foot. At the other end, the Cobra GT3 Historic is drawn for under six foot, so check that against yourself before falling for the look.

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Our picksSuit the interior, then suit yourself

On a tidy E24 the Cobra Classic CS or the OMP Silverstone Classic look right and fit almost anybody. If the car is a keeper doing long distances, the Cobra Le Mans and the Corbeau SVR are the more comfortable pair. Cameron works out the fit and the combination for a given car, so send your height and waist and say whether the interior is original.

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Competition shells

If the E24 is a track car rather than a preserved one, these are the shells, all needing side mount brackets to pick up on the frame.

The Sparco Rev QRT and the Recaro Pole Position are the two to weigh up. The Rev QRT is FIA 8855-1999 and listed for all driver heights. The Pole Position is the more expensive and better known shell but is drawn for drivers under six foot, in either the FIA or the road going ABE version.

Harnesses

The standard belt is right for a road E24 and works with everything on this page. A harness is for the cars that go on circuit.

The shoulder straps need a solid anchor behind you at or above shoulder height. In a big coupe like this that means a harness bar or a cage rather than anything in the standard structure. Tell us what is behind the front seats and we will confirm it before you buy belts.

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Our recommendationsMost E24s never need a dated belt

The TRS Clubman belts are the sensible fast road and trackday choice and there is nothing to renew. The Magnum 6 point Superlite and the Schroth Profi carry FIA dates and only make sense inside a series that asks for them. Send us the class and we will say which applies.

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What fits what

Waist, height and approval are from each product listing. Where a listing does not state a figure the table says so.

SeatMountingWaistHeightApproval
Cobra Monaco ProBase or side mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Cobra Classic CSBase mountAll sizesAll heightsRoad and track
Cobra GT3 HistoricBase mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftRoad and track
OMP Silverstone ClassicBase mountAll sizesAll heightsRoad and track
Cobra Le MansBase mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Cobra DaytonaBase mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Sparco R100Base mountAll sizesUnder and over 6ftRoad and track
Sparco GTBase mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftRoad and track
Sparco R500 SkyBase mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Corbeau SVR Vinyl (pair)Base mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Recaro Pole PositionSide mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Recaro Pole Position ABESide mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftRoad and track
OMP Champ-RSide mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Sparco Evo QRTSide mountNot statedNot statedFIA 8855-1999
Sparco Rev QRTSide mount32in to 36inAll heightsFIA 8855-1999

Questions about fitting seats in a BMW E24

A competition shell will, in an otherwise original interior. That is why the period styled seats are first on this page. The Cobra Classic CS, the OMP Silverstone Classic and the Cobra GT3 Historic are all drawn to suit a car of this age while still holding you properly.

Yes, Corbeau list that sub-frame for the E28 5 Series and the E24 6 Series together. If you have both cars, that is one part number covering the pair.

Not from the frame, since no sliding sub frame is made for the E24. Fitting a runner under a base mounted seat gives the fore and aft movement back at the cost of a little height, which on a GT is usually worth it.

The Sparco R100 is the one here whose listing explicitly covers drivers both under and over six foot. The Cobra Classic CS and the OMP Silverstone Classic are listed for all heights and all waists. Among the shells, the Sparco Rev QRT is listed for all heights.

The floor. These cars are old enough that corrosion around the original seat mounting points is common, and a frame is only as sound as what it bolts to. Have a look before you order, and if you are unsure send us a photograph.

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