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Top 5 reclining seat choices for your Porsche 968, including our fitting guide

Most 968s left in decent condition spent the 2000s and 2010s as the car nobody wanted, cheaper than a contemporary 911 and overshadowed by the model it replaced in Porsche’s own range. That is changing fast, and the ones coming back onto the road are mostly staying in daily or track use rather than going straight into a collection. Porsche built the 968 as the final and most sorted version of the transaxle format, a stiffer body and a bigger four-cylinder than its predecessor ever had, with the same near even weight split front to rear. None of that shows up in the seat. A standard 968 seat was built for 1992 motorway comfort, not for the grip the chassis can actually find on a circuit.

We see two kinds of owner on this car. One is bringing it back to how it left the factory and wants a seat that still reads as period-correct against that dash. The other has started doing track days in a car built decades before track days were the point, and the standard seat is the first thing letting them down mid-corner. Both end up ordering the same part first: a fitting frame built for this chassis.

  • Three frame routes in stock for the 968: Sparco, Planted Technology and a genuine Recaro direct fit subframe
  • Sparco frames take 345mm pattern seats, the Recaro subframe takes its own 405mm seats direct, Planted takes any pattern with a matching runner
  • Every seat in this guide is listed as 4 point harness compatible
  • All three routes bolt to the factory mounting points, no drilling on a standard floor
Red Porsche 968 coupe cornering on a British race circuit
The 968. The frame you pick decides which of the five seats below can go in it.

The three frame routes into a Porsche 968

We stock a fitting frame for the 968 from three different brands, more than we carry for most cars this age, and between them they cover every seat in this guide. A frame is the vehicle-specific base that bolts to the floor in place of the standard runners, and it sets your final seat height. Which frame you buy decides which seats you can run, so this choice comes first.

345

Sparco subframe

Part 00499112-1724, £87.00 inc VAT a side. Handed and sold individually, so tell us which side you need. Pairs with 345mm runners and takes the R100, the GT and the Corbeau Sportsman.

ANY

Planted bracket

Part SB052, £222.60 inc VAT a side, RHD driver and passenger. Listed under a shared multi-generation Porsche bracket rather than a 968-only part, and it takes any seat in this guide paired with the right runner.

405

Recaro subframe

Part 86.26.16-968, £403.20 inc VAT a seat position. The 968 shares its floor with the 911, which is why Recaro's own 911 subframe fits it directly rather than needing a bracket.

The number that decides it

Every reclining seat we sell bolts down through a base mount pattern, and on this car there are three that matter. Sparco recliners use 345mm x 271mm, which is what the Sparco subframe is built around. The Recaro Sportster CS uses a wider 405mm x 290mm pattern of its own, matched by the direct fit Recaro subframe. Cobra recliners use yet another pattern again, 291mm x 330mm, and we do not currently list a Cobra subframe for the 968, so that seat only goes on with the Planted bracket. The Corbeau Sportsman is drilled for both 291mm and 345mm, which is why it bolts straight to the Sparco subframe as well as the Planted bracket.

SeatBolt patternSparco subframePlanted bracketRecaro subframe
Sparco R100345 x 271FitsFitsNo
Sparco GT345 x 271FitsFitsNo
Corbeau Sportsman291 or 345FitsFitsNo
Recaro Sportster CS405 x 290NoFitsFits
Cobra Daytona291 x 330NoFitsNo
Pick the seat firstThen buy the frame route that matches its pattern. The Corbeau Sportsman keeps both the Sparco and Planted routes open. The Recaro subframe only earns its place over the Planted bracket if you are already set on the Sportster CS. My job at GSM is working out exactly this combination for a given car and driver, so if you are stuck between two, ask.

Sparco R100: the everyday value pick

The R100 is the seat we sell more of than any other, and on a 968 that has never had a seat upgrade it is usually where people start. It is compact, the recline knob clears the door card in a coupe this narrow, and the flat open base keeps the footwell easy to get in and out of. Sparco list it as suitable for all waist sizes and for drivers both over and under six foot, which is an unusually wide fit for a base mount recliner at this price, and it leaves more of the budget for the frame.

