The Cavalier Mk2 has a specific type of owner. It is usually someone who was around the car when it was cheap rather than collectable, and has held onto it through the point where the rest of the world caught up. The factory seats reflect their age: the bolsters have gone soft on any well-used example, the driver’s side backrest is often worn through, and the driving position perches you noticeably higher than anything from the past twenty years. A sport recliner on a direct-fit frame drops the seat height and brings the side support back, without losing the tilting backrest that makes a car this age practical.
The Mk2 also has a touring car background a fair number of owners keep in mind. Vauxhall ran the Cavalier hard in British circuit racing through this generation and the next, and a properly fitted seat with real lateral hold is in keeping with what the factory was doing at the time.
We stock a direct-fit frame for the Mk2 from both Cobra and Sparco. A frame is the vehicle-specific base that replaces the standard runners and bolts to the floor, setting your final seat height in the process. On a car of this age, check the condition of the floor metal under the carpet before ordering: a subframe transfers seat load into that metal, and it can only do its job if the metal is sound.
There is a separate Sparco frame for the Mk1, so order by generation rather than by model name. If you are not certain which generation yours is, send us the registration and we will confirm before anything ships.
£231.66 inc VAT per side. Bolts to the factory mounting points on the 291mm x 330mm base mount pattern. Tell us what seat you are fitting when you order. One frame per seat position.
£86.68 inc VAT per side. Steel, on the 345mm x 271mm base mount pattern. Listed separately for RHD driver and passenger. Takes Sparco, Corbeau and OMP base mount seats. Order twice for a pair.
Every reclining seat we sell bolts down through a base mount pattern, and on this car there are two that matter. Cobra recliners use 291mm x 330mm, which is what the Cobra subframe is built around. Sparco recliners use 345mm x 271mm, which is what the Sparco subframe takes. They do not line up with each other: a Sparco seat will not go onto a Cobra frame, and a Cobra seat will not go onto a Sparco frame. The Corbeau RRS Low Base is the exception, drilled for both 291mm and 345mm, which is why it appears in both columns below.
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Cobra subframe | Sparco subframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | Fits | No |
| Sparco R100 | 345 x 271 | No | Fits |
| Corbeau RRS Low Base | Both | Fits | Fits |
| Cobra Stuttgart | 291 x 330 | Fits | No |
| Sparco GT | 345 x 271 | No | Fits |
The Daytona is the seat we point most Cavalier owners at first. The bolsters at the shoulders and thighs are deep enough to hold you properly in a corner without pinching on a straight run, and the seat is built to order through Cobra’s Signature system. That means you can have it in plain vinyl, cloth, a two-tone combination, or something more period-fitting like the Tartan Edition, which pairs a tartan centre panel with black vinyl outers and comes ready to order without any bespoke speccing on your part. The deep bolsters suit slim to medium builds best. Because this seat goes on the Cobra subframe, the frame and the seat come from the same manufacturer, which keeps the fitment process straightforward.
The R100 is the recliner we sell more of than any other, and on a car this age it is usually the sensible starting point. It is a compact seat: the backrest reclines on a simple knob, the open flat base means no leg bolster to fight getting in and out, and the price leaves room in the budget for the frame and runners. Sparco list it as suitable for all waist sizes and for drivers both over and under six foot, which matches what we see across this range on the counter. The vinyl version is the easy-clean choice and holds up to regular use; it comes in black or with coloured accent panels if you want a bit of period character from the available editions.
The RRS Low Base is the seat to pick if you have not decided on the frame yet, or if you are over six foot and the headroom in an older saloon is already tight. It is drilled for both 291mm and 345mm, so it bolts onto either the Cobra or the Sparco subframe depending on which route you go with. The Low Base version sits you lower than the standard RRS, buying back the clearance taller drivers lose to the roofline on a car of this generation. The backrest is Corbeau’s classic sculpted shape. It comes in cloth, vinyl or leather, and it is available as a single or as a pair, with the pair listing (id 244485) priced for both driver and passenger.
The Stuttgart is the Cobra recliner to choose when you want a fabric option that suits the car’s era without placing a bespoke order. It is listed with Basketweave, Corduroy, Houndstooth, Tartan and plain Vinyl as standard catalogue options, so you can pick up a seat with period character off the shelf. On an 80s saloon, Houndstooth in particular looks right in a way that a modern all-black seat simply does not. The bolsters are similar in depth to the Daytona and the fitment follows the same 291mm Cobra route, so it pairs with the same subframe and runner kit. Cameron would pick this one for a Cavalier that still gets driven rather than stored.
