Subaru Impreza GC8 bucket seat guide
GC8, 1992 to 2000, WRX, STI and naturally aspirated
Most GC8s arriving here are builds. Standard-spec owners wanting better road seats exist, but the majority are doing proper track or club rally builds, and that changes the useful order on this page: mounting route first, then seats, then cages, then harnesses. Getting the shoulder straps mounted correctly is the job the cage exists to do, and on this shell there are seven cage options specifically for it.
Two fitting routes are available. The M2 GC8 Direct Fit Subframes at £166.20 a pair are the side mount route, specific to this chassis, and they open up every side-mount-only competition seat on the page. The Planted SB019 is the base mount route at £222.60 per seat, and it covers every GC8 variant because Subaru kept the floor mounting points identical across the whole production run. Add the Sparco runner at £41.94 per seat if you want fore-aft adjustment on the base mount route.
- M2 GC8 Direct Fit Subframes are the side mount route, £138.50 per pair, specific to this chassis
- Planted SB019 covers every Impreza from 1993 to 2007 on one part number. Subaru kept the floor layout identical across all GC8 variants, WRX, STI and standard
- Most FIA competition seats here are side mount only. Side mounts are the usual route for a proper build
- Add the Sparco Sliding Runner at £34.95 per seat for fore-aft adjustment on the Planted frame
- The Cobra Monaco Pro is the one bucket seat here listed for both base mount and side mount
- The Mirco RTS-2 3D covers both under and over 6ft, and the widest waist range among the FIA seats on this page
- Seven cage options are listed specifically for the GC8, covering bolt-in and weld-in, and 2-door and 4-door body variants separately
- All FIA harnesses carry a homologation expiry that ends their competition life on a set date, regardless of use
- The factory rear belt mounts are not rated for shoulder harness loads. A cage or dedicated harness bar provides the correct anchor
Two fitting routes
A fitting frame replaces the standard seat runners. It bolts to the floor mounting points and the seat fixes to it, either from the sides on side mounts or from beneath on a base mount. The GC8 has genuine options for both.
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Side mount via M2 GC8 subframes
The M2 GC8 Direct Fit Subframes bolt to the GC8 floor at £138.50 per pair and are specific to this chassis. From there, a pair of side mounts picks up the shell of the seat and holds it at the position you set. This is the standard route for competition-rated fixed-back seats, because most FIA competition buckets are side mount only. Position is set once with the trim out, so work out where you want to be before anything is bolted down.
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Base mount via Planted SB019
The Planted Technology SB019 at £185.50 per seat is the base mount route. It covers every Impreza from 1993 to 2007, spanning the classic GC8, the bug-eye GD8 and the two later shapes, because Subaru kept the floor mounting points identical throughout. The seat bolts to the frame from beneath. Add the Sparco Sliding Runner at £34.95 per seat to keep fore-aft adjustment, which matters on a car that is also doing road miles.
Fitting kits for the GC8
The M2 subframes are priced as a pair. The Planted SB019 is priced per seat, so two seats means two orders. The Sparco runner bolts to the 345mm x 271mm bolt pattern and is compatible with Sparco, OMP and Corbeau base-mount reclining seats. If you are pairing the Planted frame with a Cobra or Takata reclining seat, check the bolt pattern first: those sit on 291mm x 330mm rather than the Sparco layout, and the patterns do not cross over.
Side mounts are a separate purchase if you are going down the M2 route. They are not needed if the seat mounts from beneath. Endurance and Sparco side mount sets start at £29 and are listed separately on this site.
