Cobra Clubman Seats into a Mazda MX-5 Mk1 with Cobra Adaption Bars
Seat fitting guide
One of our customers fitted a pair of Cobra Clubman seats to their Mazda MX-5 Mk1 using Cobra's adaption bars, and sent us the photo above. Black and red Clubmans, red harnesses and a roll bar, in a green Mk1 with a wood rim wheel. It shows how well a fixed back bucket suits the little Mazda.
The adaption bars are the clever part. They let a Cobra base mount seat bolt onto the MX-5's own seat runners, so you keep the standard adjustment and there is no drilling. Here is how they work and how the job goes together.
- Cobra adaption bars fit the MX-5 NA and NB, 1989 to 2005
- They adapt the car's original runners to take a Cobra base mount seat
- They suit Cobra fixed back seats with a 292 mm by 330 mm hole pattern
- The kit includes two bars, M8 bolts in two lengths, nuts and spacers
- The Cobra Clubman is a steel framed, Road and Track approved bucket at 9.2 kg
What is on this page
How the Cobra adaption bars work
The bars are not a new frame. They sit between the seat and the runners the MX-5 already has, so the seat bolts to the car's own mounting arrangement. They suit Cobra base mounted, fixed back seats with a hole pattern of 292 mm left to right and 330 mm front to back, which includes the Clubman.
A kit has two bars, four M8 by 20 mm bolts, four M8 by 25 mm bolts, four nuts and four spacers. The two bolt lengths and the spacers are there to get the height and alignment right. The driver's side and passenger's side bars are different lengths, so keep them the right way round. They fit both the NA and the NB, from 1989 to 2005.
Fitting the seats, step by step
1. Take the old seats out. Unbolt the standard seats from the floor and lift them out with their runners. Keep the runners; they are going back in.
2. Remove the runners from the old seats. Unbolt them from the base of the original seats.
3. Bolt the bars to the Clubman. Turn the new seat upside down and bolt the adaption bars across the base with the M8 bolts, into the captive nuts already in the seat.
4. Fit the runners to the bars. With the seat still upside down, line the original runners up with the holes in the bars and secure them with the nuts and bolts supplied. Use the spacers where you need them to get the seat level and at the right height.
5. Fit the seat to the car. Put the whole assembly into the car and bolt the runners down to the original mounting points with the MX-5’s own bolts.
6. Check everything. Slide the seat through its range, sit in it, then tighten every bolt. Check the seat belt buckle still reaches and clears the seat before you drive the car.
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Watch one go in
Rust Locker on YouTube filmed a Cobra Clubman install in an MX-5 NB. The process is the same for the NA and NB. In the video some adjustments are made to the bars, because of tolerances between the bars and the seat’s mounting points. That is not usually needed, and Cobra now supply the bars with the small spacers, which help. It is still a useful look at what the job involves.
The Cobra Clubman
The Clubman is the entry point to Cobra’s range: a fixed back bucket on a steel frame, hand trimmed in the UK, at 9.2 kg. It is 850 mm tall, 515 mm wide and 630 mm deep on a 500 mm base, and it is listed for drivers under 6ft with a 32 to 36 inch waist. It is Road and Track approved, not FIA homologated, so it suits fast road use, shows and track days. If you need an approved seat, the Cobra Monaco range carries FIA 8855-1999.
The standard Clubman comes in black with blue, grey or red, and you can pick from a wider range of trims when ordering. There is also a 40th Edition Clubman, the same seat in Cobra’s anniversary trim. Garreth’s advice is to send us your height and waist before ordering, because the MX-5 cockpit is small and fit matters more than looks. Our MX-5 Mk1 and Mk2 bucket seat guide covers the other options, and our explainer on the Cobra MX-5 fitting kit goes into the bars in more detail.
Which MX-5 do the Cobra adaption bars fit?
The NA and NB, from 1989 to 2005.
Do I keep the original MX-5 seat runners?
Yes. The bars adapt the original runners to take the Cobra seat, so you keep the standard adjustment.
Which Cobra seats fit the adaption bars?
Cobra base mounted, fixed back seats with a 292 mm by 330 mm hole pattern, such as the Clubman.
What comes in the adaption bar kit?
Two bars, four M8 by 20 mm and four M8 by 25 mm bolts, four nuts and four spacers.
Is the Cobra Clubman FIA approved?
No. It is Road and Track approved, for fast road and track day use.
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Our pickClubman on adaption bars
A light, supportive bucket that keeps the MX-5's own runners.
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