Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[clan chieftain]

What seats have you found to be the most comfortable...or uncomfortable.The plasticky ones in the marina are not the best especially if you have been to a car show on a sunny day and you go to drive home and the seat would roast the a... off you. I like vinyl seats the best in the mk3 and the Ital.
I ran the coke bottle mk3 Cortina years ago. Those seats were murder..in fact were a lot of drivers diagnosed with Cortina back trouble. I dont recall ever having a car with leather seats so I cant comment on them.
My sons Calibra has recaro seats. I dont know how he sits in it as they are as hard as a brick.
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The Clan Chieftain

[Riley Blue]

The seats in my '54 Riley RM were very comfortable, I emerged after a long drive without the back ache I often had after driving my Audi. On the other had, the seats in my '53 Riley 1.5 were so uncomrfortable I had to change them for a pair of MGF seats I picked up for a few pounds on Ebay and had re-covered to match the interior; they are superb.

Years ago I used to move a Recaro seat from car to car whenever I changed my Golf GTI. I think that seat went into five cars, it was superb. I believe Recaros fitted as OE in cars are not the fully adjustable versions you can buy after market, I chose mine after trying several from their range.

[peter scott]

In general I find most old cars have uncomfortable seats. I find that having the backrest at a fairly reclined angle gives me best support but my SS and many others appear to have something close to 90 degrees between seat cushion and backrest and I'm left unsupported in the lower back unless I stuff something in the gap.

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[47Jag]

I used to get 'MGB back. I shared a flat '66 to '68 with a mate who sold BMC cars. We would take off on a Friday night and see how far we could get into the States in whatever was his demonstrator. I hated the MGB 'cos I always ended up in agony until one trip I stuck my folded jacket in my lumber region. It was always a pleasure to get back into my Landcrab.

Art

[Richard H]

The seats in my Austin Cambridge are extremely comfortable, the driving position is perfect and very relaxing on long journeys. Everyone who rides in the car comments on how nice the seats are and how smooth the ride is

[Phil - Nottingham]

My Dads 1961 100e Ford Escort shooting brake which was was the family car in the mid 1960's had the most uncomfortable "seats" I ever sat in - even worse than the light weight alloy framed ones in my 1961 Reliant Regal which I had much later.

Perhaps because the side valve 100e was so slow it was too long to sit in them - the side valve Reliant was much faster
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Rover P2
Rover P4
Rover P5 & P5B
Land Rover S2 & S3
Morris Mini Traveller Mk2

[imfinlay]

My recollection from my own ownership is:

MKII Jag, without the optional reclining seats - comfy but I would have loved the recliners. It was just a matter of getting used to it.

MK I Consul bench seat - lovely if a bit slippery round corners. Great for a snuggle with my girlfriend (now wife) on a run. We put a blanket on it as the vinyl was a bit chilly, and it reduced the slipperyness.

100E Pop (1959 I think) - pretty good, any run was a long one since it was so slow!

MKIII Cortina 1.6L (1972) - great seats although the side bolsters would collapse with age. Squishy and comfy. I doubt my ageing back would like them so much now!

Talbot Alpine - OK, squishy and French.

And my Dad's cars:

Series II XJ6 SWB (1974) - lovely thing, especially when he added head rests. I don't like the later ones as they're a bit short in the squab for me. Mind you, I was only about 12 when he had it.

MKII Triumph 2000 (1971) - I recall this being good too, in fact I learned to drive in it at the place in Romford where kids could drive on a private course.

Can't remember much else - oh yes, his Morris 1300... that was OK I suppose, we never went that far in it. Same with the Triumph 1500. He didn't have his F-reg 1600E long enough to know, it was nicked and broken up. I remember crying when he told me, I was little and completely car-mad!

[dclf1947]

Did not like the Renault 16 car but the seats were superb.

[Farmer John]

Thanks for the prompt, yes the 16 was good but for my money the R10 wins. I would always judge a seat by its attractiveness at the end of a long winter's day when even the drive home was a chore. Luxury.
However I must qualify that opinion, the cars we had were nearly all CKD from UK France and Australia. It always seemed that the seats were made here as the trim was never of the same standard as in the vehicles assembled in their country of origin.
So what I say may make no sense at all in your hemisphere.

John

[poodge]

One that I remember as very good were the seats in my T2 vw microbus.They seem hard at first,but the longer you sit on them,the better they were.A lot of seats in german vehicles from that era are like that.
One of the worst was the Vauxhall PB cresta.Made me slide all over the place.Great car though.

[FrazzleTC]

Rover P6 seats are very comfortable indeed from my experience.

[Minxy]

[exbmc]

One of my most comfortable cars, was a Standard Vanguard luxury6. They were leather and rather large seats. Bought from an auction for about 60 quid, I think. The first car I had with seat belts fitted.

[peter scott]

By the time we get to "G" reg. I think manufacturers should have been able to get it near to being right but from my collection I'd choose the Ginetta seats from my list of "old" cars even if they were made from vinyl.

Peter.



Despite reaching the other end of the licence plate my "F" reg. Citroen BX you'd have thought that might have got it right but had crap support in the small of the back and needed some padding stuffed in to make it comfortable although the "E" reg Cavalier 2.0 SRi (0 to 60 in 8.7) and "G" 2.0 CDi I had previously were pretty good..


Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon