Rear seats in cars are more interesting than you may think. As something designed to carry human beings, it’s an important part of a car, and yet it’s also a part of a car that many haven’t actually sat in. Back seats are evocative of many things, with some lascivious connotations as they’re often a prime spot for in-car boning and also innocent connotations, since the possible results of those bonings, children, often end up there. What really fascinates me in the world of back seats are those barely-usable back seats that are often crammed into sports cars, almost as an afterthought. Very often they’re just the idea of a back seat, but still made real with leather and foam and carpet. Let’s look at some of these marginal seats, but, before that, I want to share with you a truly incredible rear seat.
This one was shared with my by our very own The Bishop, a man who also appreciates a good rear seat. We were talking about back seats, though I can’t recall just how we arrived there? Anyway, that barely matters, because this back seat is worth seeing, regardless of the context.
Are you ready? Good. Behold one of the best back seats ever to be mass-produced, the rear seat of the Lancia Beta HPE:
Look at that! It’s like the best of ’70s modern furniture, crammed in the back of an Italian hatchback. That color! And that fabric! I can feel it under my hand; there’s something about that color and texture that I always associate with bold ’70s European design and I don’t feel ashamed saying I fucking love it. It’s the furniture style of the space stations we should all be living on in some much more optimistic future that never quite happened.
Look at those black bolsters between the seat and the backrest! Look at how the sides are cushioned and upholstered and wrap around the rear of the car! There’s nothing I don’t like about this. I want to slump in that back seat with a book on a nice long road trip. And maybe nap.
Okay, I promised you one fantastic back seat, and I delivered. Now I want to really push the limits of what we can consider a back seat at all, and see how various cars played in these blurry spaces, sports cars that, for reasons lost to time, decided that they needed back seats, even if physics and space and human anatomy weren’t able to quite make it work. But they tried. Oh did they try.
Some I actually think were successful, if strange. Like the Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato, which had a really novel back seat that somehow eliminated the middle of the backrest. It looks odd, but you have the top and bottom of the backrest, so I think your back would be plenty well supported. It may be less hot, too, in the summer, with that big gap allowing for airflow to your sweaty spine, and you have easy grabbing-access to stuff in the trunk area. I think this one kind of works, actually.
In some ways, this is the opposite of the Lancia up there: this Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato has a full seatback, but what looks like no seat bottom, which makes me question if this is actually a rear seat or not. You see, the presence of un-padded, un-upholstered, carpeted areas usually are how one tells an area not actually intended to be a seat from something that is intended. This sort of has both, which is confusing. They seem to be hedging their bets here – is it a seat? Maybe! Can you sit in it? Sorta? It’s a gamble!
The Porsche 356 is really pretty similar in setup to that Alfa, but Porsche is determined that the rear area there be thought of as a place one could sit, so there are actual padded and upholstered seat bottoms and a sort of half-backrest, with the negative spaces covered in carpet. It’s a strangely disconnected seat, but it’s clearly intended to be one, and, provided the front seat passengers are short enough, you may be able to keep your legs.
Speaking of legs, I think the most cynical of the almost-seats are ones like these, in a Lexus LC 500. It’s well finished and upholstered in a lovely manner, padded and fully-realized, but the legroom is effectively zero, unless you have legs made of some kind of flat noodles, like rad na noodles. The effort put into those seats while the car designers knew that there was zero legroom just feels, I don’t know, cruel somehow. Like a sick joke, and I’m not laughing.
I have a lot more respect for cars that really worked and tried new ideas to make a rear seat work. Take the incredible Lamborghini 350, for example. It could be had with no rear seat (those twin metal strips on the not-seat are the clue that this almost-seat is not really intended for sitting) or with one central rear seat, as you can see above!
It’s a very strange solution, and I’m not clear on where the rear passenger’s legs should go: splayed out to either side, where there’s sort of room, if you sit like a big frog, or perhaps stretched out between the front seats? I’d really like to try this seat one day, perhaps when I get to become part of the incredibly wealthy thruple of my dreams.
