Hundreds Of Products Ready Today. Dispatch/Collection Fitting Corbeau LE-Pro Bucket Seats To A Lotus Exige S2
An Exige S2 owner emailed this week wanting to be certain before the money left his account: will a pair of Corbeau LE-Pro System 1 bucket seats go into the car, driver and passenger side? Yes. Both sides, on the mounting brackets already in the car. Corbeau developed the LE-Pro for the Elise and the Exige, so this is the one conversion where the answer needs no measuring session first.
It is also one of our favourite upgrades for the car, and has been for years. The standard seats are fine. These hold you properly, drop some weight and make the cabin feel more like the car deserves. The only real decision is which of the three shells to have, because the same seat comes as System 1, System 3 and System 5, and the number is the material.
- Developed by Corbeau for the Elise and Exige, S1 and S2
- Bolts to the original Lotus mounting brackets on an S2, no drilling
- Same seat both sides, so a pair is quantity two of one listing
- Three shells: GRP/Kevlar, Kevlar/carbon or full carbon
- Cloth or leather trim, four colourways, coloured shells to order
The short answer
Both seats fit. The LE-Pro is a side mounted, fixed back shell whose fixing points line up with the original Lotus seat brackets, so the hardware already bolted into your S2 carries the new seats. Nothing needs fabricating, the standard belts stay where they are, and the passenger side goes in exactly like the driver side.
If anyone reading this has an S1 alongside, that car takes the same seat with one small job: a single M6 bolt hole needs drilling. That is the entire difference between the two. The same shell also covers the Elise S1 through S3, the 340R, the VX220, the Europa, the 2-Eleven and 3-Eleven and the V6 Exige, so this page answers the same question for most of the Lotus family.
One seat, three shells: System 1, 3 and 5
System 1, System 3 and System 5 are the same seat. Same shape, same padding, same trim options, same fixing points. The number tells you what the shell is made of, and that is the whole difference, which is why the fitment answer above covers all three.
System 1: GRP/Kevlar
The entry shell, glassfibre with Kevlar reinforcement in a black gel finish. Listed at 6kg, and the one our customer asked about. Most Exiges we do get this one.
System 3: Kevlar/carbon
A stiffer shell that saves weight over the System 1, so more of what the chassis is doing gets through to you. The middle ground in every sense.
System 5: full carbon
The lightest and stiffest of the three, with the weave on show. The one people buy with their eyes, and in an Exige nobody argues with them.
-
From £550.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £630.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £710.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Fitting them on the original Lotus brackets
This is the job Cameron talks people through most weeks, and on an S2 it is about as simple as a seat swap gets. The parts in the order they come apart:
- Unbolt the original seatFree the seat fixings and lift the seat out of the car with its mounting brackets still attached. Easier with the doors fully open and a second pair of hands on an Exige sill.
- Split seat from brackets on the benchThe original brackets are the part you are keeping, so set them aside as a driver set and a passenger set.
- Bolt the LE-Pro to the same bracketsThe shell picks up the brackets through its side fixing points. No adapter plates, and on the S2 no drilling.
- Refit and checkDrop each assembly back in, torque everything, then check belt buckle clearance and that the belt runs cleanly before you drive it.
On belts: the seat works with the standard three point belt as it is, and it is four point harness compatible if the car does track days. LUKE build Lotus specific harnesses designed around this seat, so if that is the direction the car is going, ring us and we will spec the webbing with you at the same time.
Will it fit you, and the options
The shell comes in one size, and the guidance on it runs to about a 36 inch waist. The side supports are deliberately low, which is what makes it liveable for getting in and out of an Exige every day, but a bucket seat is a personal thing. If you are near the top of that range, or just between two minds, Cameron would rather go through the dimensions with you against the chart than have a seat come back.
On options: trim is cloth or leather, in black, black and blue, black and grey or black and red. The System 1 and System 3 shells can be gel coated in a run of colours, and if you have a RAL code we can usually match it. The System 5 stays black because the carbon weave is the finish. A pneumatic lumbar support can be built into any of them, which is worth having on a car with no seat adjustment to speak of.
What a pair costs
| Shell | Per seat | Pair, both sides |
|---|---|---|
| System 1, GRP/Kevlar | £660.00 | £1,320.00 |
| System 3, Kevlar/carbon | £756.00 | £1,512.00 |
| System 5, full carbon | £852.00 | £1,704.00 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 12 August 2026. Seats are sold singly, so a pair is quantity two.
There is no hardware line in that table. On most seat conversions you are adding frames, runners and side mounts before the seat itself, and that can run to a few hundred pounds a side. The LE-Pro picks up the original Lotus brackets, so the pair price above is the whole job.
What we would actually order
For the customer who asked: two System 1 seats in black cloth. On a road car that sees track days the GRP/Kevlar shell does everything the car asks of it, and the £384 saved against a pair of System 5s pays for a set of tyres.
Garreth’s view on the upgrade money: at this level the carbon buys you the look more than the lap time. You buy the System 5 because you want to see the weave every time you open the door, and in an Exige that is a perfectly good reason. The System 3 suits the driver who wants the stiffer shell without paying carbon money.
Ring us on 0115 9893488 with the trim you fancy and we will confirm stock and lead time on the spot, or bring the car over and Cameron will go through sizing and colours with you before anything is ordered.
Common questions
Will two LE-Pro seats fit an Exige S2, driver and passenger?
Yes. The seat was developed for the Elise and Exige, and both sides mount on the car's original brackets. Order quantity two of the same listing.
Do I need new subframes, runners or side mounts?
The original Lotus brackets carry the seat, which is what makes this conversion such good value. If your brackets are damaged or missing, ring us before ordering and we will work out what you need.
What about an S1 Exige or Elise?
Same seat, one extra job: a single M6 bolt hole needs drilling to pick up one of the fixings. Everything else is the same as the S2.
Can I run harnesses in it?
Yes, it is four point harness compatible, and it also works with the standard belt untouched. LUKE make Lotus specific harness belts designed around this seat; ask us and we will spec them for the car.
What is the actual difference between System 1, 3 and 5?
The shell material only. System 1 is GRP/Kevlar, System 3 is Kevlar/carbon, System 5 is full carbon. Shape, padding, trim options and fixing points are identical, so fitment is identical too.
How quickly can I get a pair?
Stock shows live on each listing. Standard trims are usually the quick ones; coloured shells and special trim combinations are built to order by Corbeau. Ring us with the exact spec and we will confirm the lead time before you commit.