Subaru Impreza Mk2 GD8/GDB bucket seat guide
GD8/GDB, 2000 to 2007, bug eye, blob eye and hawk eye
The Mk2 spans three distinct faces on one chassis: bug eye from 2000, blob eye from 2003, hawk eye from 2005 to 2007. Subaru kept the floor mounting points the same across all three, which is the useful fact here, because it means one fitting frame covers the whole run regardless of which face your car has.
That frame is base mount only. No side-mount subframe specific to this chassis turned up in the catalogue, which is not unusual on a car this specialised. It does not close off competition seats: the frame bolts to the floor, and a pair of side mounts on top of it picks up the shell of a fixed-back seat exactly as it would with a dedicated subframe. Read the mounting section before picking a seat, because it decides which of the seats below need extra hardware and which do not.
- Planted SB019-4927 is the confirmed frame for this chassis, £222.60 per seat, covers bug eye, blob eye and hawk eye
- No dedicated side-mount subframe was found for the GD8/GDB. Universal side mounts bolt to the Planted frame instead
- Endurance Motorsport side mounts start at £34.80 or £46.80 for the multi-point set with extra position adjustment
- The Sparco Sprint and the Cobra Monaco Pro are the two bucket seats here listed for both base mount and side mount
- The Mirco RTS-2 Velour and the Sparco Circuit II QRT both cover 36in to 40in waist as well as 32in to 36in
- Two roll cages are confirmed specifically for the GDB by Custom Cages, from £1,818.30
- Five Safety Devices cages cover both this car and the earlier GC8 on the same part number
- All FIA harnesses carry a stamped expiry date that ends their competition life regardless of wear
- The standard rear seat belt mounts are not rated for harness shoulder strap loads
One frame, base mount only
The Planted Technology SB019-4927 is the confirmed fitting frame for this generation, part of the wider SB019 family that spans fourteen years of Impreza on a consistent floor arrangement. It covers bug eye, blob eye and hawk eye alike. It bolts to the factory floor mounting points and the seat fixes to it from beneath.
No subframe made specifically for the GD8/GDB side-mount route turned up in the catalogue. That does not rule out competition seats. A pair of universal side mounts bolts to the top of the Planted frame and picks up the shell of a fixed-back seat, which is the standard way to run a side-mount-only FIA shell where no dedicated subframe exists. Two of the seats below, the Sparco Sprint and the Cobra Monaco Pro, are listed for base mount as well, so they go straight onto the frame with nothing added.
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Frame plus a base mount seat
The Planted frame on its own, no side mounts needed. Both the reclining seats below and the Sparco Sprint and Cobra Monaco Pro fixed-back seats fix straight to it. The STI came with better bolstered seats than the WRX from the factory, so if you are unsure which trim you have, tell us and we will confirm which brackets and seats suit it.
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Frame plus side mounts
For any of the other FIA seats on this page. The Endurance steel M8 set is £34.80 and the multi-point version £46.80 both FIA approved and rated for road and track use as well as competition. Position is set once with the trim out, so decide where you want to sit before anything is bolted down.
The fitting kit
The frame is priced per seat, so two front seats means two orders. Side mounts and runners are separate purchases, needed only if the seat you choose calls for them.
Side airbags are fitted on most cars in this range. Tell us the specification when you order so the fit is confirmed against your car rather than the generation in general, and store the original seats somewhere dry if you are keeping them, because original bug-eye interior parts in good condition are getting harder to find.
- Planted Technology SB019-4927, £222.60 per seat, base mount, covers bug eye, blob eye and hawk eye
- Endurance Motorsport steel M8 side mounts, £34.80 FIA approved and road and track rated
- Endurance Motorsport multi-point M8 side mounts, £46.80 extra position adjustment
- Sparco Sliding Runner Kit, £41.94 per seat, 345mm x 271mm bolt pattern
- Cobra Premium Sliding Runners, £84.00 for a Cobra base-mount seat
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The old M2 GC8 subframe does not fit this carIf you have seen the M2 Subaru Impreza GC8 Direct Fit Subframes recommended for a Mk2, it is the wrong part. That subframe is built for the earlier GC8 chassis, 1992 to 2000, which does not share the same floor mounting layout. We could not find a dedicated side-mount subframe for the GD8/GDB in the current catalogue, which is why this guide runs the base mount Planted frame with universal side mounts on top for competition seats. If a manufacturer brings out a Mk2-specific side mount frame, ask us and we will check.
