Hundreds Of Products Ready Today. Dispatch/Collection The tallest bucket seats for a tall racing driver
A tall driver runs out of seat at the shoulders. You sit in something that looked enormous on the shelf, and the harness slots come out below your shoulder line, the head is above the shell, and the whole thing feels like it belongs to somebody else. Length in the legs is rarely the problem. Height in the back is.
These are the shells we sell that are genuinely built for it, split into the FIA race seats and the two I would put in a road car. Every height and waist figure below comes off the product itself, and where we do not publish one, the page says so rather than guessing.
- Six FIA race shells rated for drivers over 6ft
- One seat rated to a 40 to 42 inch waist
- A road option with a longer backrest and higher harness slots
- All fibreglass shells, all sold as single seats
What actually makes a seat fit a tall driver
Three things decide it, and only one of them is the number on the box.
Shell height above the shoulders
A tall driver runs out of seat at the shoulders first. If the harness slots sit below your shoulder line the belts pull down on you, and no amount of adjustment further back fixes it.
Hip and waist width
The second thing that stops a tall driver fitting is the width between the leg bolsters. XL shells are wider through the hips as well as taller, which is why they are a different mould rather than the same seat with more padding.
Where the seat can sit
Height in the shell counts for nothing if the seat cannot go back far enough. That is the bracket and runner job, and it is worth sorting before you choose a shell.
The specs that matter, side by side
Every figure here is read off the product, not estimated. Where a value is not published we say so rather than filling the gap.
| Seat | Driver height | Waist | Shell | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race seats | ||||
| Sparco Evo XL QRT | Not published | Not published | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP WRC-R Fibreglass XL | Over 6ft | 36" - 40" and 40" - 42" | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sabelt Titan X-Large | Over 6ft | 36" - 40" | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sabelt GT-160 Taurus XL | Over 6ft | 36" - 38" | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Sebring T Pro-Fit GT | Over 6ft | 32" - 36" | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Recaro Pro Racer SPG HANS XL | Over 6ft | 36" - 40" | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Road seats | ||||
| Sabelt GT3 | All heights suitable | 32" - 36" | Fibreglass | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Nogaro, all trims | Over 6ft | 28" - 36" by trim | Fibreglass | Road and track |
The race seats
All six are FIA 8855-1999 and all six are fibreglass. They are ordered by how wide they run rather than by price.
1. Sparco Evo XL QRT
The Evo XL is the seat that replaced the Pilot in this slot. It is the wide version of Sparco’s Evo shell, so you get the extra width through the hips and shoulders without moving to a different family of seat. Ours has no height or waist figures published against it, so treat the sizing as the same as any Sparco XL and sit in one if you can.
2. OMP WRC-R Fibreglass XL
The widest seat on this page and the only one we list that carries a 40 to 42 inch waist rating. If the problem is width as much as height, this is where I would start. It is a rally shell, so the sides are cut for getting in and out with a helmet on rather than for the last tenth of lateral support.
3. Sabelt Titan X-Large
The Titan in X-Large is the one people end up in when the WRC-R is a little too wide and everything else is too small. Rated over 6ft and up to a 40 inch waist, and it is the lightest of the fibreglass shells here.
4. Sabelt GT-160 Taurus XL
The Taurus is a taller shell than the Titan through the back, with a slightly tighter waist rating. Worth a look if you are tall but not especially broad, which is a combination the XL seats often overshoot.
5. Cobra Sebring T Pro-Fit GT
The Pro-Fit is the one to look at if you are tall and slim. It is rated over 6ft but keeps a 32 to 36 inch waist, so it holds you rather than leaving you swimming in it. Cobra build these to order, which is what the Pro-Fit name is about.
6. Recaro Pro Racer SPG HANS XL
The one at the top of the price list, and it earns it. The HANS version has the shoulder cut-outs shaped for a head restraint, which matters more the taller you are, because a tall driver in a shallow seat is exactly who gets the belt geometry wrong.
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Road seats, and why the Nogaro suits tall drivers
7. Sabelt GT3
The GT3 is the one I put people in when they want a proper FIA shell they can also live with on the road. Our data has it as all heights suitable rather than specifically over 6ft, so it is worth sitting in, but it is a tall enough shell that most drivers get on with it.
8. Cobra Nogaro, 17 trims
The Nogaro is the one I would put a tall driver in for a road car, and it is better for it than most of the FIA shells. The backrest is longer than it looks and the harness slots sit further up the shell, which is the whole problem for anyone over 6ft: in a shorter seat the belts come out below your shoulder line and pull down on you. Here they do not. It is also one seat sold in a lot of clothes. We list 17 trims, from the Club Sport through Street, Circuit and Speedster up to the carbon and 40th anniversary editions, and underneath they are the same shell with different materials, stitching and finishes. So you choose the trim on looks and budget, and the fit comes out the same whichever you pick. It is a road and track seat rather than an FIA one, so it suits a fast road car rather than a competition licence.
The full Nogaro range, all seventeen trims, is below. They share a shell, so read the row as a choice of finish.
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From £2,182.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £657.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £682.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Getting it mounted
A tall shell only helps if the seat can go back far enough and sit low enough, and that is the bracket rather than the seat. Side mounts come in different lengths, the longer ones widen the window you can position the seat in, and a spacer raises it if you need the front of the cushion lifted.
All of that is covered in our guide to tall and long side mounts, which is worth reading before you order a shell. The full range is in motorsport seat side mounts.
Common questions about seats for tall drivers
The OMP WRC-R XL if width is a problem as well as height, and the Sabelt Titan X-Large if it is not. Both are rated over 6ft and up to a 40 inch waist. For a road car the Cobra Nogaro is the one, because the backrest is longer and the harness slots sit further up the shell.
It is no longer available, which is why it has come off this guide. The Sparco Evo XL QRT is the closest current equivalent and takes its place here.
The OMP WRC-R Fibreglass XL is the only seat we list that carries a 40 to 42 inch waist rating, so that is the one to look at.
No, they are the same shell in different trims. We list 17 of them, and the differences are materials, stitching and finish rather than shape or size, so choose on looks and budget. The fit is the same whichever you pick, and it is a good one for a tall driver.
Height in the shell is only half of it. The seat also has to sit far enough back, and that is decided by the brackets and runners rather than the seat. Sort the mounting before you commit to a shell.
Only if the regulations you run under say so. For a fast road car the Nogaro is a road and track seat and is the easier thing to live with. Everything else on this page is FIA 8855-1999.
What I would actually buy
If you are over 6ft and broad with it, the OMP WRC-R XL. It is the only seat we list rated to a 40 to 42 inch waist and it is not an expensive shell for what it does.
If you are tall and slim, the Cobra Sebring T Pro-Fit GT. Over 6ft but held at a 32 to 36 inch waist, which is the combination most XL seats overshoot.
For a fast road car, a Nogaro. Longer backrest, harness slots further up the shell, and seventeen trims to pick from on looks rather than on fit.
Final thoughts
Tall drivers get sold width when what they need is height in the back and a harness slot in the right place. An XL shell is a different mould, not the same seat with thinner padding, and that is why sitting in one settles the argument faster than any spec sheet.
If you are near the limit of what a seat will take, send us your height and waist and the car, and I will tell you which of these actually works rather than which one is nearest in stock.
Cameron