- M2 Subaru Impreza GC8 Direct Fit Subframes, £138.50 per pair, side mount, specific to this chassis
- Planted Technology SB019, £185.50 per seat, base mount, covers all Impreza variants from 1993 to 2007
- Sparco Sliding Runner Kit, £34.95 per seat, fits 345mm x 271mm bolt pattern, keeps fore-aft adjustment
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Confirm the bolt pattern before pairing a reclining seat with the Planted framePlanted do not publish the bolt pattern for the SB019. That matters because the reclining seats on this page use two different patterns: the Sparco R100 Martini sits on 345mm x 271mm, while the Cobra Daytona and Takata Street Pro LE sit on 291mm x 330mm. If you are going down the base mount route and want to run a reclining seat, send us the frame and the seat together and we will confirm the pairing before you order either. If you are using side mounts, the bolt pattern question does not apply.
FIA competition bucket seats
Every seat here carries FIA 8855-1999 homologation. That is the current standard for club and national-level competition. Unlike harnesses, FIA-rated seats do not carry a calendar expiry: the homologation covers the seat design rather than the individual unit, so a correctly stored seat does not age out of competition unless the regulations for your event change.
Six of the seven are side mount only. The exception is the Cobra Monaco Pro at £282.00 which lists both base mount and side mount and is the cheapest FIA shell here by a distance. For everything else, the M2 subframes plus a set of side mounts is the correct pairing. If you are fitting on the Planted SB019, the Monaco Pro is the one seat that goes on without adding mounts.
On height: most seats here are listed for under 6ft, which means the harness slots sit at shoulder height for a driver that size. The Sabelt GT3 and the Mirco RTS-2 3D both cover all heights. The Mirco also covers 36 to 40 inch waist on the same listing, which makes it the starting point for a taller or broader driver rather than the entry-level option it might look like at first glance.
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Reclining sport seats
For a GC8 that does road miles, or a trackday car without a cage, a reclining sport seat is the more practical answer. All four here carry road and track ratings rather than FIA competition approval, which is the correct spec for that use. They all fix from beneath on a base mount rather than from the sides.
The Sparco R100 Martini sits on a 345mm x 271mm bolt pattern. The Cobra Daytona and the Takata Street Pro LE sit on 291mm x 330mm. The Cobra Misano Lux is built to order, so allow lead time. If you want to change one seat and keep the other standard, the Cobra and Takata seats are listed in separate driver-side and passenger-side versions, which makes pairing them with the original seat straightforward.
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Our recommendationStart with the mounting route, not the seat
On a proper GC8 build the mounting decision comes first. Side mounts open up every competition seat here and set the seat lower. The Planted base mount route keeps the fore-aft adjustment and suits a road car or one that needs to stay reversible. Once that is settled, Cameron works out the seat fit and the best combination for the specific use and budget, so send over the intended build, your height, and roughly what you want to spend and he will point you at the right two or three options and tell you exactly what goes underneath each one.
Harnesses
There is no car-specific harness for the GC8, so you are fitting a universal belt and working out the mounting yourself. That part is harder than the belt choice. The standard rear seat belt mounting points are not rated for the loads a harness imposes in an impact. You need a dedicated anchor, which means a cage, a bolt-in harness bar, or a fabricated point specifically built for the job.
The Schroth Profi 3×2 at £370 and the TRS Magnum 6 Point Superlite at £294.00 are both FIA 8853-2016 rated. The TRS Magnum 4 Point at £139 carries FIA 8854-1998. All FIA belts carry a stamped expiry date that ends their competition life on that date, regardless of how much they have been worn, so confirm the remaining life on any second-hand belt before entering an event. For a road or trackday GC8, the Takata Drift II and III and the TRS Clubman belts are road and track rated and cost less, though none of those four are listed as HANS compatible, which matters if a head restraint is going on.
The 6-point belts need a crotch strap anchor in the floor between the seat and the transmission tunnel. On the GC8 there is a recess in the tunnel that most builders use for this. Check the anchor geometry with the seat in place before committing to a belt, because the strap needs to run at a correct angle from that point.