FIA competition bucket seats
Every seat here carries FIA 8855-1999 homologation, the current standard for club and national competition. Two go straight onto the Planted frame without side mounts: the Sparco Sprint at £252.00 and the Cobra Monaco Pro at £282.00 both listed for base mount as well as side mount. Everything else needs a set of side mounts added to the frame.
On size, the Mirco RTS-2 Velour at £418.80 and the Sparco Circuit II QRT at £561.60 both cover 36in to 40in waist as well as 32in to 36in on the same listing, and the RTS-2 also covers over and under 6ft. Those two are the starting point for a broader or taller driver rather than working down from price. The rest are listed for a 32in to 36in waist and under 6ft or all heights.
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Reclining sport seats
For a Mk2 that is still doing road miles, or a trackday car without a cage, a reclining sport seat on the Planted frame keeps the backrest adjustment and needs no side mounts. All four here carry road and track ratings.
The Sparco R100 Martini and the Sparco R333 sit on the 345mm x 271mm bolt pattern, matching the Sparco runner above. The three Corbeau pairs, the Sportline RRS, the SVR Vinyl and the Sportline RRB, are each listed on both 291mm x 330mm and 345mm x 271mm, which makes them the most flexible fit here, and all three cover 32in to 38in waist across the pair. If you only want one seat rather than a pair, ask us first, because some single listings in this range have been retired.
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Our recommendationSettle the mounting before the seat
With one confirmed frame and no dedicated side-mount subframe, the Planted route is the honest starting point on a Mk2. From there the seat question comes down to whether you want it to go straight on, which points at the Sparco Sprint or the Cobra Monaco Pro, or whether you are building for competition and side mounts are an accepted extra step. Cameron works out the fit and the best combination for a given car, so send over your STI or WRX trim, your height, and roughly what you want to spend, and he will narrow this down and confirm the side airbag and seat pairing before you order.
Harnesses
There is no harness made specifically for the Mk2, so you are fitting a universal belt and working out the mounting yourself. The standard rear seat belt mounting points are not rated for shoulder harness loads, so a cage, a bolt-in harness bar, or a fabricated anchor point is needed behind the seat.
The Schroth Profi 3×2 at £370 is FIA 8853-2016 rated. The TRS Magnum 6 Point Superlite at £294.00 carries the same standard for less, and the TRS Magnum 4 Point at £139 is FIA 8854-1998. All three carry a stamped expiry date that ends their competition life on that date regardless of wear, so check the remaining life on any used belt before entering an event. For a road or trackday car, 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 HANS compatible.
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Our recommendationConfirm the anchor point before you buy the belt
The belt specification is the simpler half of this question. Where the shoulder straps bolt to is the part worth confirming first. Tell us whether the car is caged or not, what is behind the seats now, and whether a head restraint is going in, and we will tell you what will work and which belt spec that points to.
Roll cages
Custom Cages list two roll cages confirmed specifically for the GDB: the “Step 3” International Multipoint T45 kit at £1,818.30 and a T45 weld-in cage at £1,884.00 both built to their GDB specification. Safety Devices list five cages that cover both this car and the earlier GC8 on one part number, from the £507.60 Rear Roll Cage up to the £1,328.40 Multipoint Bolt-In. An OMP weld-in cage confirmed from December 2000 onward, matching this chassis, is also available at £2,550.76.
Be careful with two products sometimes seen listed against this car. A pair of Custom Cages products titled “2nd Gen 4 door GC8” describe themselves in their own text as fitting the GC8, the earlier chassis, despite the “2nd Gen” wording, which refers to Custom Cages’ own product-line naming rather than the car’s generation. We have not included them here. Two OMP weld-in cages elsewhere in the catalogue are confirmed “10/07-” in their specification, which is the third generation Impreza (GH/GR), not this one, and are also excluded.
If your build is heading into competition, check the exact specification against the current regulations for your class before ordering, and keep the sign-off paperwork with the logbook. Pad any tube within reach of a helmet, and tell your insurer, because a cage is a notifiable modification.