The Alfa Romeo Montreal is a confusing one, because I’m not 100% certain these are seats. The level of apparent padding/upholstery is riding the line between cargo area and seat area; the little wells there could be for butts or suitcases. I’m really not sure of the intent; perhaps it was deliberately vague? I guess whatever you end up using it for makes it what it is?
The Mazda RX-7 took an opposite approach, with two variants of its rear interior area, one very clearly for seats, and the one we got in America, very clearly not. The rest of the world got scooped-out butt-holders, and we got little covered bins. I think I’d rather have the seats, because they can do both jobs: occasional people or cargo. The bins are just cargo!
Okay, one last one, which I really like, because getting any rear seat into a mid-engined car is a triumph. And the rear seats in a Maserati Merak are kind of a triumph. Maybe a terrible one if you’re stuck in them, but they exist, and that goes a long way. The backrests are as vertical as church pews, and between the seats is something that looks like a quilted garbage can. You sort of have an armrest in front of that, but just, it seems, for the part of your arm from your wrist to your fingertips.
At the same time, legroom seems to exist back there, somehow! I think the designers did an incredible job working within some massive constraints.
Honestly Jason, you can’t expect to have it all. If you want a trash can you have to sacrifice something, it might as well be the lower extremities of your least favorite passengers.
Also, while we’re talking awesome back seats, that custard sofa in the Lancia Beta is magnificent but it’s lacking a certain ‘al fresco’ element, which is why the Subaru BRAT should get an honorable mention.
There’s a phrase from Motor Trend about the back seat of an Italian sports car that I think about all the time: “Strictly for the Bambinos”. It still cracks me up.
I present to you the absolute worst rear seat of all time. The Nash Metropolitan Coupe rear seat.
The bottom pad is approximately 1 inch of not dense padding material with a hard flat base. The seat back is also 1 inch of the same padding material with a hard flat back.
The head room, term used loosely, is non existent for anyone over 3 feet tall. Any slight bump will result in back of cranium contact with curved glass or metal trim.
The generous rear glass has a nice added effect if baking any children unfortunate enough to be seated in the back.
Bonus fact: on early models without a trunk lid your only access to the trunk was by pressing the button in the middle of the seat back and folding the seat back down to access the trunk…. Models with trunks also had this button… but it also stuck out so far it was easily accidentally pressed by errant vertebrae which would unlatch the seat back and fold down onto the unsuspecting children.
Source: someone who stupidly volunteered as a lanky 13 year old to ride in the back of a Nash Metropolitan on a 3 hour drive.
https://www.nsclassics.com/imagetag/1768/18/l/Used-1959-Nash-Metropolitan-Fully-Restored-1444158674.jpg
Jason. Where is the Citroen DS 21. The back was a living room
Hot damn that Fulvia is gorgeous.
Harry from Harry’s Garage got his restored last year or the year before and posted videos of the whole project on his Youtube page.
A friend of mine who is also an enthusiast came up with a great name for these tiny back seats:
Vestigial Back Seats
Like the Mazda RX-7 mentioned in the article, I think the Honda CR-Z also had two versions: rear storage (North America), and rear seats (everywhere else).
The final year of the Type 14 Karmann Ghia, also, because the US mandated seatbelts in the rear and Volkswagen claimed they couldn’t figure out a way to mount them, so we got a carpeted storage shelf, everyone else kept the seat.
So what we’re saying here is Lancia has the best seats ever? Why yes, I quite agree. Even the far more normal seats in my Scorp have a touch of Italian furniture flair and they are quite comfy. As for leg room, just sit cross legged or if you’re the only one back there, put your legs across. Granted, I’m but a mere 5’4″ but both techniques work well.
What car is the one in the lead image from?
