Recaro Seats? Yes please

Beginning in the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V Cadillac has offered Recaro sport seats as an option. This continues a trend of using ‘name brand’ equipment, such as Brembo brakes, in order to ensure quality, performance, and credibility in automotive reviews.

I think of Recaro seats as Porsche seats, but what automobiles does Recaro currently make seats for?  This list comes from the Recaro website:

  • Aston Martin DB9
  • Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
  • Aston Martin V8 Vantage
  • Audi TT
  • Audi TT RS
  • Chevrolet Cobalt SS
  • Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
  • Ford Focus RS
  • Ford Focus ST
  • Honda Accord Type-R
  • Honda Integra Type-R
  • Honda NSX Type-R
  • Honda Odyssey
  • Lamborghini Gallardo
  • Mitsubishi Evo IX
  • Mitsubishi Lancer Wagon
  • Mitsubishi ek-Sports RS
  • Opel Astra OPC
  • Opel Insignia OPC
  • Opel Zafira OPC
  • Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
  • Porsche Carrera GT
  • Renault Clio „Renault Sport“
  • Renault Mégane Sport
  • Saturn Ion Redline
  • Suzuki Kei-Works
  • Suzuki Lapin
  • VW Golf V GTI
  • VW Golf V R32
  • VW Golf VI R

The Cadillac CTS Recaro Seats have gotten surprisingly mixed reviews — not uniformly positive.  I believe that this is partially due to lack of familiarity with this type of seat.  Owners who drive their Cadillac are more likely to appreciate the support provided:

Cadillac CTS Recaro Seats

The Recaro Seats as offered by Cadillac appear to be similar to the Recaro Style + Style Topline model in the Recaro Brochure.

Recaro Seat Features

The Recaro Company offers the following history (more available here):

The success story of the present RECARO company began in 1906 in Stuttgart, as the 32-year old saddler master Wilhelm Reutter founded the company “Reutter, Wilhelm, Saddler. Spezialitat: Luxus- und Motorwagen, englische Geschirre” (Specialities: Luxury and Motor Vehicles, English Ware). Reutter quickly made a name for itself in the up-and-coming automobile industry which was largely positioned in Stuttgart: Bosch, Maybach and Daimler were the big names which wrote history and laid the building blocks for the present location of mobility, Stuttgart.

The foundation for the present company was laid in 1963, as RECARO was formed as a play on words – Reutter and CAROsserien (coaches). The first RECARO sport seat was introduced in 1965, and in motor racing, the company quickly became a recognized brand name.

I applaud Cadillac for offering Recaro seats as an option, and I am glad to see the Recaro seat option available on the CTS Sedan as well as the CTS-V Series.