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What fits what
All seats below fit the Mk2 on the Planted SB019-4927, with side mounts added where the mounting column says side mount. Where a cell says not listed, the manufacturer has not published that figure.
| 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 |
| Sparco Sprint | Base or side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | All heights | 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 |
| Mirco RS7 Velour | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | All heights | 32" to 36" | Not listed |
| Mirco RTS-2 Velour | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Over and under 6ft | 32" to 40" | HANS friendly |
| OMP Champ-R | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | Under 6ft | 32" to 36" | HANS friendly |
| Sparco Circuit II QRT | Side mount | FIA 8855-1999 | All heights | 32" to 40" | HANS friendly |
| Reclining sport seats | |||||
| Cobra Daytona | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm | 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 |
| Sparco R333 | Base mount, 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | Under 6ft | 32" to 36" | Not listed |
| Sparco R500 Fabric | Base mount, 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | All heights | 32" to 38" | Not listed |
| Corbeau Sportline RRS, pair | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | All heights | 32" to 38" | Not listed |
| Corbeau SVR Vinyl, pair | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | All heights | 32" to 38" | Not listed |
| Corbeau Sportline RRB, pair | Base mount, 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mm | Road and track | All heights | 32" to 38" | Not listed |
Common questions
Which fitting frame does a Mk2 Impreza need?
The Planted Technology SB019-4927 at £222.60 per seat. It is confirmed for the bug eye, blob eye and hawk eye cars, 2000 to 2007, and bolts to the factory floor mounting points. It is priced per seat, so two front seats means two orders.
Is there a side-mount subframe for this car?
Not one we could confirm in the current catalogue. Rather than recommend a subframe made for a different Subaru chassis, this guide runs the Planted base mount frame with universal side mounts bolted on top for FIA seats that need them. That is the standard workaround where no dedicated subframe exists.
I have seen the M2 GC8 subframe recommended for my Mk2. Does it fit?
No. That subframe is built for the GC8 chassis, 1992 to 2000, which has a different floor layout to the Mk2. It has been dropped from this guide for that reason. If you are not sure which Impreza generation you have, send us the registration.
Which seats go straight onto the Planted frame with no extra parts?
The Sparco Sprint at £252.00 and the Cobra Monaco Pro at £282.00 are both listed for base mount as well as side mount, so they fix directly to the frame. Every other FIA seat on this page needs a set of side mounts added.
Are the roll cages the same as the earlier GC8?
Five Safety Devices cages, from £507.60 to £1,328.40 are listed for both the GC8 and the GD8/GDB on one part number. Custom Cages, by contrast, make two cages confirmed specifically for the GDB rather than shared with the GC8, at £1,818.30 and £1,884.00. Check the specific listing before ordering, because not every cage that mentions this car actually fits it: two products titled “2nd Gen 4 door GC8” turned out, on reading their own description, to be built for the GC8 rather than this generation, and have been left off this page.
Which harness should I buy?
For FIA competition, the Schroth Profi 3×2 at £370 and the TRS Magnum 6 Point Superlite at £294.00 both meet 8853-2016, and the TRS Magnum 4 Point at £139 meets 8854-1998. All three carry a stamped expiry date. For a road or trackday car the Takata Drift II and III and the TRS Clubman belts are road and track rated and cost less, but none of those four are listed HANS compatible.
Can I use the standard rear seat belt mounts for the harness?
No. They are not rated for the loads a harness shoulder strap puts through them in an impact. You need a cage, a bolt-in harness bar, or a fabricated anchor point built for the job.
My car has side airbags. Does that change the seat fit?
It can affect which seat and bracket combination is confirmed for your trim, because the STI came with better-bolstered factory seats than the WRX from new. Tell us the specification when you order the frame and seat together and we will confirm the combination rather than assume it from the generation alone.
Which seat suits a wider or taller driver?
The Mirco RTS-2 Velour at £418.80 and the Sparco Circuit II QRT at £561.60 both cover 36in to 40in waist as well as 32in to 36in on the same listing, and the RTS-2 also covers over and under 6ft on one listing. Start with those two rather than working down from price if you are broader or taller than average.
Do I need a cage for a trackday car?
No, trackday regulations do not require one. A partial rear cage, like the Safety Devices Rear Roll Cage at £507.60 gives the shoulder straps a proper anchor without the full intrusion of a competition cage, and suits a car that does both road and track use.
More help
If your car turns out to be the earlier GC8 or the later GRB, those chassis have their own guides with the different frames made for them. If you want the fit on your Mk2 confirmed against a specific seat, or want a cage checked against your class regulations, the contact link is the quickest way to get it looked at.
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