Volkswagen sells the California as a van for people who want their home with them, and that is exactly how owners use it: long runs down to the ferry port, a week in the Lakes, a weekend on the coast with the bikes on the back. The factory seats are fine for the first hour. By the fourth, with a stiff lower back and a flattened cushion, most owners start looking at what else will fit.
There is one direct-fit frame we sell for the California and it is made by Cobra. It bolts to the original floor points, and the sliding runner comes with the frame at no extra cost, which makes it a more complete package than most frames we stock. Every seat below goes onto it, so the choice comes down to what you want to sit in for a full day.
We stock one direct-fit subframe for the California, made by Cobra. It bolts straight to the original seat mounting points. The runner is included at no extra cost, which is different from Sparco, Planted, OMP and Corbeau frames where you order the runner separately and add it to the basket. In a van you sit in for hours at a time, a mismatched front row soon bothers you, so most people buy the pair in one order and fit both sides at once.
The frame is sold in three listings: driver’s side, passenger’s side, and the pair. Part number SU-VW-California. Cameron’s note on the California specifically: camper cabs vary with the year and the conversion, so before ordering, drop us an email or click to open a chat with the year and what the van has in the front now, and we’ll confirm the fit.
Part SU-VW-California. £109 inc VAT a side (driver or passenger), £217.99 inc VAT for the pair. Sliding runner included. Bolts to the factory floor points, no drilling required.
The Cobra California subframe runs a 291mm x 330mm runner pattern. The two Cobra seats in this guide are built for that pattern and bolt to the frame directly. The three Corbeau seats are drilled for both 291mm and 345mm, which means they go onto the Cobra frame through their 291mm holes without any modification. No separate runner is needed for any seat in this guide: the Cobra frame already includes it.
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Cobra subframe |
|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR | 291 or 345 | Fits |
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | Fits |
| Corbeau RRS Low Base | 291 or 345 | Fits |
| Corbeau SVR heated pair | 291 or 345 | Fits |
| Cobra Misano Anniversary | 291 x 330 | Fits |
The PSR is sold as a pair, priced as one order. That suits the California well. A mismatched front row is more obvious in a van cab than in a car because the seats sit side by side and you see both every time you climb in. The PSR is cloth trim on a steel frame, and it is the cheapest pair of Corbeau recliners we sell. Cloth is kind in a van: it does not go cold on a frosty morning or sticky on a hot afternoon the way vinyl can, and the recline lets the passenger drop back for a rest on the long run south.
Corbeau list it for all heights and waist sizes from 32 to 38 inches. The most common observation in our showroom is that it does everything the average California owner needs at a price that leaves room in the budget for the frame and the fitting.
The Daytona is 580mm across the seat, and in a van that width pays for itself. You are sitting in it for hours, often in a thick coat, and a seat that does not pinch across the hips is a seat you stop thinking about. It is Cobra’s most popular recliner, which is partly down to the width and partly down to the price: at £599 it is the entry point into the Cobra reclining range.
It is made up in whichever trim suits the van. Standard is spacer fabric, but vinyl is worth considering in a vehicle that carries wetsuits and muddy boots when the family heads to the coast. The option worth ticking in a camper is the fitted seat heater and lumbar support, which adds £249 a seat and earns it on a cold morning at a campsite and at hour five of a long drive.
The RRS Limited Edition on the low base is the one I steer taller California drivers towards. A van cab puts the seat position higher than a car does, and the Low Base version recovers the headroom that position costs you. The bolsters are deeper than the PSR’s, which on a long day means your back and hips are held rather than sliding about, and the vinyl wipes clean after a muddy weekend.
It is sold as a single seat, which suits the driver who wants to upgrade the driver’s side first and decide on the passenger side later once they have spent some time in the seat. It can be ordered heated, with inflatable lumbar support, or with both. Corbeau list it for 32 to 38 inch waists and all heights, and it is drilled for both bolt patterns.
Anyone who has woken up in a California at a campsite in March knows the cab is the coldest place in the van. The heated SVR pair is the answer to that. The heating element is built into the seat rather than added afterwards. It needs its own wiring loom and switch, which are separate from the seats, so plan the electrical side at the same time as the fitting rather than after.
The SVR is the most sculpted of Corbeau’s Sportline shells through the sides, so on a long run your back and hips are supported rather than slumped into a flat cushion. This pair has integrated headrests, reclines, and is drilled for both bolt patterns, so it goes onto the Cobra California frame through its 291mm holes. If you would rather go without the heating, the plain vinyl SVR pair is the same shell for less.
The Misano Anniversary is the seat Cobra made to mark thirty years of the brand. Diamond quilted leather to the centre panels, a carbon fibre backrest, and at 11.5 kg it is lighter than the Daytona despite being wider, at 590mm across the seat. That extra width is welcome on a long day in the cab.
It is made up in any leather combination with matching or contrasting stitching, so it can be matched to the rest of the interior, and the fitted seat heater and lumbar support is available on it too. For a T6.1 California that cost upward of £50,000 to buy new, this is the seat the van earns. A pair at around £3,300 sounds like a lot until you set it against what the conversion around it cost.
