Original Recaro Sport Seat Question

[t6dpilot]

Hello,

I recently acquired a car with supposedly original non-reclining Recaro sport seats. They would be just like the 901 521 013 10 or 901 521 013 12 non-collapseable seats listed in the 69 parts catalog with a basket weave insert. They also look almost exactly like (if not exactly) the seats pictured in the 911 Restorer's Guide interior/seat section. You know the book - good information, but needs color photos. They list those seats as 65/66 only along with the "Ferrari" version. Those seats look exactly like the ones in the parts catalog for 69. A little confusing, eh?

Anyway, I am just curious about the value of these seats or how to tell whether they are original or not. They look a lot like the Vintage Seats "R" style, but do not have perforations in the side bolsters. They also have the correct basket weave material. They are in absolutely great condition, but have the patina'd look that makes me think they are original and not new. They also have 3 or 4 holes on each side running up the rear of the seat back for ventilation. Sorry, but I don't have detailed photos. I can post a link to another thread if you want to see pics.

Cornpanzer and Cegerer have seen the car and may be able to shed some light... What do you guys think? Thanks.

[Nordschleife]

Please post the link.

Your observations regarding the early Recaro race & rallye seats are valid -- they were sold well into the 1970s, alongside the seats most Porsche fans would recognize as sports seats, and in the early 70s there was another version of the Recaro sports seat called the Idealsitz with more modern side bolstering as well.

A quick look through late 1960s European or USA racing magazines (Rallye-Racing; Sport Fahrer; Motorsport, etc) shows not only Recaro GmbH but many competitors selling quite similar seats as well (Scheel, Kamei, etc). It's all a bit confusing.

Some fundamental questions/observations when looking at early Recaro sports seats or similar:

1. Do they have headrests (or headrest mounting holes), and -- if so -- what shape are the headrests when veiwed from the side (ends)?
2. Does the seat material cover the entire back or is it essentially rolled over the side "lips" and ends there with the back being plain fiberglass? If the seat material does NOT cover the entire back, how is it attached to the seat?
3. Looking at the fiberglass sides at their lowest point (front-to-rear), is this line unbroken or is there an indentation midway along?
4. If the seating area has pleating, how many pleats are there on the upper and lower cushions and are those pleats all the same size, or do they vary? If they vary, how?
5. How does the seat attach to its runners or mounting points?

Does anyone on this board have good copy of some early Recaro seat brochures they might post? I would scan mine but can't seem to lay hands on them at the moment. I'll see if I can find a period reference in my car books however.

Best Regards,
Andy

[Soterik]

Something like this?? Sorry for poor quality 3rd pic.... Also found one more so that you can see the relation of the grommets to the back curve.

[t6dpilot]

Hey Andy, thanks for the reply. I can answer some of your questions right now:

Yes, they have headrestraints (in deference to JCR ) and you should be able to see the shape in my photos.

The seat material (vinyl) covers the entire seat back.

Not sure about the indentation - I think it is indented.

The seat and back have 5 pleats total - 4 seemingly uniform and the last one is a wider pleat.

The seat sliders attach to the OEM seat mounting points. At least it looks like it from the brackets on the outboard of the car.

Here is the link: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showt...hreadid=318535

Scroll down to the 24th picture. That is probably the best one to see the seats. There are others, but I think that one is the best.

Thanks for the help.

[Soterik]

I know the car, the seats are real, they are Recaro's. They are worth a bundle.....

Eric

[t6dpilot]

Eric,

Ding, ding, ding!! Those are exactly like my seats (I think), except mine are black. Thanks for showing the back. In my previous post, I said they are completely covered, but I am sure they are just like yours. My memory just did not register since the fiberglass and vinyl are both black (I have had no reason to sit in back, especially with no seats ). Well, is the verdict that they are the real McCoy?

Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Soterik]

Scott,

You have a pm.

Eric

[Nordschleife]

Hi Scott,

Those look correct. You appear to have a set of the Recaro Schalensitz (bucket seat) model, often referred to as the "Rallye" model. They could be purchased with either a vinyl center (as you have) or corduroy in brown or black. There may have been other materials used as well (houndstooth?).

The photos provided by Soterik were interesting -- I've never seen a brown seat in this version before. His Recaro Idealsitzen (sports seats) in the final photo up in the loft are nice as well and frankly significantly more practical than the non-reclining race seats when it comes to fitting a variety of body sizes + easier to get into and out of gracefully.

Thanks also for the link to the photos of your car -- very, very nice.

Best Regards,
Andy