The Sparco Sprint Retro is a homologated competition seat that does not look like one. Part number SprintRetro.
The Sprint is built on a tubular steel structure rather than a moulded composite shell, which is what keeps a homologated seat at this price, and the Retro is that seat trimmed in a period style. In a classic, a historic or anything built to look older than it is, that combination is hard to find: most FIA seats announce themselves from across the paddock.
Specification
FIA 8855-1999 homologated, steel framed, fixed back, vinyl trimmed, no head support wings, six point harness compatible. Sparco size it around a 32 to 36 inch waist and list it for all heights.
It mounts either on the base or on the sides, which is unusual for an approved seat and genuinely useful in an older car where the floor and the tunnel do not leave room for side mounts.
Trim
Other trims are available to order beyond what is shown. If you are matching an existing interior, tell us what you are working to and we will find out what Sparco can do rather than making you pick from the two on the page.
Supplied as the seat only, so you need mounts and a vehicle specific sub-frame. Tell us the car and how you want it mounted.
Ask us for the manufacture date on current stock if the seat has to cover a particular season.
Have you written anything about this exact product?
Yes, we have covered this exact product: Sparco Sprint Bucket Seats and Takata Harnesses in a Nissan 350Z, and Customer Question: How Do I Fit Sparco Sprint Bucket Seats In My VW Golf Mk7. Some of that comes straight from real customer questions, so you are reading answers other buyers actually needed.
Why is the Sprint so often the first seat suggested?
Because it solves the most common brief: a proper FIA-homologated bucket at the accessible end of the range, and one of the few modern shells that base-mounts, which keeps the fitting stack simple in a road car. If your shortlist is one seat long, this is usually the seat on it.
Will I fit in this seat?
The maker sizes this seat for drivers with a 32in to 36in waist. Those are the paper numbers; how a seat actually feels to sit in and climb out of is a different question, and our showroom team sit in these seats every day, so call us with your height and waist and we will give you the honest answer.
Is it FIA approved, and for how long?
Yes, it carries FIA 8855-1999 homologation. Every FIA seat has a not-valid-after year printed on its homologation label, and that label date is what a scrutineer checks, so look at the label on the seat you receive and check it against your championship regulations. Buying new means you get the freshest label the maker currently produces.
What do I need to fit it to my car?
This seat takes both base and side mounting, so the fitting stack depends on which route you pick for your car. You will need the car-specific frame, and a sliding runner if you want fore-and-aft adjustment. Our guide on base mount versus side mount walks through the whole stack, and tell us your car and we will quote the full kit.
Does it work with harnesses and a HANS device?
The shell takes 6 point compatible. If you are planning the full seat, harness, and HANS setup, tell us the car and we will spec it end to end.
How do I know it will feel right, not just fit on paper?
Fair question, because makers publish widths and weights, never feel, and two seats with identical numbers can feel nothing alike in the car. We keep the ranges on display in the Nottingham showroom, you are welcome to come and sit in them, and if you cannot get to us, call and describe your build, as the team sit in these seats every day. Our head support measurements guide shows the kind of real-world data we collect.