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Our recommendationSort the anchor before you choose the belt
The belt specification is the easy half of the harness question on a GC8. What to bolt the shoulder straps to is the part that needs thinking about first. Tell us what is behind the seats now, what the intended use is, and whether a head restraint is going in, and we will tell you what the shoulder straps can anchor to and which belt specification that points you at. On a caged car the routing is simpler, but it is still worth running it past us before anything goes in the basket.
Roll cages
The GC8 is one of the better-served cars on this site for cage options. Safety Devices and Custom Cages both list products specific to this shell, covering bolt-in and weld-in construction across a wide price range. One distinction matters before you browse the list: the 2-door and 4-door body styles have different roof lines and rear door apertures, so cages are not interchangeable between them. Check which body you have before ordering.
At the lower end, the Safety Devices Rear Roll Cage at £507.60 and the Multipoint Bolt-In Rear at £733.20 are partial cages from the B-pillar back, listed for both the GC8 and the GD8 that followed it. They are the usual choice for a trackday car or a road car that needs harness shoulder strap anchors without the compromises a full cage brings. The 2-door-specific Multi-Point Bolt-In at £840.00 is the next step.
Custom Cages list International Group N roll cages for both the 2-door GC8 at £1,818.30 and the 4-door GC8 at £1,818.30 separately, and a Group A-style factory replica cage for the 2-door at £2,166.00. These are full roll cages rather than rear conversions. If the car is heading into competition and the cage needs to meet a written regulation, confirm the exact spec against the current regs for your series before ordering, and keep the sign-off paperwork with the car.
Pad any cage tube within reach of a helmet. Tell your insurer before the cage goes in. If the car is used on the road, check the MOT position for the body type before you commit.
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What fits what
All seats below work on the GC8 with the appropriate frame from the fitting kits section. Side mount seats need the M2 GC8 subframes plus a set of side mounts. The Cobra Monaco Pro is the one exception listed for both routes. Where a cell says “not listed”, the manufacturer has not published that figure and we have not filled in a guess.
| Seat | Mounting | Approval | Driver height | Waist | HANS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition bucket seats | |||||
| Cobra Monaco Pro | Base or side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32" to 36" | HANS friendly |
| Sabelt GT3 | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | All heights | 32" to 36" | HANS friendly |
| OMP WRC-R | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32" to 36" | HANS friendly |
| Sparco Evo QRT | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| OMP Champ-R | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32" to 36" | HANS friendly |
| Mirco RTS-2 3D | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Over and under 6ft | 32" to 40" | HANS friendly |
| Corbeau Pro Series X | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32" to 36" | Not listed |
| Reclining sport seats | |||||
| Cobra Misano Lux | Not listed | Road and track | All heights | 32" to 38" | Not listed |
| Sparco R100 Martini | Base mount, 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | All heights | 32" to 36" | Not listed |
| Cobra Daytona | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm | Road and track | All heights | 32" to 38" | Not listed |
| Takata Street Pro LE | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm | Road and track | All heights | All sizes | Not listed |
Common questions
Which fitting frame does the GC8 need?
Two options. The M2 GC8 Direct Fit Subframes at £138.50 a pair are the side mount route, specific to this chassis. The Planted Technology SB019 at £185.50 per seat is the base mount route, covering every Impreza from 1993 to 2007 on one part number. Subaru kept the floor mounting points identical across all GC8 variants, WRX, STI and standard, so the SB019 does not differentiate between them. The M2 pair is the usual choice for a car building towards competition. The Planted frame suits a road car or a trackday car where fore-aft adjustment matters.
Does the same bracket fit a 1993 WRX and a 2000 STI?
Yes. The Planted SB019 covers every Impreza from 1993 to 2007 on one part number. Subaru did not change the floor mounting arrangement across any of those variants, which covers the classic GC8, the bug-eye GD8 and the two later shapes. The M2 GC8 Direct Fit Subframes are specific to the GC8 chassis rather than the full Impreza range, so check which car you have if you are on a GD8 or later.
Which seats work on the base mount route?