Also, another good one is the middle seat of the Mazda5. Outside the US, there is a middle seat in the second row that folds out sideways from one of the outer seats in the second row! It wasn’t sold like that here because the feds got pissy about the middle seat not having its own support at the bottom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYMOIgqDtEc
Mazda actually called it Karakuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJERtxGSQ9o
Oooh! I know this one! The lead image is of a Lancia Beta Coupe back seat area. I know this, because I owned one. Can you imagine how fancy I felt as a college freshman in the late 80’s, driving my ‘76 Beta Coupe with its Lucious, exotic, brown leather seats? A lot more fancy than I felt (frequently) repairing the damned thing!
Ohhhhhh that’s why the 2nd row seat(s) have those cubbies underneath. I thought it was a clever bonus storage area, didn’t know (US) it was for a clever folding seat. Neat!
The [2nd gen] Mazda5/Premacy is an underappreciated gem. Moray Calum did a great job with the design. Wish they’d have kept up with them here.
Now I’m going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole. Ford I-Max?! They should have sold that here! Yeah it wasn’t the Transit Connect, but by the same token, it wasn’t the Transit Connect. While I’m wishing I’ll repeat the rant that they should have had a “hot” version with some Mazdaspeed bits on it. They should have also kept the tail lights mostly in the D-pillar; the Nagare-inspired tails may have visually flowed better, but they looked a bit droopy while also being a bit anonymous.
Granted, I’m a 30″ inseam on a good day, but I got my 4yo to try out the back seat of the LC500 at the car show this year, and he fit great! Granted, he probably won’t fit by the time I could actually afford one (even used), but nice to know. It’s not much better than the Toyobaru mind you, but still, at least one other member of the family is on board.
S550 generation Mustang was brutal, but still managed to get 4 people back there for a 10 minute drive. 7 people in total has to be a record
brutal? nah, I occasionally put TWO child seats in the back of my 2015, and it’s not even a convertible:P
I respect the commitment
I have…mixed feelings.. about the rear seats in the Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega, particularly the wagons. Upholstered though they might have been in some gloriously ’70s fabrics, they still had split cushions below the level of the driveshaft hump. This, not in sporty 2+2 coupes but in full-fledged kid hauling utility station wagons that were only “small” by American standards.
Pinto: 061820-1978-Ford-Pinto-Wagon-6.jpg (1200×750) (barnfinds.com)
Vega: image.jpg (980×735) (rebelmouse.io)
Our 71 Vega had the tan perforated vinyl, not that glorious plaid. I vaguely recall a 2 day road trip to Niagara Falls, my tween brother and I crammed in the back.
You just triggered repressed memories of my childhood. I’m gonna have to schedule a meeting with my therapist now.
I’m just glad I haven’t had to climb into the back seat of a 2-door car in decades. That was the worst.
Absolutely! My 68 Charger has plenty of room in the back, leg room is good and the seat is comfortable. Getting in and out is awful. You have to fold yourself, extend your leg all the way and then there’s nothing to grab. It helps to roll the rear window down for shoulder clearance.
My favorite back seat is the optional “Kinder” sideways jump seat in the back of certain Mercedes-Benz W113 Pagoda SLs. You sit on the right, facing left.
My second favorites are the optional “Safari” (bucket) seats in the back of certain Mercedes-Benz W111 coupes and convertibles.
Oh – that central rear seat in the Lamborghini?
That’s for the Mistress – so of course her legs are splayed.
Are they sure about these back seats? Guide book says human legs bend Down at knee.
“sit down, I bend legs for you!”
Feel like those sideways seats in old mini trucks like the Ford Ranger deserve a mention
I always found it funny these had seatbelts but seemed like they would be of little help in a traditional collision.
Might help keep you from being ejected.
I suppose, and certainly better than nothing. Just never felt like the safest environment.
I had a 2000 Nissan Frontier and those jump seats were the worst.
Yeah, that could be a whole other article. Also, do the rear-facing folding seats in station wagons! (also, I assume they went away due to some regulations?)
