RICKY RECAROS
HTX Slab Directory · Permanent Collection
RICKY
RECAROS
The RECARO Story in Houston
Vintage RECARO seats, above all the ones with the open fishnet headrest, came out of sports cars like the Trans Am, Mustang and pace cars. In Houston, they went into the G-bodies: Regals, Cutlasses, Grand Prixs and Monte Carlos, never the Cadillacs. On the street they were called Ricks, Ricky Ricardos or just chairs, and a pair with the fishnets almost never got sold. This archive documents how a German sports seat became Houston slab royalty.
Much of the Houston history has never been written down. Where we don’t have documentation yet, we say so. Everything here is a research project in progress.
“RECARO can tell the world how the seat was engineered. Houston can tell the world what the seat became.”HTX Slab Directory editorial principle
Houston Special Edition concept
What if RECARO built a seat just for Houston? Fishnet Ricks have been part of slab culture since the ’90s. This concept gives them a city of their own: white leather, Houston blue piping, fishnet headrests and a varsity H on the back.
Designed by Don Karl Khallid for HTX Slab Directory. See the full piece and the poster in the gallery.
A Don Karl Khallid design concept. Not an official RECARO product or release. RECARO is a trademark of its owner.
RECARO seats in Houston slab culture
Research in progressSlab interiors have always been about comfort, presence and personal style. At some point, vintage RECARO seats made by the German seat maker — and especially the versions with the netted headrest — became one of the interior upgrades people in Houston recognized and wanted.
We are still documenting when that happened, which cars carried them first, where Houston owners bought them, and who installed and upholstered them. We will publish dates, names and places only once they can be supported by photographs, documents or more than one first-hand account.
Open questions we’re working on
- When did RECARO seats start showing up in Houston slabs?
- Which cars carried them first?
- Where did Houston owners buy them — new, used, salvage, imported?
- Which shops installed and upholstered them?
- When did the netted headrest become especially wanted?
- How did the look change from one era to the next?
The name: “Ricky Recaros”
Oral history · not yet corroboratedRECARO is the manufacturer’s name. In Houston, according to first-hand memory shared by HTX Slab Directory founder Jay, people called these seats Ricky Recaros.
One possibility is that the name played on Ricky Ricardo, Desi Arnaz’s character on I Love Lucy, a show that stayed on television for decades.
That connection is a research lead, not a confirmed origin. We have not found a first documented use, an originator or a date, and we won’t publish one until we can support it.
We are also listening for other versions people may remember, including RickysRicks — and for whatever else people actually said.
What we want to learn
- When Houston people began saying “Ricky Recaros”
- Which neighborhoods used the term
- Whether other versions of the name existed
- Whether “Ricky Ricardo” actually influenced the nickname
- Whether different generations remember it differently
- Who first remembers hearing it
How we ask (our interview method)
To avoid putting words in anyone’s mouth, interviews start with open questions:
- “What did y’all call those old RECARO seats?”
- “What did people call the ones with the netted headrests?”
- “What did you call them back then?”
- Only after an unprompted answer: “Do you remember hearing Ricky Recaros, Rickys, Ricks or Ricky Ricardo?”
Every answer is recorded as volunteered or prompted, along with the person’s era and neighborhood.
Identifying vintage RECARO seats: the models we’re researching
Guide under constructionRECARO’s historic “L” range is one of our main research subjects. RECARO literature will confirm how the seats were designed. A headrest alone doesn’t establish the exact RECARO model. We are comparing complete seats, period photographs, labels, markings and RECARO documentation before assigning model names. A seat has to be read as a whole.
Look at the whole seat
- Seat back / backrest shape
- Seat bottom cushion & thigh extension
- Headrest type
- Side bolsters
- Recliner mechanism & knob
- Frame
- Hardware, sliders & brackets
- Labels & tags
- KBA numbers
- Keiper and other manufacturing markings
Models & families being researched
LX · LS · SR families — designations will be listed once confirmed from RECARO documentation.
| Family | Designations under study | Status |
|---|---|---|
| LX | LX | Researching |
| LS | LS | Researching |
| SR | SR | Researching |
Coming: side-by-side visual comparisons of LX, LS and related variants, including any that Houston owners used — headrests, backrests, cushions, bolsters, thigh extensions, recliners, frames, labels and hardware.