  • From £282.00 inc VAT, the cheapest way into this guide
  • All waist sizes, drivers over and under six foot
  • Cloth trim, also available in vinyl
  • Harness slots, listed 4 point compatible
  • 345mm x 271mm pattern: Sparco subframe or Planted bracket
  • From £235.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
  • From £235.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Sparco GT: the seat that matches the era

  • £568.42 Excl. VAT Add to basket
  • £468.42 Excl. VAT£421.58 Excl. VAT Add to basket

The GT is the seat to reach for if you want the cabin to look like it still belongs to 1992 rather than a modern fast road build. It sits narrower through the shoulders than the R100, and Sparco has kept the shape close to what it was building when the 968 was new, which suits a restoration as much as it suits a track car kept period-correct. It comes in standard cloth or the Houndstooth Edition, a trim Sparco has run since the seventies and one that still turns up on cars built to that brief. The fit is tighter than the rest of this guide, so check your own waist against the range before ordering. The R100 next to it covers the wider sizes if the GT does not suit.

  • From £505.89 inc VAT, or £682.10 in the Houndstooth Edition
  • 32 to 36 inch waist, under six foot only
  • Cloth or Houndstooth trim
  • Harness slots, listed 4 point compatible
  • 345mm x 271mm pattern: Sparco subframe or Planted bracket

Corbeau Sportsman: built for a car this age

We only put the Sportsman in a guide for a genuine classic or vintage car, and the 968 qualifies outright. Production ended in 1995, the last examples are over thirty years old now, and the car has been out of production for longer than most of its owners have had a licence, squarely inside the window we use that rule for. The backrest is a plainer, flatter shape than Corbeau’s newer recliners, closer to what a performance coupe of this generation would have shipped with, and it is drilled for both 291mm and 345mm. That dual pattern means it bolts straight to the Sparco subframe as easily as the Planted bracket, so it is also the one seat in this guide that keeps every low-cost route open if you have not settled on a frame yet. It comes in cloth, leather or vinyl, with a choice of piping colour if you want to lift the standard black.

  • £468.00 inc VAT
  • 32 to 38 inch waists, all heights
  • Cloth, leather or vinyl trim, five piping colours
  • Listed 4 point compatible
  • Drilled for both patterns: fits the Sparco subframe and the Planted bracket
  • From £390.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Recaro Sportster CS: the one with a frame built for it

  • From £1,795.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
  • From £1,317.75 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

This is the one seat in the guide with a subframe built to its own exact pattern rather than borrowed from a bracket, because Recaro already builds one for the 911 and it fits the 968’s identical floor. The Sportster CS holds you through the shoulders and thighs without the aggressive squeeze of a full bucket, so it stays comfortable on the drive to the circuit as well as on it, and Recaro list it as suitable for all waist sizes and all heights, which is rare for a seat with this much support. The heated version is worth the extra if the 968 is doing more than fair weather duty. On this car it can go straight onto the Recaro subframe, or onto the Planted bracket with a Recaro-compatible runner if you would rather keep the Planted route free for a future seat change.

  • From £1,581.30 inc VAT, £2,154.60 with heating
  • All waist sizes, all heights
  • Leather and suede trim, heated option available
  • Harness slots, listed 4 point compatible
  • 405mm x 290mm pattern: Recaro subframe direct, or Planted bracket with a Recaro-compatible runner

Cobra Daytona: the support pick

The Daytona is the seat I point people at once a 968 starts doing more track days than road miles. The bolsters at the shoulders and thighs sit deeper than anything Sparco or Recaro make in this guide, so your body stays put mid-corner and your arms are free to do the steering. It is built to order through Cobra’s Signature range: spacer fabric, vinyl or leather, contrast stitching, heating or lumbar if you want them. We do not currently list a Cobra subframe for the 968, so this one only goes on with the Planted bracket.

  • £599.00 inc VAT, built to order in your trim
  • 32 to 38 inch waists, all heights, 13.5kg
  • Signature trim options, plus optional heating and lumbar
  • Harness slots, listed 4 point compatible
  • 291mm x 330mm pattern: Planted bracket only on this car
  • From £499.17 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Getting it bolted down

All three frames bolt to the 968’s factory seat mounting points, so there is no drilling on a standard floor. Torque the floor bolts properly and check seat belt buckle clearance before you drive, because a sport seat often sits the buckle somewhere new. Between seat and frame go the sliding runners, and they follow the same pattern logic as the frames. Both the Sparco subframe and the Planted bracket are listed per side, so a pair of seats means adding the frame to the basket twice.

