The seat assemblies fitted to the MGA were carefully designed for the open-cockpit nature of the car, combining lightweight construction with leather upholstery and fold-forward backrests for tonneau access. Over a production run spanning 1955 to 1962, seat trim materials and optional fitments evolved, and several variants were offered alongside the standard pattern. Selecting the correct components, frames, foams, slides and fixings requires an understanding of which pattern was fitted to your car and what changes occurred during production.
Standard Roadster Seats
The standard MGA roadster seats are asymmetrical in profile, with the squabs sitting slightly higher towards the centre line of the car. The squabs feature six pleats with noticeably wider border panels, while the cushions are slightly narrower and divided into eight pleats of equal width. Both backs hinge and fold forward to allow access to the tonneau area behind the seats. Cushion bases are constructed from plywood with a central wire mesh insert, covered in Dunlopillo foam rubber and padded with Hairlok rubberised hair.
Reproduction foam sets, base boards and frames are available to rebuild original-pattern seats from the structure upward.
Coupé Seat Variant
The coupé seats share the same underlying construction as the roadster's but differ in their trim pattern. The squabs carry a border panel each side with four transverse pleats in the centre and deeper top and bottom panels, while the cushion pleats run right across without the border panels found on the roadster. Coupé seats are believed to have been upholstered in Vaumol leather from the start of production in 1956.
When ordering replacement covers or complete seats for a coupé, the trim pattern is the key visual identifier.
Upholstery Materials
The upholstery on standard MGA seats is leather on the wearing surfaces and Vynide leathercloth on the edges and backs. The leather grade changed during production: 1500 models used Connolly's Celstra, while 1600 and later cars (including the Twin Cam and 1600 Mk II) used the slightly better quality Vaumol. Seat edge piping is finished in a contrast colour on black seats and in the main seat colour on all other colour schemes. Reproduction leather seat covers are available in the principal MGA interior colours, with red piping or white piping options matching original specifications.
Competition De Luxe Seats
A second seat pattern, the Competition De Luxe, was introduced as an optional extra from September 1958, coinciding with the launch of the Twin Cam. These seats are recognisable by the horseshoe-shaped borders to both squab and cushion, with the central area divided into five pleats and piping around both the outer edges and the central panels. Competition De Luxe seats are wider than the standard pattern, which required modified floorboards and a different set of screws for the seat slides. They were most commonly fitted to Twin Cam cars but were available on pushrod cars simultaneously.
Reproduction Competition De Luxe foam sets are available where the wider pattern is being rebuilt.
Seat Slides and Mounting
Both seats slide on a pair of runners bolted to the floor, allowing fore-and-aft adjustment for driver and passenger. Replacement slide sets are offered as left-hand and right-hand pairs. The Competition De Luxe seats use different slide-fixing screws to the standard seats due to the wider seat frame. Stainless steel and original-pattern fixings, screws, washers and locking nuts, are available individually to ensure clean, secure mounting during a rebuild.
The MGA's seat-mounting hardware is worth replacing as a set when the seats are out for re-trimming.
Seat Belt Considerations
Seat belts were never factory-fitted to the MGA, but anchorage mounting points were incorporated into the bodyshell on 1600 Mk II cars from chassis number 100352 (March 1961). Earlier 1500, Twin Cam and 1600 cars require mounting points to be added, a common modification for cars used regularly on the road.
The original dealer-installed belts were static three-point types in silver grey (Britax) or black (Kangol Magnet). Modern static and inertia-reel belts suitable for retro-fitting are listed under MGA Safety Belts.
Restoration and Rebuild Guidance
A full seat rebuild typically follows a clear sequence: leather covers are removed, the foam (Dunlopillo cushion and Hairlok padding) is inspected and replaced where collapsed or contaminated, plywood base boards are checked for moisture damage, and the frame itself is examined for cracks or distortion before being repainted and reassembled. Replacement components are available individually so that only the parts requiring renewal need be purchased. When re-trimming, identifying whether the car carries standard, Competition De Luxe or coupé pattern seats before ordering covers is essential to avoid mismatched results.