Tesla Model S has them as an option
I once survived a short ride in the back “seat” of my brother’s Subaru BRZ. The back seat in that car is definitely one of the back seats of all time.
I looked at those a while back. I have kids, so I needed something with a back seat. I took one look and knew I couldn’t subject them to it.
They were all in elementary school, so they’d likely fit, but I didn’t want sitting back there to be the core memory that surfaced when they pick my nursing home.
3-hour drive with 2 adults in the backseat of my BRZ after our van blew a tire.
It actually wasn’t that bad as long as the folks in front “compromised” a little..
Many times the rear seats to get better insurance. It’s a 4 seater not a sports car. I see them a leather covered luggage holders.
I had read this was basically untrue and had to google for it: https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/no-sports-cars-dont-have-back-seats-fool-insurance-company-266842
Buttt you can put a mannequin in them and get HOV credits!
Great piece BUT why doesn’t he put in even a sentence about an actual reason then, given the obvious inanity of most of them? Come on Doug!
That appears to be an anger filled rant vs any data it in. I would not take that as the final word.
That single Lambo rear seat is clearly designed for shooting an Italian porno. Into weird porn, those Italians are.
The finest in rear seats is the Mazda Persona, which is also one of the last true hardtops – though the rear window rolls down weird. A big couch with a console that sort of looks like a stack of leather life preservers? Yes please!
https://youtu.be/p-TjJuCfBac?si=0SpjCcsVJliqEkzc
You beat me to it – that gorgeous Bubble Era TV advert, the best era for TV adverts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b5_VKLQ-lA
The “console” was actually two separate “throw” cushions:
https://img.aucfree.com/h519649765.1.jpg
My ’98 Porsche 911 (993) has a devolution of the 356 setup – two separated (by a divider) narrow backseats composed of very Junior Zagato style, just-wrapped-pieces-of-hard-foam seats and backrests.
And to top it all off, since it’s a cabriolet, there’s this sorta protruding lip across the tops of these, to accommodate the top and its silly windblocker thing. So you can’t really fully sit in them, even if you actually fit; rather, you sit on them, bent forward, which means your head will be touching the front seatbacks.
My TT “rear seats” are as well-leathered as the ones in the front, but no one will ever seat back there, nor should.
It would be against many laws. Of Physics.
The bolded warnings about never letting anyone over 4’11” (1.50) back there in the car’s manual are also not confidence-inspiring. Admittedly you’d crush the head of anyone taller when closing the liftgate.
Two Betas in one article, but only the HPE gets the callout? They’re both pretty cool (though, is that an ashtray, up around the rear passengers’ shoulders, in the coupe in the header picture? Seems like that would be tricky to use!), especially considering the Berlina got the world’s most basic bench.
That’s not an ashtray; that’s the dome light. It should really be on the ceiling and not blinding you interrogation style every time you open the door, but at least you have a light.
Is it me, or do the Japanese automakers seem to do the “leave the back seats out for America, they don’t have any friends, anyway” thing a lot?
“Fat Americans won’t fit back there anyway”
I believe this has to do with Japanese regulations at the time, which frowned on two-seat cars. So the back seats were a compliance thing, which they could discard for other markets. Having once ridden in the back seat of a Datsun 280ZX 2+2, I certainly wouldn’t want to have been wedged in the back of the regular-wheelbase version or one of its similarly proportioned competitors.
If you like those, you should check out the optional sideways rear seat on the W113 Mercedes “pagoda” SL. You could also get a terrible forward facing rear bench as well.
Didn’t some pickups, back in the day when everything wasn’t a crew cab, have small fold-down side facing rear seats?
Sure did! To their credit, going sideways did make it possible for a man of my length to fit in the back of a Ranger. My width, however, meant it wasn’t a situation that could last for very long.
This is what I meant:
https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=13305.0
Kinda like the sideways truck seats, except only room for one of them.