Recaro Ideal S seats question

[Ten13]

Greetings, All - I am a very new member, but no stranger to vintage Porsches; although currently without.

The other day, I purchased a 1973 VW Thing (my fourth) and installed are a set of (assumed) Recaro Ideal-S seats, sans headrests. To preface, I'm no expert in seats, so I brought the car by EASY in Emeryville on my way home. It's the opinion of the guys there that these seats are highly sought after, especially because they have the sliders and the operable bases. A member on thesamba.com privately has offered me 4600.00 plus shipping to Europe, just because I posted a photo of the car and only mentioned "some period-correct recaro seats" in the message. This offer triggered me to think these were possibly quite rare.

Now, I don't know if any modifications were made to the actual seat to fit in the THING, but it appears that the sliders are bolted to a custom square-stock frame, which in turn is bolted to the floor of the car. I'm traveling and won't be able to remove them until next week to investigate further.

They are not currently being offered for sale - I'm on a fact-finding mission. Is anyone able to shed some light on the seats, their scarcity, and what to look for in terms of completeness / originality? They are sure comfortable!

Please see photos, and thanks in advance for the generosity of information.

Cheers,
Greg Fulcher in Orinda, CA

[uai]

A member on thesamba.com privately has offered me 4600.00 plus shipping to Europe, just because I posted a photo of the car and only mentioned "some period-correct recaro seats" in the message.

Sell immediately if that are euros - or keep them for a couple of years and sell then.
Yes these tend to get more expensive in the wake of the Sport seats but I would not dare to sell them without headrests for more than 3500€ per pair.
I sold a nice pair - no faults at all with new belts for 2500€ two years ago.

[Mr9146]

Sell immediately if that are euros - or keep them for a couple of years and sell then.
Yes these tend to get more expensive in the wake of the Sport seats but I would not dare to sell them without headrests for more than 3500€ per pair.
I sold a nice pair - no faults at all with new belts for 2500€ two years ago.

I need a set of sliders!!!

HELP!!

[Ten13]

I need a set of sliders!!!

HELP!!

When I get back to California, I'll pull them out and see what's there and/or intact... I haven't a clue if the seats were modified to fit in the car. At first glance, it would appear not, but one never knows.

Thanks,
-greg

[Mr9146]

When I get back to California, I'll pull them out and see what's there and/or intact... I haven't a clue if the seats were modified to fit in the car. At first glance, it would appear not, but one never knows.

Thanks,
-greg

If you’re willing to separate the sliders you’re my hero.

[DarthMJH]

If you look at this thread you will see the seats with the correct sliders.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...condition.html

Mike

[budge96]

To the OP yes these particular seats do tend to be desirable primarily because of the bolsters I imagine although the last few sets I saw offered for sale failed to sell even for the most reasonable of prices I believe $2500 US so if you have an offer any where near what you mentioned I'd take it !
I also own a cord and vinyl set my self bought on German EBay many years ago I guess the fluctuating demand or prices
May have something to do with these we're in fact aftermarket supplied and not original equipment install..
This can usually be determined by the Recaro logo placed centrally as you see in your photo , OEM didn't come with this ,
Bert

[Ten13]

Thanks, everyone... I just got back to California and it appears the seats are complete, including unmolested sliders. I've also learned that the original Porsche seats were a bit narrower at the back of the bottom cushion than these aftermarket units.

With the rainy season settling in here, I'll be disassembling the car, starting with the interior. I'll post them to the classified section if / when I decide to sell. If they'd only fetch 1500 or something like that, I'll just keep them as they are really quite comfortable...

Thanks again for the information, All... I truly appreciate it.

-greg in Orinda, CA

[Ten13]

I forgot one thing: the interested buyer in the Netherlands misinterpreted the seats as original equipment, hence his exciting albeit premature offer.

[Mr9146]

I forgot one thing: the interested buyer in the Netherlands misinterpreted the seats as original equipment, hence his exciting albeit premature offer.

If the seats are available please contact me. I am an interested and very real potential buyer.