Porsche Pepita, Tartan and Pasha: the classic seat fabrics
Three patterns define classic Porsche interiors. Here is where each one was used, what you can buy from Porsche today, and where a stylised alternative makes sense.
The three patterns at a glance
| Pattern | Original use | Colours |
|---|---|---|
| Pepita | 356 C (1963–1965), 911 F-model (1965–1973) | black/white; red/black/white |
| Tartan | 911 G-model (1975–1980), 924 (1980–1982), 928 (1980) | “Black Watch” green/blue; “McLaughlan” red/blue |
| Pasha | 928 (1978–1979), then 911, 924 and 944 in the mid-1980s | black/white |
Dates and names above follow Porsche's own heritage material.
Pepita
Pepita is the small black-and-white check of the early cars — the pattern most people mean when they say “Porsche houndstooth”. Purists will tell you the two are not quite the same: pepita is built from small linked squares, houndstooth from pointed “teeth”. The seat side of the story runs through Reutter, whose seat business became Recaro in 1963; Recaro still sells a Classic seat with Pepita inserts today. More on that in our Recaro guide.
Tartan
With the G-model 911 in the mid-seventies, Porsche moved to woven tartans in two named setts: Black Watch in green and blue, and McLaughlan in red and blue. On a 911 of that era a tartan insert with leather or leatherette bolsters is the look people search for as Porsche plaid seat inserts.
Pasha
Pasha is the black-and-white pattern inspired by chequered flags, first seen in the 928 at the end of the seventies and later offered on the 911, 924 and 944. It looks like op-art at a distance and like a race flag up close.
What Porsche reissued in 2025
In 2025 Porsche brought these fabrics back through Porsche Centres and the Porsche Online Shop, in pieces of 1.5 by 2 metres, alongside pinstripe velour and the Porsche-lettering cloth. For a car restored to original condition, that is the correct route.
Our fabric is not Porsche cloth and we never describe it as such. “Porsche”, “Pepita” as a Porsche option name and the tartan names above belong to their owners. What we sell is a wool-blend houndstooth and tartan in the same spirit.
When a stylised cloth makes more sense
- Restomods and hot rods where exact originality is not the point.
- Cars that never had these options — a 914, a 924, or something that is not a Porsche at all.
- Larger jobs — rear seats, door cards and luggage shelves, where a 1.5 × 2 m piece runs out.
Closest in look from our range:
- black and white pepita look — F01, or H04 on large panels;
- a nod to the red/black/white version — F05, fine houndstooth with a red thread;
- red and blue tartan — F13; green and blue — F17, navy and green;
- seventies orange and brown — F16.
We do not stock a Pasha-style pattern.
Planning inserts on a 911
Cloth centres with leather bolsters take far less fabric than full cloth seats: for the centre panels of a pair of front seats plan roughly 1.5–2 m (1.7–2.2 yd) as a working figure, and confirm against your trimmer's patterns. Details are in our seat inserts guide.