What’s Your Ideal Driving Seat?

Picture the inside of a Porsche 911 GT3. I’m guessing you’re imagining the fabric door latch straps, the rev counter with its sky-high 9,000 rpm redline and a pair of sexy carbon-shell bucket seats.

And that’s how many GT3s do look, particularly the ones you see used for press activities and marketing material that all seem to be equipped with the $5,900 “Full Bucket Seats” setup.

But the reality is that a GT3 comes standard with some far less glamorous “Sports Seats Plus” chairs that are Alcantara-covered versions of the ones you get as standard on the Carrera T, GTS and Turbo, and can order on a boggo Carrera for $810. You can even go maximum comfort (and hang the GT3 diet) and option those basic seats with 18-way adjustment for $2,640 on a GT3.

The carbon buckets definitely look cooler, and will make the car more collectible in years to come. You can imagine someone peering in through the window of a parked GT3 fitted with comfort chairs and being disappointed to see it didn’t have the buckets, as if the owner had made a huge mistake. But at the same time I can totally understand why Porsche offers its buyers a choice of chair – even on the GT3 RS – and why someone might give the narrow buckets a wide berth.

Related: Porsche 911 Dakar Vs Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato: Who Built The Best Dirt-Road Sports Car?

I’ve tried both types of seats in Porsches and though the carbon seat definitely offers more support, the regular version doesn’t exactly leave you flopping about like you’re driving your great grandpa’s Caprice, and is much easier to get in and out of. That might not be a consideration if you’re 25, but if you’re 75 (which you might be by the time you can afford a 992 GT3), are on the larger side, or have restricted mobility you’ll probably be better off with the no-cost, standard seats.

Some people just prefer a bit more freedom of movement, especially if they’re using a car as a daily driver, and not just for weekend kicks. One of my favorite seats is the tombstone-style chairs Porsche used in the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s. The stock seats had the same basic shape but not much lateral support. The Sports Seat upgrade though, added chunkier thigh bolsters and massive kidney bolsters to keep you upright through corners, but left your shoulders free so you could still turn your body to reach things from the back or yell at kids to shut the hell up because their bawling was spoiling your favourite B-road. True story; sorry son.

Do you prefer to be locked down tight in your seat or do you prefer space to move around, maybe with a massage option to invigorate your senses when the road isn’t doing the job?