Mk1 / Mk2 Vitesse front seats.

[Puglet1]

Looking at replacing the front seat covers on my Vitesse Mk2.

Went to Newtons website which showed the Mk1 seats having straps on the underside and also the distance from the top of the face flutes, over the top of the seat to the stitch line on the rear of the cover being 295mm. 
The above spec matches the seats in my car.

Question. 1: Is there much difference in comfort between the Mk1 and Mk2 seats? 
Q.2: Should I try to get hold of a set of Mk2 seats or re cover the ones in my car? 
Q3: Is this likely to impact on resale value? (Not that intend to sell it).
Pete 

 

[Pete Lewis]

rimmers do some spiel on the mix and match seats , there is a note that mk2 are stitched not welded seams  that may be the only real change 

and its worth searching all suppliers as they can often be cheaper than direct from newtons 

so look at all you can find 

Pete

[Josef]

The club shop also supply trim from Newton, I think still at a discount but haven’t checked since I bought my spitfire interior a few years back…

[Puglet1]

Pete L and Josef. 
Thank you for your answers. 
As experiencing Triumphanteers I was hoping you could tell me if there is much difference in comfort levels between the Mk1 and Mk2 seats. 
The reason I ask is it looks like the previous owner may have fitted Mk1 seats into my Mk2. 
I’m wondering if I would be better off sourcing some Mk2 seats and recovering them or stick to recovering my Mk1 ones?

[TomL]

Hi Puglet1,

I would say that there is no noticeable difference in comfort between Vitesse 2-litre Mk1 and Vitesse 2-litre Mk2 seats.

IIRC, the earlier 1600 Vitesse had the narrower, Herald-type seats which possibly offer a little less padding, and are (of course) narrower.

I suggest having a look at one of the books, such as Graham Robson's "...The complete story", which has photos of the seats.

If you're looking for greater comfort, plus the advantage of headrests, then I'd suggest going for one of the popular replacements such as MGF or MX5.  

Tom

[Wagger]

Dolomite seats can also be made to fit. FWD 1500 may too. There is a trim company in Lewes, East Sussex that do re-upholstery kits. About £500 a pair though.

[Puglet1]

TomL. Thank you for your comments, they have been really helpful. I will certainly take a look at the suggested book. 
Wagger. That’s interesting. Can you tell me the name of the company in Lewis?

Thanks to you both 👍

[68vitesse]

When restoring the seats in my Mk1 2L Vitesse convertible I came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as Mk1 or Mk2 seats just saloon or convertible for the 2L.

Convertible seats introduced early in 2L production to increase legroom, I can not fit comfortably in the car with the "Mk2" seats fitted.

Just my opinion, l started a thread on here with pictures from the parts book.

https://forum.tssc.org.uk/topic/7239-vitesse-front-seat-2l-mk1-or-2l-mk2-or-saloon-or-convertible/#comment-95359

Regards

Paul

Edited April 13, 2023 by 68vitesse

[Pete Lewis]

with all the hassle of doing a retrim when we looked at options there were mainly MGF seats being used   many go for MX5 

there is one major improvement in you get a secure headrest essential in modern rear end traffic bumps 

its a good safety life preserving consideration 

[Puglet1]

68vitesse. Hi Paul, that’s very informative-thank you. 

Pete L. That’s a good point I overlooked the safety factor about the headrests.

I’m learning rather quickly that with a classic, what seems to be a straightforward job never ends up being one🤔.

[Pete Lewis]

2 minutes ago, Puglet1 said:

straightforward job never ends up being one

the joys of classic car ownership   ....you have found it 

driven by needs must , bright idea's   and the available wallet 

just avoid any Myths 

Pete

[Paul H]

Mgf seats in my Vitesse , much more comfortable and safer than original seats and cheaper than retrimming. If you go this route there’s help available 

 

Paul 

[PeteH]

12 hours ago, Wagger said:

Dolomite seats can also be made to fit. FWD 1500 may too. There is a trim company in Lewes, East Sussex that do re-upholstery kits. About £500 a pair though.

👍 Our old Vittesse had Dolly, seats fitted, bonus was a headrest too IIRC.

I fitted MX seats to the 13/60 back a while, since removed and stored pending finishing, along with Seat belts. I think the post should still be here somewhere? If I find it I`ll add link.

Pete

Edited April 13, 2023 by PeteH

[Puglet1]

Paul H. They look very smart. That’s given me even more food for thought. Pete H. Thank you for giving me even more options.

Both. I have entered the world of total confusion 😀. I now need to look at ALL of my options and decide which one to opt for.

Thank you both for your help 👍

[Wagger]

 

20 hours ago, Puglet1 said:

TomL. Thank you for your comments, they have been really helpful. I will certainly take a look at the suggested book. 
Wagger. That’s interesting. Can you tell me the name of the company in Lewis?