The Cobra Monaco Pro lists both base mount and side mount, so it is the one competition seat here that goes straight onto the Planted frame. All the other FIA-rated buckets are side mount only. Among the reclining seats, the Sparco R100 Martini, the Cobra Daytona, the Takata Street Pro LE and the Cobra Misano Lux are all base mount. Before pairing any reclining seat with the Planted frame, send us both part numbers and we will confirm the bolt pattern matches, because Planted do not publish the SB019 bolt pattern directly.
Do I need side mounts as well as the M2 subframes?
Yes. The M2 subframes bolt to the floor and give you the mounting platform, but they do not hold the seat on their own. A pair of side mounts then picks up the sides of the seat shell. Side mount sets start at £29 for the Endurance steel M8 set and run to £75 for the Sparco FIA-approved set, both listed separately on this site. If you are using the Planted base mount frame, side mounts are not needed, because the seat fixes from beneath.
What is the difference between the 2-door and 4-door cage options?
The 2-door GC8 and the 4-door saloon have different roof lines and different B-pillar to C-pillar geometry, so cages made for one body do not fit the other. Custom Cages list their International Group N cages separately for the 2-door and 4-door GC8 at £1,515.25 each. The Safety Devices Rear Roll Cage at £423.00 and the Multipoint Bolt-In Rear at £611.00 are listed for both the GC8 and the GD8, covering both body variants in that range. The Custom Cages Group A replica at £1,805.00 is 2-door only. Check the body style against the cage listing before ordering.
Can I use the standard rear belt mounts for shoulder harness straps?
No. The factory rear belt mounting points are not rated for harness loads. You need a dedicated anchor point behind the front seats, which means a cage, a bolt-in harness bar, or a fabricated point built specifically for it. Do not route the shoulder straps to the standard belt mounts.
Which FIA harness do I need for club rallying?
For Motorsport UK club rallying the harness needs to meet FIA 8853-2016 or 8854-1998 depending on the series. The Schroth Profi 3×2 at £370 and the TRS Magnum 6 Point Superlite at £245.00 are both 8853-2016. The TRS Magnum 4 Point at £139 carries 8854-1998. All FIA belts carry a stamped expiry date, so check the remaining life on any belt before entering. The Takata and TRS Clubman belts here are road and track rated rather than FIA and are not suitable for scrutineered events.
Where do the 6-point harness crotch straps anchor on a GC8?
Most GC8 builders use the recess in the transmission tunnel between the seat base and the tunnel itself. The anchor point needs to sit roughly between the centre of the seat base and the floor so the crotch strap runs at the correct angle. Check the geometry with the seat in place and confirm the route with whoever is fitting the cage before you buy the harness. Do not anchor the crotch strap to the seat mounting points.
Is the cage the same for a WRX and an STI?
Yes. The cages here are listed for the GC8 chassis rather than the engine or specification. A WRX and an STI on the same platform use the same cage. What matters is the body style: 2-door or 4-door. Those have different geometries and the cages are not the same. Check the body style against the cage listing, not the engine.
Will a bucket seat affect the standard seat belt?
Usually it moves the buckle position, which is worth checking while the trim is out. The original buckle stays where it was while the seat moves down and possibly forward or back, so confirm you can reach it one-handed with a helmet on and that nothing is fouling the stalk. A buckle extension sorts an awkward position for a few pounds. Get this right with the trim out rather than after everything is back together.
Do I need a cage for a trackday car?
No. Trackday regulations do not require a cage. A partial cage from the B-pillar back is a common choice for a car that does both road and track, because it gives the shoulder straps a proper anchor without the intrusion of a full cage. If you want harness belts on a car without a cage, a bolt-in harness bar is the usual alternative. Send us your intended use and we will tell you what will work.
More help
If you want the fit on your GC8 confirmed against a specific seat, the contact link is the quickest route. We can also confirm the Planted bolt pattern for a reclining seat pairing, or check whether a cage meets the regulation your series asks for before you order.
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