The GT is a recliner that suits the character of this car. The styling is deliberately old-school: a simple backrest shape, cloth trim in a quiet palette, none of the aggressive bolster profile of a modern performance seat. Sparco publish a fit range of 32 to 36 inch waist and under six foot, which is narrower than the other four seats on this page, so it is not the right choice for taller or broader drivers. If you fall within that range though, it fits this car in the same way period rally seats fit period cars: the shape is appropriate rather than retrofitted. It goes on the Sparco subframe. The Houndstooth Edition (233145) is worth a look alongside it if the standard cloth finish feels too plain.
Both frames bolt to the Cavalier Mk2’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 sits the buckle somewhere new compared to the standard position. Between seat and frame go the sliding runners, and they follow the same pattern logic as the frames above.
One ordering note on the frames: the Sparco subframe is listed per side, RHD driver and passenger listed separately, so a pair of seats means two frames in the basket. Cobra ask you to note the seat model when you order the subframe, so they can confirm fitment before shipping.
| Your seat | Runners to order | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Cobra Daytona or Stuttgart | Cobra Premium Sliding Runners, £84.00 per seat | Cobra subframe |
| Sparco R100 or GT | Sparco Seat Sliding Runner Kit, £41.94 per seat | Sparco subframe |
| Corbeau RRS Low Base on Cobra frame | Corbeau Seat Sliding Runners (291mm option), £58.80 per seat | Cobra subframe |
| Corbeau RRS Low Base on Sparco frame | Corbeau Seat Sliding Runners (345mm option), £58.80 per seat | Sparco subframe |
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Waist | Height | Weight | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | From £599.00 |
| Sparco R100 | 345 x 271 | All sizes | Over and under 6ft | Not published | From £282.00 |
| Corbeau RRS Low Base | Both | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | From £498.00 |
| Cobra Stuttgart | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | From £619.00 |
| Sparco GT | 345 x 271 | 32 to 36in | Under 6ft | Not published | From £505.90 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 25 August 2026. No manufacturer publishes a weight figure for any of these seats and we will not guess one. Waist and height figures are the manufacturers’ published fitment ranges; if you are on a boundary, ask us before ordering.
Not on a standard floor. Both frames bolt to the factory seat mounting points. Before ordering either frame, lift the carpet and check the floor metal is sound: on a car of this age, a subframe can only do its job if the metal it bolts into is solid.
No. Cobra recliners are drilled at 291mm x 330mm and Sparco recliners at 345mm x 271mm, and the two patterns do not line up. The Corbeau RRS Low Base is the exception, drilled for both. If you want to keep your brand options open, start with the Corbeau or ask us which frame makes most sense for the seat you have in mind.
Every seat in this guide is listed by its manufacturer as 4 point compatible, with belt slots in the backrest. If you are planning a harness installation, tell us when you order and we will make sure the whole setup works together.
The Sparco subframe is specific to the Mk2; there is a separate listing for the Mk1. If you are not certain which generation your car is, send us the registration and we will confirm before anything ships. The Mk1 was rear-wheel drive, the Mk2 front-wheel drive, so the chassis is quite different underneath.
If the car sees more track time than road miles, yes: a fixed back saves weight and holds you harder through a corner. A recliner wins when the car still does everyday driving or carries a passenger who needs to adjust the seat. If you want to compare both routes properly before spending anything, call us on 0115 9893488 and we can talk through what fits this car in either setup.
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 and the Sparco runner kit is inexpensive enough to leave room for a second seat. The Daytona on the Cobra frame if the car does track evenings and you want it to feel set up properly rather than just fitted. The Stuttgart over the Daytona if you want the Cobra route but with a period fabric in the catalogue already, because Houndstooth on an 80s Vauxhall looks right. And the Corbeau RRS Low Base if you have not settled on the frame yet, or if headroom is at a premium, because it keeps both routes open and you can sort the frame decision afterwards.
Every combination above bolts straight to the factory mounting points. If you are between sizes, or between two of these seats, call us on 0115 9893488 and we will talk it through before you spend anything.
The five reclining sport seats we rate for the SEAT Toledo Mk3, with the Cobra direct-fit subframe that bolts each one straight to the factory floor mounting points.
The five reclining sport seats we rate for the SEAT Toledo Mk2, with the Cobra subframe route that bolts each one straight to the PQ34 floor’s factory mounting points.
The five reclining sport seats we rate for the Seat Toledo Mk1, with the Cobra and Sparco frame routes that bolt each one straight to the factory mounting points.
All ten Corbeau Tartan FIA shells and the four Lotus ones, with the dimensions off the Corbeau drawings, what Standard and XL actually change, and the M10 side mounts that hold them in.
The five reclining sport seats we rate for the BMW 3 Series [E30], with the Planted Technology bracket and Sparco or Recaro runner routes that bolt each one straight to the factory floor mounting points.
All eight Corbeau Tartan reclining sport seats, with the dimensions off the Corbeau drawings, why every price is a pair, and which one suits which car.
