Replacing the OE-equipped seating in any MRyde will be one of the smartest modifications you’ll ever make. It will instantly transform the overall feel of your Euro-tuned machine, and let’s face it, we all style our cars to make them look faster, sexier, and even meaner than they actually are. This type of styling is straight off the track—an aftermarket reincarnation stolen from the European-based motorsports scene.
As of late, race-inspired styling usually takes place on the exterior of vehicles via body kits, spoilers, and wings. Even the suspension systems, wheel and tire packages, and underhood performance products used to tune today’s street-driven European cars have been derived from racing. So, if it works so well for the outside, why not transform the inside of our MRydes into something race-inspired?
That was the question we were forced to ask ourselves when we opened the door on Project E-46. Even after the AC Schnitzer short shifter, pedals, and hand brake upgrade, the tough road-racer image was still blown away by the factory seats. Our solution: Replace the OE-equipped front seats with race-inspired Daytona seats from Cobra and Rallye 3 harness belts from Schroth. Sure it cost us, but the improved styling benefits, combined with the added safety, made it well worth the investment.
Why Cobra? First a little history on the Brit-based seating manufacturer. Cobra has been producing sports seats for more than 20 years. It’s a family run business driven by a passion for motorsports—a fact that can be seen in its race-inspired designs and safety standards. Having ties to the UK MAX, we decided to ask their opinion. They came back with a previously published product review that showed the Cobra Daytona seat as a leader in the recline segment of aftermarket seating. We then scheduled a visit to Sube Sports of Huntington Beach, California, the North American importer for Cobra, where we were sold by the knowledge of owner/rallye-racing champion Chad Di Marco.
Why Schroth? Again, a little history… Schroth restraint systems represent a further advancement in harness technology. Extensive research, testing, and field experience on the track and the street have shown them to offer high levels of protection in head-on collisions when properly installed and worn.
Once installed, our seat/harness belt combination transformed our 2000 BMW 323Ci into a meaner, leaner street-tuned performer ready to take on the track, or LA traffic, in style and comfort. Installation was straightforward and required no custom-fabrication work. Meet us back here next month as Project E-46 gets yet another race-inspired interior upgrade from the racing professionals at NuFormz.