A new addition for my FD. I brought them back from the brink of death....I completely recovered them in genuine Recaro fabric, new OEM seat belt guides, new padding, I "repolished" the shells, you name it...I did it. They are essentially "as new." Tilt and slide rails not pictured



Crispy

 

i hate you....so jealous. good job they look great.

 

I love em... I wish I had gone that route but just couldn't justify the expense.

Ps. Maybe now you can recover that couch....

 

Pics of how they originally looked?

 

I bought fabric from Recaro direct and my mother-in-law and I over the christmas break, unpicked every single stitch of every panel and used each piece as a pattern for the new covers which she sewed together on her $5000 Bernina sewing machine. The embroidery I had a friend of my wife who owns a business match the Recaro font and do the logo for me. The rest was...painfully as so much was trial and error... all me.

It was a long and tedious process but what I ended up with was essentially a pair for brand new mint seats. I can't wait to get them in the car!

Crispy

 

Let's just say "ugly" wouldn't have done them justice.

When I have more time I'll post some pics of the process.

I paid a fraction of what a good set would run....and the only way I could justify a pair of these for my car.
Oh and regarding the couch that will have to be taken up with my wife. Her territory. I take care of "decorating" the garage.

Crispy

 

Very NICE..

Congrats on a job well done..

 

ooohhh lucky!! i ended up getting brides instead of these but those are soooooo damn sexy with the kevlar backs!! awesome job!

 

Very nice!!! also keen to see the process!

 

I can only imagine what the seats intially looked like.
But the restoration is fantastic!! They're completely new. You must've gotten them at a steal of a price.

I'm looking at a pair right now, but the person who's selling them is selling them for a small fortune. An amount I currently can't afford.

It's getting harder and harder to find parts for this car....

I'm very interested in seeing the original pics of the seats. And some final shots of the seats in the car.

Good job!!!

 

Well I had to pull out all the stops and do something to keep up with you and your car!!!
But yes she did a great job. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present.
Crispy

 

Copycat

You're going to love them...... sometimes I start thinking about selling mine b/c of the whole 'red seats in a red car' thing, but then I really take a look at them and sit in them.

For guys our size, they can't be beat-- bolt in, up to safety standards, retains the seatbelt clip, the tilt feature, roomy enough for full-bodied 'Merican Boys

 

LOL. I was waiting for your "input." What with Gordon posting his masterpeice, and your new wheels, what's a guy to do to keep up with the "Joneses?"

After my "Sparco" debacle, and sitting in my original R1 seats again, which were SOOOO comfortable, I can't wait to try these out. I couldn't agree with you more about the ...err...fitment.

Crispy

 

I am VERY jealous. Those look great! My compliments on the quality job you and your mother-in-law did reconstructing them.

Haha! I was going to make the same comment on the couch but I can relate with this statement.

 

Looks good bro.

 

You know Chris, I could have just given you my set and you could have recovered those in a different material..... I've been looking to switch it up a bit. Oh well, that's what you get for operating on the sly. Mr. Covert Ops Regan <------your new nickname

 

lol....................soft voice in the back of your ear "sell them "

 

Love them!

 

Curious, what's so great about these seats? I mean the back can't be adjusted. Personally, the Rx8 R3 Recaro's make me dribble.

 

Genuine Spirit R seats are very VERY rare. On the order of only 175 pairs ever made from what I can gather.. A little secret however, mine are not genuine.

As for adjusting the back....to each his own. I'm not looking to pimp out while cruising. But they do adjust for angle so you can "recline" to a certain degree.

The other benefits of a single shell vs an adjustable seat are many but most are to support function over form: ligthweight being the primary reason, strength of design being another,...

Regards,
Crispy

 

lovley, awesome work there!

 

Ok that makes since. I have lower back problems so comfort and some adjust ability is necessary for me. It usually takes me a while to find my perfect adjustment. The stock seats in my 2000 M5 have really spoiled me. LOL!

 

Chris, if you and I ever end up roadracing at the same tracks on the east coast, all the porsche guys are going to think that these seats came standard in the VR FDs

 

sweet! whered you get them from? please tell me these werent from ramy...........

 

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!!!!!!! I want a pair!!!! Your seats look great man.

I don't think they are that rare. 2 of the 3 models the Spirit R came from had them and there were 1500 total Spirit Rs built. I also heard the 2001 RZs also had red seats but I think those didn't have a shiny back. Mine are black RZ seats and aren't shiny in the back at all. Maybe I'll wax em!