The Corrado is a car people pick deliberately. It sat alongside the Golf for seven years and sold a fraction of the numbers, which means most owners chose it over something more obvious. By now that usually means a long-term keeper or a car someone hunted out, and in either case the seats are among the first things that get upgraded.
The cabin is compact. The roofline drops behind the rear seats in a way that makes the front feel more cockpit-like than the Golf it shared a platform with, and that actually suits a sport seat well. A reclining seat drops your hip point, opens up headroom, and keeps the backrest you need for daily use. With one of the four frame routes we stock for the Corrado, the whole thing bolts straight to the factory floor points.
The Corrado has more direct-fit frame options than most 90s cars. That is partly because it stayed in production long enough for the frame suppliers to take it seriously, and partly because Corrado owners have always been the kind of people who do this work. You have four brands to choose from. The Sparco and Corbeau options split by year range, so the right product depends on when your car was built.
Part SU-VW-CO, £205.00 inc VAT. Covers all years 1988 to 1995 in one listing. Takes Cobra recliners at the 291mm pattern, plus Corbeau recliners which are drilled for both patterns.
Part 00499071 (1990-1991) at £86.68 inc VAT per side, or 00499073 (1991-1995) at £87.00 inc VAT per side. Universally handed. Takes Sparco and Corbeau recliners. A pair means two in the basket.
Part SB172, £222.60 inc VAT per side, covering the full 1988 to 1995 run. A flat base that takes any seat in this guide with the right runners. A pair means two in the basket.
Part 14307 (1990 to May 1991) or 14681 (June 1991 to September 1995), £294.00 inc VAT each. Corbeau's own direct-fit frame, made for Corbeau recliners. If you are already set on the RRS, this is the direct route.
Every reclining seat bolts down through a base mount pattern, and there are two that matter here. Cobra recliners use 291mm x 330mm. Sparco recliners use 345mm x 271mm. The two do not line up, so a Cobra seat will not go onto a Sparco subframe or the other way round. Corbeau is the exception: the RRS is drilled for both patterns, which is why it appears in every column below. The Planted bracket sidesteps the whole question by taking any of them with matching runners.
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Cobra subframe | Sparco subframe | Planted bracket | Corbeau subframe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparco R100 | 345 x 271 | No | Fits | Fits | No |
| Sparco GT | 345 x 271 | No | Fits | Fits | No |
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | Fits | No | Fits | No |
| Corbeau RRS | Both | Fits | Fits | Fits | Fits |
| Cobra Misano | 291 x 330 | Fits | No | Fits | No |
The R100 is the recliner Sparco made to be liveable. The base is flat and open, which means getting in and out of the Corrado’s reasonably narrow door aperture is not a daily annoyance, and the recline knob clears the door card. Sparco list it as fitting all waist sizes and both over and under six foot, which matches what we see in the shop: most people are the right shape for it. It is the cheapest way into this guide and the most popular reclining seat we stock. For a Corrado that does the commute and the occasional quick road, it is difficult to argue with on value.
The GT is the Sparco recliner that looks like it belongs in a 90s cabin, which is not a coincidence. The ribbed centre panel, the shaped backrest, the overall feel reads as period-correct in a way that most modern sport seats do not manage. If your Corrado’s interior is still close to original, the GT fits without a fight. There is a Houndstooth edition that pairs well with early VW check fabric if that is the direction you are going, and the standard GT comes in plain black that works in anything. One constraint to know about upfront: the GT fits 32 to 36 inch waists and drivers under six foot. Cameron works out the pairing in the shop when there is any doubt about fit.
The Daytona is Cobra’s everyday recliner for people who take the same car to both work and track days. The shoulder and thigh bolsters are proper: they hold you in corners where the Sparco’s open base does not, and that is the trade you make. More grip in the seat, slightly more deliberate getting in and out. It is built to order through Cobra’s Signature range, so you can spec it in your trim. Black vinyl with a different centre, contrast stitching, heating, lumbar: ask when you order and it is built that way. The Tartan Edition is the shortcut if you want the bespoke look without going through the Signature process. At 580mm wide it is worth checking clearance in the Corrado’s cabin before speccing the widest trim option.
The RRS is the practical choice and, in a Corrado, probably the visual one too. Corbeau’s classic sculpted backrest has the kind of period feel the car deserves, and because it is drilled for both the 291mm and 345mm patterns, it goes onto any frame route in this guide, including Corbeau’s own direct-fit frame. If you already have frames fitted or are buying them alongside the seat, that flexibility matters. They come as a pair by default, which suits the way most Corrado owners buy: both sides of the car done in one order. Taller drivers should ask about the Low Base version, which buys back useful headroom under the fastback roofline.
If there is one seat nobody needs persuading about after sitting in it, it is the Misano. Cobra’s flagship recliner, lighter than the Daytona at 11.5kg despite the bigger cushioning in both the base and backrest. The Lux and Anniversary builds both go through the same Signature order system as the Daytona, so the trim options are identical. At £1,549.00 it is not the most efficient spend in this guide, but it is also not a seat you need to justify to anyone who has spent five minutes in one.
All four frame routes bolt to the Corrado’s factory seat mounting points. No drilling required on a standard floor. Torque the floor bolts properly and check seat belt buckle clearance before you drive, because a sport seat often repositions the buckle. Between seat and frame go the sliding runners, and they follow the same pattern logic as the frames.
One note on Planted: the product description flags that US-specification Corrados cannot retain the central retractable seat belt mechanism with the Planted bracket fitted. UK RHD cars are not affected, but worth knowing if you are buying a car from abroad. On the Sparco and Planted frames, a pair means two listings in the basket.
| Your seat | Runners to order | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Sparco R100 or GT | Sparco sliding runner kit, £41.94 a seat | Sparco subframe or Planted bracket |
| Cobra Daytona or Misano | Cobra Premium runners, from £84.00 a seat | Cobra subframe or Planted bracket |
| Corbeau RRS | Corbeau sliding runners, £58.80 a seat (Retro/Sportline handle width) | Any of the four frame routes |
On Corbeau runners: the millimetre figure in their listing is the handle width, not a bolt pattern. Pick by handle. Retro/Sportline is the correct option for the RRS.
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Waist | Height | Weight | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparco R100 | 345 x 271 | All sizes | Over and under 6ft | Not published | From £282.00 |
| Sparco GT | 345 x 271 | 32 to 36in | Under 6ft | Not published | From £505.90 |
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | 13.5kg | From £599.00 |
| Corbeau RRS | Both | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £984.00 a pair |
| Cobra Misano | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | 11.5kg | From £1,549.00 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 8 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.
Not on a standard floor. All four frame routes 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.
The Cobra subframe covers all years from 1988 to 1995 in one listing. The Sparco frames split: 1990 to 1991 in one product, 1991 to 1995 in another. The Corbeau frames split at May 1991: one product to May 1991, the next from June 1991 to September 1995. The Planted bracket covers 1988 to 1995 and takes any seat. If your car is a 1988 or 1989 build, you are on the Cobra or Planted route only.
No. Cobra recliners are drilled at 291mm x 330mm and Sparco recliners at 345mm x 271mm, and the two do not line up. The Corbeau RRS is the exception, drilled for both. If you want to keep all frame options open, the Planted bracket is the answer.
Both are priced per seat position. A pair of seats means two frames in the basket. The Cobra frame is listed as a single purchase. The Corbeau frames are also listed per side. If you are not sure what you need, get in touch before ordering.
If the car does regular track days and you never need a reclining backrest, a fixed bucket saves weight and holds you harder. The consideration on a Corrado is the roofline: a low-slung fixed bucket can bring you closer to the headlining than standard, so it is worth checking your clearance before committing. A reclining seat lets you set the backrest angle and tends to work within those constraints without adjustment. If you want to look at both options, talk to us with your height first.
Tight budget on a road car: the R100 on the Sparco frame. It is the least you need to spend to get a proper sport seat in the Corrado and it does not fight the car’s character. Classic look: the GT on the Sparco frame, if you fit the 32 to 36 inch waist range and are under six foot. The Houndstooth edition in particular looks right in an early 90s VW interior. Both sides done in one order: the Corbeau RRS, because it fits every frame route we stock and comes as a pair by default. Regular track evenings: the Cobra Daytona on the Cobra subframe, properly spec’d. And if you want the best seat in this guide without a conversation about whether it was worth the money: it is the Misano, and nobody who has sat in one has ever disputed it.
All five seats above use frames that bolt directly to the Corrado’s factory floor points. If you are between two seats, or between frame routes, send us your height and waist measurement and we will tell you which combination makes sense before you spend anything.
Message or ring us on 0115 647 8650 with the car and your shortlist, and we will check the seat, the frame and the runners line up as one order before any money moves. Five minutes of checking saves a mismatched delivery.
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Not sure what fits, which approval you need, or what to choose next? Ask Garreth and Cameron. You’ll get a practical answer from people who handle the kit every day.
