Citroen C2 bucket seat guide
2003 to 2009
Most cars in this range get one cage if they are lucky and two if somebody thought it was worth tooling up for. The C2 gets six, from four different makers, in bolt in and weld in, plus a rear only kit. That is not an accident.
The VTS was a proper rally car with a one make championship behind it, and the cage makers built for it because there were enough people asking. Twenty years on that means a C2 owner has more choice about how to make the car safe than almost anybody else reading these guides, which is why this page starts with the cages instead of finishing with them.
The seats are the straightforward part. Three makers list a direct fit frame, all of them base mount, and the shells that suit the car are the compact ones. The C2 is not a wide car and it does not have much room between the sills and the tunnel.
- Six roll cages are catalogued for this car, from OMP, Safety Devices, Sparco and Custom Cages
- Both bolt in and weld in kits exist, plus a rear only bolt in for a road car
- Three makers list a direct fit frame: Sparco, OMP and Recaro, all base mount
- No sliding sub frame is catalogued, so the seat position is set once
- The Auto Style K5 and K12 are listed at a 28in to 32in waist for a narrow cabin
- The Cobra Monaco Pro and the OMP TRS-E are the two FIA approved seats here
What is on this page
Six cages, and how to choose between them
Start with the question nobody enjoys: is anybody going to inspect this car? If the answer is yes, the regulations pick the cage for you and the rest of this section is background reading. Send us the championship and we will confirm what you are allowed to run.
If the answer is no, and it is a trackday or fast road car, then the real choice is bolt in against weld in. A bolt in kit goes in without a welder, comes out again if you sell the car, and gives you the harness anchor you need. A weld in kit is stiffer and stronger and it is a permanent change to the shell, which means bodywork out and a proper job.
The Safety Devices rear only bolt in is the one people miss. It gives you the rollover protection behind the seats and the harness anchor without putting a bar across the windscreen, which on a road car is worth thinking about. The OMP bolt in and the Safety Devices six point are the full cabin kits. The OMP weld in and the Sparco VTS multipoint weld in are the competition builds, and the Custom Cages international T45 is the lightest of them.
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A cage without a helmet is a hazardBars near your head are only an improvement if your head is protected and held. If you fit a cage, fit padding to anything you could reach, and wear a helmet on track. This is the one bit of cage advice that is not about regulations.
The frames
Three makers catalogue a direct fit sub frame for the C2, and all three are base mount. They bolt into the standard seat mounting points and take the new seat straight onto them, which puts the seat lower than standard. There is no sliding sub frame for this car, so the fore and aft adjustment goes.
The prices spread a long way between them and the reason is the maker, not the fitment. If you are buying a Recaro seat, take the Recaro frame, because the maker has matched the mounting pattern and you save yourself an afternoon. Otherwise the Sparco frame is the value route and the OMP one sits between them.
A fixed back shell needs side mount brackets on top of whichever frame you buy. Those are a separate part again, and they are not included with the seat.
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The seats
Two of these are FIA approved and mount either base or side. The Cobra Monaco Pro is the one most C2 builds end up with, and the OMP TRS-E is the narrow option at a 28in to 36in waist, which is a genuinely useful spread in a car this size.
Of the rest, the Auto Style K5 and K12 are the narrow shells at 28in to 32in and they cost very little, which makes a matching pair a realistic idea on a car like this. The Recaro Expert S is the expensive end and the one to look at if the C2 is a nice road car rather than a track toy. The Sparco R100 and the Auto Style AK both list no waist restriction at all.
Worth being straight about: we do not have a side mount only competition shell listed against this car, so everything here either mounts to the base or does both. If you have your heart set on a particular fixed back seat, ring us and we will tell you whether it can be made to work.
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Our picksSparco frame, Cobra Monaco Pro, Safety Devices rear cage
That is the C2 build we would put together for a fast road car that does track days. FIA approved seat that mounts either way, the cheapest of the three frames, and a rear bolt in cage that gives you the harness anchor without a bar across the screen. If it is going racing, the class rules decide the cage and we work backwards from there. Send Cameron your height and waist and he will size the seat properly.
Harnesses
The standard belt is right on the road and works with every seat here. On circuit a harness is what holds you into the seat, and this is the car where you have no excuse not to have a proper anchor for one, given six cages are catalogued for it.
The shoulder straps go to a bar behind you at or above shoulder height. Not the floor behind the seat, whatever holes are there, because that angle loads your spine instead of holding you back.
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Our recommendationsDated belts only where the rules ask for them
The TRS Clubman belts cover fast road and trackday use and never need renewing. The Magnum 6 point Superlite and the Schroth Profi carry FIA dates, which is what a series that asks for them wants. Tell us the class and we will confirm which applies before you order.
What fits what
Waist, height and approval are taken from each product listing. Where a listing does not state a figure the table says so.
| Seat | Mounting | Waist | Height | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobra Monaco Pro | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP TRS-E Velour | Base or side mount | 28in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Auto Style Type K5 | Base mount | 28in to 32in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Auto Style Type K12 Small | Base mount | 28in to 32in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Auto Style Type RS6-II Vinyl | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Auto Style Type BS5 | Base mount | All sizes | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Auto Style Type AK | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Recaro Expert S | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Sparco R100 | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
Questions about fitting seats in a Citroen C2
Why does the C2 have so many roll cages available?
Because the VTS was a real rally car with its own championship, so the cage makers had enough demand to build for it properly. Four makers list a kit, and between them you can have bolt in, weld in or a rear only kit. Very few cars this size have that much choice.
Bolt in or weld in?
Bolt in if you want it reversible, if you do not have a welder, or if the car is a trackday car. Weld in if it is a competition build and the regulations or the stiffness matter. If anybody is going to scrutineer the car, the rule book decides and you should send us the class before you order.
Can I fit a cage without stripping the car?
A rear only bolt in kit goes in with the back seats and trim out, which is a manageable weekend. A full cabin kit means front trim, headlining and usually the dashboard, and a weld in kit means the shell stripped properly. Be honest with yourself about which job you are up for.
Which frame do I need?
Whichever suits the seat. If you are buying a Recaro seat, take the Recaro frame because the mounting pattern is matched. Otherwise the Sparco frame is the value route and will take everything else here. All three are base mount, so the seat position is set once.
I am slim. Which seat fits best?
The Auto Style K5 or K12 at a 28in to 32in waist if you want it cheap, or the OMP TRS-E if you want it FIA approved, because that one is listed from 28in and still carries 8855-1999. Send us your measurements and we will tell you honestly which one to have.
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