The netted headrest — fishnet, halo, the one Houston wanted
Feature in progressThe open, see-through RECARO headrest — called a netted, fishnet or halo headrest depending on who you ask — is the detail people in Houston most often connect with slab interiors, according to the accounts we’ve gathered so far. It gets its own guide.
History
Where the design came from and when it appeared.
Original versions
What period-correct netted headrests look like.
Designs & variations
The different shapes, frames and net styles.
Compatibility
Which seats they fit, and which they don’t.
Construction
Frame, net, mounting posts and padding.
Restoration & nets
Repairing frames and replacing nets.
Original vs reproduction
How to tell period parts from new ones.
Houston examples
Documented slabs with netted headrests.
Original or reproduction?
If you want authentic originals, we want to help you identify them. If you’re comfortable using reproductions, that’s your car and your decision. Our job is accurate identification — not judging anybody’s build.
When we describe a seat, a part or a listing, we’ll use one of these classifications:
A detailed authentication checklist — labels, markings, hardware and construction details — will be added as we verify each point.
Houston slabs with RECARO seats
Collecting entriesA documented gallery of real Houston cars. Every photo will be credited and used with permission — no images pulled from around the internet.
Each entry will record
Vehicle · Model year · Owner · Build era · Seat model (if known) · Headrest type · Upholstery · Upholstery shop · Builder · Photographer · Photo date · Historical notes · Source · Permission & credit
Have photos?
If you own, built, photographed or remember a Houston slab with RECARO seats, we’d like to document it — with full credit to you.
Submit a carCatalogs, brochures & literature
Permissions requestedPeriod documentation is how we’ll confirm model names and details. We’ve written to RECARO Automotive’s press office about its archives and about permission to show historical material. Nothing copyrighted will be reproduced here without permission.
Restoration & resources
Bringing old seats back — from foam to frames to replacement nets. As we verify restorers and suppliers, they’ll be listed here and connected to Houston shops in the directory.
Houston Interiors & Upholstery shops
Looking for general custom interior work? That lives in our Interiors & Upholstery category.
Topics coming
- Foam
- Diaphragms
- Frames
- Sliders & brackets
- Hardware
- Upholstery & covers
- Headrest components & replacement nets
- Vintage RECARO restorers
- Houston upholstery shops
Vintage RECARO seats & parts for sale
Listings coming soonOnce the history and identification guides are in place, we’ll show current third-party listings here, each with its classification and the date we last checked it. You buy directly from the seller on their marketplace.
ILLUSTRATIONRECARO LX pair, black leather, net headrests
- Marketplace
- eBay
- Price
- $2,399 or best offer
- Condition
- Used, seller says like new
- Ships from
- Thailand
- Classification
- Unverified
- Last checked
- Oct 12, 2026
We may earn a small commission from eBay purchases through this link.
Selling a vintage RECARO seat or part?
Tell us about it. We’ll identify and classify it before featuring it.
Contact usRECARO Classic LX & Classic LS
Awaiting verificationRECARO offers modern Classic LX and Classic LS seats. We’ve written to RECARO Automotive and to a RECARO retailer, and will publish pricing and availability only once verified.
We’re also researching whether vintage netted / halo headrests can be used with — or obtained for — the modern Classic seats.
Interviews & oral history
Recording nowThe Houston side of this story lives with the people who were there. We’re looking to talk with:
RECARO is a trademark of its owner. HTX Slab Directory is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by RECARO. “Ricky Recaros” is a Houston community term.
eBay sold listings for “recaro fishnet,” Oct 13, 2023 – Oct 12, 2026. Prices exclude shipping; most pairs are Japan imports and ship for $400–$500. Updated October 2026.
Shop Fishnet RECAROs on eBay
Vintage RECARO seats and fishnet headrests listed right now, newest first.
Featured pairs right now
- RECARO LX, black leather, net headrests (pair) →
- RECARO LX, brown checkerboard, fishnet (pair) →
- RECARO LS-M, restored (pair) →
HTX Slab Directory may earn a small commission from eBay purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.
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