Bucket seat
Encyclopedia
A bucket seat is a seat contoured to hold one person, distinct from bench seat
s which are flat platforms designed to seat multiple people. Bucket seats are standard in fast cars to keep riders in place when making sharp or quick turns. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name derives from the seat "partly resembling a bucket
in shape".
Racing vehicles usually have only one bucket seat. Vehicles sold to the general public often have two bucket seats in the front compartment, and may contain more in a rear compartment. Commercial aircraft now have bucket seats for all passengers.
Automobile bucket seats first came into use after World War II
on Europe
an small cars, due to:
The first motor sports and fast road bucket seats in Europe were manufactured by Colin Folwell, who subsequently founded Corbeau Seats in the UK in 1963
The bucket seat trend was especially apparent in sporty cars, particularly two-seater sports cars, most of which were manufactured in European nations.
s, which permitted three-passenger seating. The advent of compact car
s and specialty vehicles such as the Ford Thunderbird
in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and sporty versions of both standard-sized and compact cars, accelerated the bucket-seat trend in domestic cars around 1960.
By 1962, more than 1 million U.S. built cars were factory equipped with bucket seats; often, these were fitted with a center console
containing a gear shifter and possibly other features between the seats. The popularity of the bucket seat grew with the advent of sporty compact cars (or "pony car
s") such as the Ford Mustang
. With the introduction of subcompact-sized automobiles such as the Chevrolet Vega
and Ford Pinto
, bucket seats were used due to the lack of seating room and the use of floor-mounted levers for the gear shifter and parking brake.
While bucket seats continued to gain popularity among compact and sports cars, the traditional bench seat
, which could seat up to three people abreast, continued to be the preferred front seating arrangement in larger cars and trucks until the late 1990s. By the 1990s, a few mid- and full-sized domestic cars, as well as trucks, offered bucket seat-console front seating options, for customers who wanted a sports-car image or personalized feel to their car.
Recently, as U.S. cars were designed smaller in order to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy standards as well as intense competition from imported cars (particularly Japan
ese models), bucket seats became the de facto front configuration among domestic cars. As of 2010, only full-sized sedans and pickup truck
s retain the front bench seat.
Although rear seating in automobiles largely uses bench seats, some 2+2 cars have bucket seats in the rear. Long-wheelbase variants of full-size luxury cars, such as the Lexus LS 460L have an "executive seating package" option that reduces the rear to two passengers but provides them with more amenities. The Porsche Panamera
, despite its large size, only offers bucket seats as the rear configuration.
The concept of bucket seats is also used in passenger vans and minivan
s, although they are not generally referred to as such; for instance Ford refers to these types of seats as "Captains Chairs." Unlike cars, bucket seats in vans can be configurated in different ways or even removed for more cargo storage. In the typical minivan configuration, the front and middle row passengers have two bucket seats each, while the rear has a three-person bench, for a total of 7 passengers. The 2005-2010 Honda Odyssey
(except for the base trim) adds a stowable "PlusOneSeat"
between the middle row bucket seats.
Bench seat
The bench seat was the traditional seat installed in American automobiles. This seat featured a continuous pad running the full width of the cabin...
s which are flat platforms designed to seat multiple people. Bucket seats are standard in fast cars to keep riders in place when making sharp or quick turns. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name derives from the seat "partly resembling a bucket
Bucket
A bucket, also called a pail, is typically a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with an open top and a flat bottom, usually attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail. A pail can have an open top or can have a lid....
in shape".
Automobile bucket seats first came into use after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an small cars, due to:
- their relatively small size compared to a bench seat; and
- lack of seating room for a middle passenger, due to the presence of a floor-mounted shifterShifterShifter may mean:* Shifter , or gear lever, a bicycle part that selects which gear the chain rests on* Shifter , an adjustable wrench/spanner...
and parking brake lever.
The first motor sports and fast road bucket seats in Europe were manufactured by Colin Folwell, who subsequently founded Corbeau Seats in the UK in 1963
The bucket seat trend was especially apparent in sporty cars, particularly two-seater sports cars, most of which were manufactured in European nations.
Use in American cars
For decades, American cars were typically equipped with bench seatBench seat
The bench seat was the traditional seat installed in American automobiles. This seat featured a continuous pad running the full width of the cabin...
s, which permitted three-passenger seating. The advent of compact car
Compact car
A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
s and specialty vehicles such as the Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and sporty versions of both standard-sized and compact cars, accelerated the bucket-seat trend in domestic cars around 1960.
By 1962, more than 1 million U.S. built cars were factory equipped with bucket seats; often, these were fitted with a center console
Center console (automobile)
The center console in an automobile refers to the control-bearing surfaces in the center of the front of the vehicle interior...
containing a gear shifter and possibly other features between the seats. The popularity of the bucket seat grew with the advent of sporty compact cars (or "pony car
Pony car
Pony car is an American class of automobile launched and inspired by the Ford Mustang in 1964. The term describes an affordable, compact, highly styled car with a sporty or performance-oriented image.-Origins of the breed:...
s") such as the Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
. With the introduction of subcompact-sized automobiles such as the Chevrolet Vega
Chevrolet Vega
The Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact, two-door automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1971-1977 model years. Named after the star Vega, the car was powered by a lightweight aluminum-block inline four-cylinder engine...
and Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC...
, bucket seats were used due to the lack of seating room and the use of floor-mounted levers for the gear shifter and parking brake.
While bucket seats continued to gain popularity among compact and sports cars, the traditional bench seat
Bench seat
The bench seat was the traditional seat installed in American automobiles. This seat featured a continuous pad running the full width of the cabin...
, which could seat up to three people abreast, continued to be the preferred front seating arrangement in larger cars and trucks until the late 1990s. By the 1990s, a few mid- and full-sized domestic cars, as well as trucks, offered bucket seat-console front seating options, for customers who wanted a sports-car image or personalized feel to their car.
Recently, as U.S. cars were designed smaller in order to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy standards as well as intense competition from imported cars (particularly Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese models), bucket seats became the de facto front configuration among domestic cars. As of 2010, only full-sized sedans and pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
s retain the front bench seat.
Although rear seating in automobiles largely uses bench seats, some 2+2 cars have bucket seats in the rear. Long-wheelbase variants of full-size luxury cars, such as the Lexus LS 460L have an "executive seating package" option that reduces the rear to two passengers but provides them with more amenities. The Porsche Panamera
Porsche Panamera
The Porsche Panamera is a four-door a coupe. It is front-engined with rear-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive versions also available....
, despite its large size, only offers bucket seats as the rear configuration.
The concept of bucket seats is also used in passenger vans and minivan
Minivan
Minivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
s, although they are not generally referred to as such; for instance Ford refers to these types of seats as "Captains Chairs." Unlike cars, bucket seats in vans can be configurated in different ways or even removed for more cargo storage. In the typical minivan configuration, the front and middle row passengers have two bucket seats each, while the rear has a three-person bench, for a total of 7 passengers. The 2005-2010 Honda Odyssey
Honda Odyssey (North America)
The Honda Odyssey is a minivan manufactured by Japanese automaker Honda since 1994.The Odyssey had originally been conceived and engineered in Japan, in the wake of country's economic crisis of the 1990s – which in turn imposed severe constraints on the vehicle's size and overall concept,...
(except for the base trim) adds a stowable "PlusOneSeat"
Jump seat
A jump seat , in aviation refers to an auxiliary seat for individuals — other than normal passengers — who are not operating the aircraft. In general, the term 'jump seat' can also refer to a seat — in any type of vehicle — which can fold up out of the way; vehicles include carriages, automobiles,...
between the middle row bucket seats.