Recaro seat fabric replacement: pepita and plaid inserts
Old Recaro buckets usually outlive their cloth by decades. Re-covering the centres is the cheapest way to bring a pair back — and the right moment to give them a period pattern.
Why Recaros are worth re-covering
The frame, the recline mechanism and the side bolster shape are what you pay for in a Recaro, and they rarely wear out. The cloth centres do: they fade, pill and split where you slide in and out. Replacing that cloth costs a fraction of a new seat.
Pepita and Recaro
Recaro grew out of Reutter, the Stuttgart coachbuilder that trimmed early Porsche seats, and the company took the Recaro name in 1963. Pepita — the small black-and-white check — was on the Porsche 356 C and the early 911, and it has stayed tied to the brand: Recaro's current Classic line still offers a Pole Position seat in black leather with Pepita fabric. That is why Recaro pepita is such a common search, and why a black-and-white check looks right on almost any vintage Recaro.
Before you start
- Identify the seat. Model and date labels are usually on the frame or under the cushion. Construction differs between models, so photograph everything.
- Check the foam. Collapsed bolster foam will show through new cloth. Replace or build it up before covering.
- Check for airbags and heating. Aftermarket buckets rarely have side airbags, but factory-fitted Recaros in some cars do, and many have heating elements under the cover.
How the covers come off
- Remove the seat from the car and take off the plastic trims and adjuster knobs.
- Photograph how the cover is fastened: hog rings, listing wires through sewn channels, clips and hook strips.
- Cut the hog rings, not the cloth, and ease the cover off the foam.
- Unpick the old centre panels along their seams and label each one — cushion, backrest, left, right, top.
- Use the old panels as patterns for the new cloth.
The full sequence, with tools, is in how to reupholster car seats.
How much fabric for a pair of Recaros
| Job | Yards | Metres |
|---|---|---|
| Centre panels only, pair of seats | about 1.7–2.2 yd | about 1.5–2 m |
| Full cloth covers, pair of seats | 5.5–6.5 yd | 5–6 m |
These are planning figures for cloth 59 inches (150 cm) wide. Recaro centres are narrow, so a large tartan needs extra for matching; a fine pepita barely needs any.
Which pattern for which Recaro
- Classic pepita look: F01, black and white; on narrow panels F05, the fine one with a red thread.
- Large backrests: H04, large houndstooth.
- Plaid Recaros: F11 or F13 — only on panels wide enough to carry the check.
- Eighties feel: F18, grey ombré check.
“Recaro” and “Pole Position” are Recaro's names. Our cloth is not Recaro fabric; it is a woven wool blend chosen to suit these seats.