Daimler Dart SP250 bucket seat guide
1959 to 1964
Let us get the awkward bit out of the way first, because everything else on this page follows from it. There is no direct fit seat frame for a Daimler Dart, and there is never going to be one.
Fewer than three thousand of these were built between 1959 and 1964, the body is glassfibre, and no frame maker is going to tool up for that. So if you have found a page somewhere offering you a bolt in Dart sub frame, be careful, because what you are almost certainly looking at is a universal part being described optimistically.
The good news is that this is far less of a problem than it sounds. The Dart has a simple ladder chassis with outriggers, a flat floor and about as much room to work as any car of its era, which makes fabricating a seat mount a straightforward job for anybody competent with steel. We supply everything that goes above that mount. What follows is how it is normally done, and which seats are worth doing it for.
- No direct fit frame exists for the Dart, so the mounting is fabricated to the car
- The chassis is a simple ladder with outriggers, which makes that a manageable job
- Classic and period shells are the right choice here, and we list eight of them
- The Cobra Classic CS and Roadster SS list no waist restriction and suit all heights
- The Cobra Monaco Sport Narrow is listed at a 28in to 32in waist for a tight cockpit
- Six of the seats here mount either base or side, which keeps the fabrication simple
What is on this page
How the mounting is actually done
The usual approach on a car of this age is a pair of steel rails running fore and aft, tied into the chassis outriggers rather than into the glassfibre. That last part is the whole point. The Dart body is a shell over a chassis, and a seat mount that only picks up on glassfibre is not a seat mount, it is a decoration. Whoever fabricates it needs to get down to steel.
On top of those rails you have a choice. Sliding runners let the seat move, which in a two seater that occasionally carries somebody else is worth having, and they add a small amount of height. Bolting the seat straight down is lower and firmer and is the right answer if the car is used for competition or if head room under a helmet is tight, which in an open car with the hood up it usually is.
If you are fitting a fixed back shell, you need side mount brackets between the shell and the rails. The Endurance multi point M8 brackets are the flexible option here because they have several hole positions, which matters a great deal when the geometry is being made up as you go rather than designed by a frame maker. The adaption bars solve the other common problem, which is a shell whose mounting holes do not line up with the rails you have built.
Before anybody cuts steel, sit in the car with the seat you have bought, wearing whatever you would wear to drive it. On a Dart the screen is low and the wheel is close, and a seat that puts you 30mm higher than the original changes both of those.
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Into the chassis, not into the bodyThe Dart shell is glassfibre over a steel chassis. Seat mounts must tie into the chassis or its outriggers. A mount bolted through glassfibre with spreader plates is not adequate for a seat, and is nowhere near adequate if a harness is anchored anywhere near it.
Classic and period seats
This is the section most Dart owners actually want. These are shells styled for cars of this era, and in a Dart they look like they belong rather than like something borrowed from a hot hatch.
The Cobra Classic CS and the Roadster SS are the two that suit an SP250 best, and both list no waist restriction and are fitted for all driver heights, which is unusual and useful. The Stelvio Vinyl is the same idea in vinyl, which is easier to live with in an open car that gets rained on. The Classic 40th Edition and the GT3 Historic are the smarter, more expensive versions of the same thought.
OMP make two period seats as well. The Silverstone Classic and the Brands Hatch are both base mount, both list no waist restriction and both suit all driver heights. They are the value end of this section and they do not look out of place.
There is a companion piece to this page that goes further into the look of each of these seats in a classic car, which is worth a read if the styling is what you are weighing up: what retro classic seats can I fit in my Daimler Dart.
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If the car is competing
Plenty of Darts get used in historic racing and sprints, and there the rule book has an opinion that period styling does not.
Six of the seats here mount either base or side, which is genuinely helpful when you are fabricating the mounting yourself, because it means you are not committed to one geometry before the steel is cut. The Cobra Monaco Pro and the M-Sport Edition carry FIA 8855-1999, as does the Sparco Sprint and the OMP TRS-X steel framed shell. The Monaco 40th Houndstooth is the one that manages to be approved and still look period.
The Monaco Sport Narrow deserves a mention on this car specifically. It is listed at a 28in to 32in waist, and an SP250 cockpit is not generous, so if the standard width shells are fouling the door or the tunnel that is the one to try.