Thanks to you both 👍

Sorry to be so long. Washing machine needed attention. Hairgrips and coins in the filter hose!

It is The Trimming Centre, Ham Lane, Lewes, BN7 3PS.

They have a website but I cannot find their number. They specialise in Webasto roofs but did give me a quote for Vinyl seat recovering. They are not cheap.

[Puglet1]

Hi Wagger. Sorry to hear about your washing machine, mine is running perfectly but there again I have a bold head and no money after entering the world of classic cars😁. 
Thank you for coming back to me, I shall give them a call.👍

 

[Paul H]

1 hour ago, Puglet1 said:

Paul H. They look very smart. That’s given me even more food for thought. Pete H. Thank you for giving me even more options.

Both. I have entered the world of total confusion 😀. I now need to look at ALL of my options and decide which one to opt for.

Thank you both for your help 👍

My seats are heated . The elements were for a land rover . Easily fitted and cost effective 

Paul 

[Peter Truman]

1 hour ago, Wagger said:

 

Sorry to be so long. Washing machine needed attention. Hairgrips and coins in the filter hose!

 

We live in a smallish estate surrounded on 3 sides by a golf course, so when we were younger and all had kids we all knew each other very well.

One wife/mother Jill a local beauty rang me asking for help with her broken down cloths drier, being an engineer I was Mr Fixit, so I went over and after stripping the drier down and removing a broken coiled nitride heater wire I couldn't work out what appeared to be a bi-metallic semi circular strip welded onto one end of the nitride wire there was no end connection point, so off I go to the Hoover service depot where the chap behind the desk asks how near the end was the wire break I said about an inch he advised just reconnect it it'll work and not overheat, I asked what does this bi-metallic strip connect to, his answer one word BRA, I responded what BAR, he dead faced replied it's the underwire from a bra, I left red faced!!

I went home picked the wife up went over to Jill's asked her to jump up and down, they both looked at me dumbfounded I responded I just want to see if a missing Bra underwire makes any difference? obviously laughter all round, and I dined out at many BBQ's on that one!

[Puglet1]

Paul H. Heated seats. That put a Big smile on my wifes face. Can you use the elements under vinyl covers?

Paul.

[TomL]

I used a heated-seat kit I found on line (by Waeco IIRC); quite easy to fit to the MGF seats, and a great addition to the car in colder weather:

[Wagger]

59 minutes ago, Peter Truman said:

We live in a smallish estate surrounded on 3 sides by a golf course, so when we were younger and all had kids we all knew each other very well.

One wife/mother Jill a local beauty rang me asking for help with her broken down cloths drier, being an engineer I was Mr Fixit, so I went over and after stripping the drier down and removing a broken coiled nitride heater wire I couldn't work out what appeared to be a bi-metallic semi circular strip welded onto one end of the nitride wire there was no end connection point, so off I go to the Hoover service depot where the chap behind the desk asks how near the end was the wire break I said about an inch he advised just reconnect it it'll work and not overheat, I asked what does this bi-metallic strip connect to, his answer one word BRA, I responded what BAR, he dead faced replied it's the underwire from a bra, I left red faced!!

I went home picked the wife up went over to Jill's asked her to jump up and down, they both looked at me dumbfounded I responded I just want to see if a missing Bra underwire makes any difference? obviously laughter all round, and I dined out at many BBQ's on that one!

Previous machine drain hose contained six if those. All rusted and embedded in the hose.

[Puglet1]

6 hours ago, Wagger said:

Previous machine drain hose contained six if those. All rusted and embedded in the hose.

OMG. Were they all from the same bra?

Edited April 14, 2023 by Puglet1
Grammar error.

[Paul H]

8 hours ago, Puglet1 said:

Paul H. Heated seats. That put a Big smile on my wifes face. Can you use the elements under vinyl covers?

Paul.

Yes can’t see any issues. About £40 for a kit from EBay 

Paul

[Puglet1]

6 minutes ago, Paul H said:

Yes can’t see any issues. About £40 for a kit from EBay 

Paul

 

6 minutes ago, Paul H said:

Yes can’t see any issues. About £40 for a kit from EBay 

Paul

Brilliant. Thanks Paul.

[Puglet1]

To conclude. After fitting new seat covers to the original seats, I still wanted more clearance between my legs and the steering wheel. I fitted MX5 seats and raised the steering column as suggested by Pete Lewis . What a difference! Totally transformed the comfort of the car .
I now have a pair of recovered original seats in storage to keep the originality of the car.

 The photo also shows the fitment of seatbelt retainers from Paul H. Thanks Paul !