Every seat in this guide uses the Cobra California direct-fit subframe (149799). The sliding runner is included in the frame price, so there is no separate runner product to add to the basket. The driver’s side and passenger’s side frames are listed individually; the pair listing covers both and is the more straightforward way to order.
The frame bolts to the California’s original floor mounting points. Torque the floor bolts to the vehicle specification and check seat belt buckle clearance before driving, since a sport seat changes where the buckle sits relative to the door card. If the cab floor has been modified as part of a conversion, drop us an email or click to open a chat before ordering.
| Your seat | Runner needed | Frame to order |
|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR | Included with the Cobra frame | Part 149799 |
| Cobra Daytona | Included with the Cobra frame | Part 149799 |
| Corbeau RRS Low Base | Included with the Cobra frame | Part 149799 |
| Corbeau SVR heated pair | Included with the Cobra frame | Part 149799 |
| Cobra Misano Anniversary | Included with the Cobra frame | Part 149799 |
If you are going for the heated SVR pair, the wiring loom and switch are separate from the seats. It is worth running that wiring while the old seats are out, rather than taking the new ones back out to do it later.
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Waist | Height | Weight | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR | 291 or 345 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £558 the pair |
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | 13.5 kg | £599 each |
| Corbeau RRS Low Base | 291 or 345 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £600 each |
| Corbeau SVR heated pair | 291 or 345 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £1,248 the pair |
| Cobra Misano Anniversary | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | 11.5 kg | £1,649 each |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 30 September 2026. Where a weight is shown as not published, the manufacturer does not list one and we will not estimate it. Waist and height ranges are the manufacturers’ stated fitment figures; if you are on a boundary, drop us an email or click to open a chat before ordering.
Any seat with a 291mm x 330mm bolt pattern fits the Cobra California frame directly. Corbeau seats drilled for both patterns (291mm and 345mm) also fit, using their 291mm holes. Every seat in this guide is confirmed to work with the Cobra California subframe.
Yes. Unlike most frames we stock, the Cobra California direct-fit subframe includes the sliding runner at no extra cost. You do not need to order a separate runner for any seat in this guide.
Yes. The Cobra frames are listed per side, and so are the Daytona, the RRS Low Base and the Misano Anniversary. Start with the driver's position if that is what you want, and add the passenger side later. The exceptions are the Corbeau PSR and the SVR heated pair, which are sold as pairs.
The Corbeau SVR pair in this guide has heating built in, with the wiring loom and switch sold separately. The Cobra Daytona and the Misano Anniversary can be ordered with a fitted seat heater and lumbar support, and the Corbeau RRS Low Base can be ordered heated, with lumbar support, or with both.
Camper cabs vary with the year and the conversion, so drop us an email or click to open a chat with the year and what the van currently has in the front, and we will confirm the fit before anything ships. The frame replaces the standard seat runners and picks up the existing floor points, so there is no drilling on an unaltered floor. The part number to reference is SU-VW-California.
If someone walks in and says California, my first question is how far they drive in a day and whether they are over six foot. Under six foot and doing long runs, the Corbeau PSR is where I start: it is the pair at the right price, the cloth is comfortable in any weather, and it bolts straight to the Cobra frame. A taller driver gets the RRS Low Base on the driver’s side for the headroom before they commit to the passenger seat as well.
If the van gets used through the winter, and most Californias do, the heated SVR pair is the one I would put in my own. Cold mornings at a campsite are where heated seats earn their money, and the SVR shell keeps you supported on a long day. For someone who has sat in a Daytona and liked it, or who wants a seat made up in their own trim from day one, the Daytona is the straightforward answer. And for the California that has been fitted out properly on the inside and deserves a seat to match, the Misano Anniversary is the obvious choice.
Give us a call on 0115 9893488. Cameron will work out the exact combination for your cab and confirm the fit before you spend anything.
The five reclining sport seats we rate for comfort in the VW California, from a cloth Corbeau pair to heated SVRs, with the Cobra direct-fit subframe (runner included) that bolts each one to the factory floor mounting points.
A 595 owner asked how to fit the Mirco RTS-2 Abarth Edition, the seat Mirco built for his exact car. Our four mounting routes: the OMP base plate motorsport setup fixed or sliding, the Planted frame for the lowest position, and the Sparco frame to sit slightly higher.
Which sports seats bolt onto an office base and which do not. The 345mm ceiling on our adaption plates, the brand kits for Cobra, Corbeau, OMP and Auto Style, the universal bars for everything else, and why we will not convert an OEM car seat.
The five reclining sport seats we rate for the Vauxhall Astra (Kadett) Mk3, with the Cobra and Sparco subframe routes and the runner guide that bolts each one to the factory mounting points.
A fibreglass shell has one fixed lumbar curve and no dial to change it. An inflatable pad behind the velcro backrest cushion gives you an adjustable one for about thirty pounds, and the same trick works on most fibreglass seats.
The five reclining sport seats we rate for the Porsche 996, with the Cobra, OMP and Planted Technology frame routes that bolt each one straight to the factory mounting points.