Your seatRunners to orderWorks on
Sparco R100 or GTSparco sliding runner kit, £78.00 a pairSparco subframe or Planted bracket
Corbeau SportsmanCorbeau 345mm sliding runners, £117.60 a pairSparco subframe or Planted bracket
Recaro Sportster CSRecaro double locking runners, £365.40 a pair on the Recaro subframe, or the Endurance Recaro-compatible kit, £95.04 a seat, on the Planted bracketRecaro subframe or Planted bracket
Cobra DaytonaCobra Premium runners, £84.00 a seat, 291mm handle optionPlanted bracket only

The 968 was built from 1991 to 1995, in coupe, cabriolet and Club Sport form, replacing its predecessor without much change to the floor pan underneath. The frames in this guide are listed for the model generally, so if you are on the Club Sport with its lighter interior, tell us the exact spec when you order and we will confirm fitment before it ships.

  • £79.20 Excl. VAT Add to basket
  • £304.50 Excl. VAT Add to basket
  • £98.00 Excl. VAT Add to basket
  • £65.00 Excl. VAT Add to basket
  • From £70.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
  • From £185.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
  • £336.00 Excl. VAT Select options
  • From £72.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

The five compared

SeatBolt patternWaistHeightWeightPrice inc VAT
Sparco R100345 x 271All sizesOver and under 6ftNot publishedFrom £282.00
Sparco GT345 x 27132 to 36inUnder 6ftNot publishedFrom £505.89
Corbeau Sportsman291 or 34532 to 38inAll heightsNot published£468.00
Recaro Sportster CS405 x 290All sizesAll heightsNot publishedFrom £1,581.30
Cobra Daytona291 x 33032 to 38inAll heights13.5kgFrom £599.00

Prices include VAT and were correct on 15 August 2026. Where a weight says not published, the manufacturer does not give one and we will not guess it. Waist and height figures are the manufacturers’ published fitment ranges; if you are on a boundary, ask us before ordering.

Common questions

Do I need to drill the floor of my 968?

Not on a standard floor. All three frames bolt to the factory seat mounting points. Torque the floor bolts properly and check the seat belt buckle clearance before you drive, because a sport seat often sits the buckle somewhere new.

Can I put any seat on any of the three frames?

No. Sparco recliners are drilled at 345mm x 271mm, the Recaro Sportster CS at 405mm x 290mm, and the Cobra Daytona at 291mm x 330mm, and none of those line up with each other. The Corbeau Sportsman is the exception, drilled for both 291mm and 345mm. If you want the Sportster CS on its own subframe or the Daytona, go straight for the matching route.

Will these seats take a 4 point harness?

Every seat in this guide is listed by its manufacturer as 4 point compatible, with belt slots in the backrest. If you are planning harnesses, tell us when you order and we will make sure the whole setup works together.

Why are the frames priced per side or per seat?

The Sparco subframe and the Planted bracket are both listed per seat position, with RHD driver and passenger side options, so a pair of seats means two of either in the basket. The Recaro subframe works the same way. If anything on a listing is unclear, ask before ordering.

How do I know which 968 I have?

The 968 was built from 1991 to 1995, in coupe, cabriolet and Club Sport form. The frames in this guide are listed for the model generally, so if you are on the Club Sport with its lighter interior, tell us the exact spec when you order and we will confirm fitment before it ships.

What I would actually buy

If it were my money: the R100 on the Sparco frame for a road car on a budget, because it does most of the job for the least outlay. The Sportsman if you are keeping the car close to how it left the factory, since the shape suits the era and it keeps both the Sparco and Planted routes open. The Sportster CS if you want the best all-round support seat in the lineup, and this is the one car in the whole series where it gets a frame built exactly for it rather than a bracket and a runner kit. The GT if you want a seat that looks like it was always meant to be there, provided your waist sits inside its range. And the Daytona once track days start outweighing road miles and you want the bolstering to match.

Every combination above uses parts that bolt straight to the 968’s factory mounting points. If you are between two of these seats, or between sizes, get in touch with your height and waist measurement and we will talk it through before you spend anything.

Got a question about the equipment we sell?

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