Of the side mount shells, the Cobra Nogaro Circuit and Nogaro Club Sport are both listed for drivers over 6ft, which in a low car with a fixed screen is worth knowing. Their listings do not state a mounting attribute, so ask us and we will confirm what they need against your fabrication before you order.
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Our picksCobra Classic CS if it is a road car, Monaco Pro if it competes
The Classic CS looks right in an SP250, lists no waist restriction and suits any height, which makes it the easy answer for a car that gets driven on sunny weekends. If the car is competing, the Monaco Pro is FIA approved and mounts either way, which keeps your fabrication options open. Ring Cameron before the steel is cut and he will talk the mounting through with whoever is making it.
Harnesses
On a road going Dart a three point belt is the sensible answer and the TRS Clubman bolt in three point is exactly that. It is a proper belt, it never needs renewing, and it does not require you to engineer an anchor at shoulder height in an open car.
If the car competes and a harness is required, the anchor is the whole job. In an open car with no cage there is nothing above or behind you at shoulder height until you build it, and a harness anchored too low is worse than no harness at all, because that strap angle compresses your spine rather than holding you back against the seat. Whoever fabricates your seat mounts should fabricate the harness anchors at the same time, to the same standard, into the same chassis.
Tell us what you are entering and what has been built, and we will match the belts to it rather than guessing.
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Our recommendationsA three point belt on the road, and nothing more until the anchors exist
The TRS Clubman bolt in three point is the right belt for a road going SP250 and needs no renewal date. Do not fit a harness until there is a properly engineered anchor at or above shoulder height, tied into the chassis. If you are competing, send us the regulations and we will tell you which dated belt the class requires.
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, and on this car the mounting column tells you what the seat needs rather than what the car provides, because the car provides whatever you build.
| Seat | Mounting | Waist | Height | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobra Classic CS | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Cobra Roadster SS | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Cobra Stelvio Vinyl | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Cobra Classic 40th Edition | Base mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Cobra GT3 Historic | Base mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| OMP Silverstone Classic | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| OMP Brands Hatch Classic | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Auto Style Type Classic Vinyl | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Cobra Monaco Pro | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Monaco M-Sport Edition | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Monaco 40th Houndstooth | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Monaco Sport Narrow | Base or side mount | 28in to 32in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Sparco Sprint | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP TRS-X Steel Frame | Base or side mount | 28in to 36in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Nogaro Circuit | See listing | 32in to 36in | Over 6ft | Road and track |
| Cobra Nogaro Club Sport | See listing | 32in to 36in | Over 6ft | Road and track |
| Recaro Pole Position | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
Questions about fitting seats in a Daimler Dart SP250
Do you sell a direct fit frame for a Daimler Dart?
No, and neither does anybody else. Under three thousand of these were built and no frame maker is going to tool up for that. The mounting is fabricated to the car. That sounds worse than it is, because the Dart has a simple ladder chassis and a flat floor, so it is a manageable job for anybody handy with steel.
Can I bolt the seat mounts to the floor?
Only if the floor you are bolting to is steel and tied into the chassis. The Dart body is glassfibre over a separate chassis, so mounts must pick up on the chassis or its outriggers. Glassfibre with spreader plates is not adequate for a seat and is nowhere near adequate anywhere a harness is anchored.
Which seats actually look right in an SP250?
The Cobra Classic CS and the Roadster SS are the two we would start with, and both list no waist restriction and suit all driver heights. The OMP Silverstone Classic and Brands Hatch are the value versions of the same idea. There is a longer piece on our site comparing the look of the retro shells in a Dart if styling is the deciding factor.
My cockpit is tight. What is the narrowest option?
The Cobra Monaco Sport Narrow, listed at a 28in to 32in waist, or the OMP TRS-X which is listed from 28in and carries FIA approval. An SP250 is not a generous car across the shoulders and it is worth measuring the space between the door card and the tunnel before you commit.
Should I fit a harness?
On the road, no. Fit the TRS Clubman bolt in three point and enjoy the car. A harness needs a properly engineered anchor at or above shoulder height, which in an open car with no cage does not exist until somebody builds it. If you are competing, that anchor gets built at the same time as the seat mounts, to the same standard.
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