"In this entry, we turn our attention to the Sportster's backrest and accessories, exploring opportunities to augment the Strada's profile. We then disassemble the seats for upcoming customization work."
- Matt

Plastic realities. 

I begin this entry with a reiteration: the original Recaro Sportster CS is a beautiful, timeless design. 

Recaro introduced the Sportster CS as the first mass produced reclinable seat with composite shells and airbags [...] in 2005! They succeeded in integrating new manufacturing technologies, reconciling complex designs and affordable price points. 

Unfortunately, it also left us with a lot of exposed plastic pieces.

The Sportster CS'es are all delivered with raw plastic lower shells, backrests, side covers, harness slot covers, tilt covers and knobs. The later did have a rubber sleeve to provide some haptic quality and longevity.

On the flip side, these plastic surfaces become new canvas to be customized as part of the Bespoke Recaro seat program. 

It's an often unspoken reality - original BMW M seats have higher fit and finish than most Recaros. 

The carbon question.

The first stop to our reflection on customization begins with carbon. 

I've long wondered why Recaro had not introduced a pre-preg carbon variant of the Sportster CS. Research showed Recaro sort of did - their subsidiary in Japan manufactures the SP-X Avant. 

It's a quirky redesign of the Sportster: the lower section doesn't have the CS' higher bolsters and the backrest's shell has a different shape around the shoulders.

Curiously, only the backrest and its side covers were made from carbon. It's unclear whether it was a safety, aesthetic and/or cost driven decision.

The SP-X weighs in at 35.27 lbs (16.0 kg). It is approximately a pound or two less than a standard Sportster CS with airbags. 

In this application, carbon offers little technical benefit while remaining a far more expensive manufacturing method than injection molding. As a result, Recaro Japan retails the SP-X for +/- 8,500 USD per seat.

In the end, the economic argument most likely won out. 

We forego using aftermarket alternatives, they are, for the most part, carbon overlays or stick-on covers. Their fit and finish are not suitable for the quality Recaro and ourselves aim for. 

For the time being, there would be no carbon accessories to my Strada CS seats.

Complexity [...]

Before disassembling the seats, we took pause to consider the complexity of the Sportster CS - and how that would affect our design choices. 

Recaro's reclining functionality requires a variety of mechanisms that add significant weight and visual bulk to the backrest. A run-of-the-mill Recaro Sportster CS has, at minimum, 14x individual components with exposed plastic surfaces.

As a consequence, the all-black finish of the standard Sportster CS enlarges & bloats the rear silhouette of the seat.

[...] creates choices. 

The amount of raw plastic surfaces factored in with the variety of materials and colors available create near infinite combinations.

Most accessories can be painted or recovered in any Alcantara and natural leather. As of Winter 2025, I'm also developing new machined aluminum accessories and carbon side covers to replace plastics entirely.  

An extensive accessories customization project can set your seats apart - it also has the potential to surpass the cost of the bespoke covers. 

Luckily, there are cost effective combinations that are visually impactful. At minimum, customization of either the backrest or the side covers will create enough contrast to tighten up the beltline of the seat. 

It is my personal opinion that some form of customization is required. 

My choices. 

The Phoenix was originally spec'ed with M-Texture upholstery and black leather. The restoration and modernization of its interior expanded upon the original E46 M3 design. 

Subtle contrasts in materials and colors were used across the interior: many surfaces that are potentially touched and felt are divided between paint, carbon, leather and fabric. 

Most importantly, my E46 had been color changed from Phoenix Yellow to San Marino Blue Metallic. We gave thought to recall the signature BMW M exterior color on the seats in some fashion.

We swished ideas in our minds and let them settle. The future entries to his Series will reveal my choices and how they come together.

Ultimately, this selection is a matter of personal taste. 

Disassembly.

Both seats needed to be fully disassembled down to their individual components before any final decisions would be made.

We started the tear down process using the remaining fully trimmed seat. The vinyl leather cover was carefully untrimmed and the foam and its lumbar support were removed.

Side covers.

The next step was to remove the backrest's side covers. The tilt knob and its accompanying covers were first removed, revealing the bolts at the core of the reclining mechanisms together.

The side covers are further held by screws inside the backrest. They were removed and the side covers could then be puled off the backrest.

A note on safety. 

We then proceeded with dismantling the backrest from the seat's reclining frame. It is held by 4x bolts with a profuse amount of blue loctite. 

The Sportster CS' introduction marked the world's first reclining composite seat and side airbags. While this set does not have them as it is destined for an E46 M3, the construction barely differs.

Recaro had safety on their mind: they put an obvious emphasis of the engineering and assembly of the Sportster's reclining mechanism. 

The harness slot covers.

While the Recaro Sportster CS isn't a track focused seat, its design integrates harness slots. They provide the ability to run a 4 point harness - while remaining reclinable.

The Sportster's design ingenuity adds a layer of complexity to be considered during the disassembly process. 

The front cover is used to stretch and fix the cover to its foam and shell. They were removed earlier to give access to the original Recaro cover.  

The back covers integrate functional mechanisms - specifically the covers by the doors. The handle is bolted to these covers and connects with the reclining mechanism. 

The rear covers are firmly held to the backrest with BMW-like, one time use clips firmly holding plastic pins molded into the shell. The clips were cut and will be replaced during re-assembly. The metal actuator cable was also removed from the shell. 

If the seats had been destined for a sedan, we would have deleted the mechanism and replaced the handle for a standard cover for seamless aesthetics.

With the seats disassembled, most components went their separate ways.

Some were sent for 3D scanning.
Others for paint work. 
A few stayed behind to be recovered. 

Up next: I document the process of recovering the lower shell and side covers in Alcantara.