Hi Claude, seems the seats are overstuffed compared to the factory seat. Did he add anything inside the seats ? They always look great when new compared to 25 -40 yr old leather for sure. Nice little refresh you did on the mondial ! Since we can't see the quality of the material on a computer screen, did you check out other materials ? Have you seen the new Ferrari leather material (which is similar to 458 leather) Curious to what you compared with that was done by Vic, and why ? And if I do the math, if you had to redo the entire car interior, you would have spent 10k as well if not a tad more. Thanks.
Hi Big Red, I guess my Mondial seats may have been stuffed a bit but I don't know. They really look correct to me. You can't compare to a old seat that is all shrinked and foam compressed by years of use. I feel the seats look like a new seat should look. I never really looked at a newer Ferrari to compare. I know the quality of the leather from my 308 seats skins he did. He use Autolux brand leather who bought Connolly. The leather he use is thicker than the original and feel more supple. I was impressed by the quality of workmanship when I got my 308 skins. I've had quotes from other shops and they were ALL much more expensive. I'm glad I did business with him and that is why I sent him my Mondial seats after I bought it. I have hard time to understand why other are selling the kit for $2200 when he can sell the 308 kit for $995 and I'm telling you it is quality no junk. I'd like to compare side by side with the others. I've been disapointed in the past by other jobs I saw that I was a little scared at first. I've done business a couple times with a shop here in Quebec who does very nice work but they quoted me close to $3000 for the 2 seat covers(skins). I have no affiliation with him and I may sound very anthousiastic but I was so much happy with the result and price that I wanted others to know.
The reason why I ask is , I have seen many cars after the redo , and though they look good on there own, I could tell it was more of a Benz, or BMW seating. The leather is a big factor, and then the workmanship is another to get the seats right. In some cases the leather doesn't sit right, so the shops add foam to take out the kink in the thicker leather. Though it looks good, it does take away from its originality....personal preference for me at least. I would think the ones that are more expensive have more experience with the seats and make them more correct to how it came out the factory. Its good to see he uses autolux brand leather, but it would be interesting to see how close it is to the old leather of the past. I have been debating my interior as I know I will be due one day and fighting myself on what is more correct. I have seen the new Ferrari replacement leather from the factory, and it is the material from 458s which is not period correct for our older cars. So the choice becomes, do you go with a Ferrari backed leather that is not period correct, or go for a non Ferrari backed leather that is close to period correct ? That is my challenge , and why I asked about your thoughts about the leather choices and quality. Thanks for the candid feedback, your car looks great, hope I can be as happy as you once I decide
Big red, the difference I noted on the leather compaired to the original is the thickness and also the way it is dyed. The original leather look to have been sprayed on top with color. The leather in not colored thrue the skin. The new leather look like it had been soaked in the dye and the color is more into the grain right thru the skin. Let me know if you want a little sample of each.
I also think it will be very hard to have an original look from new seats. Keep in mind the time (35 years) has done its part on the OEM leather look and feel. Did you look and feel the same 35 years ago
Question to those that have retrimmed their interior (both leather and carpet bits): does this disqualify you from obtaining Classiche certification?
If it did, there wouldn't be any of those 50s and 60s cars with a certificate. They are all much better (re-)trimmed now than they ever were originally. They are probably better mechanically too.
Having worked on re-dying my '85 QV 308 interior, seats, center console and door trims, I have learned a few things. You may be re-doing the interior with new leather, etc., but I learned that there are a couple of major differences. First, you are correct, the "period" leather was dyed by painting the leather, and over a period of years, this hardened and is one of the main reasons why the leather starts to feel like cardboard. In re-dying my interior, I used the Leatherique product which is water based and a Dye rather than a Paint. Go to the Leatherique website and read about the different types of leather as well. I have had to clean off all the old paint / dye, and then apply the new water based product. The old leather is a lot softer than it was before. The earlier Ferrari's used a leather that has a lot more grain showing, unlike modern Ferrari's which use a much smoother leather. This could be some of the differences you are seeing, and some of the comments attached. I think that if you are re-doing a 70's - 80's car, it perhaps should keep the more grained look with the leather. Grained leather is available today, it's only a matter of finding a supplier with a similar type of leather. If you re-do the interior with a "smooth" type of leather, it will look different, regardless to how well it is trimmed. I am not sure of how the judges look at this, but it may be a major sticking point when trying for a Classiche Certification. Someone in the Ferrari Club can set you straight on that. I know this is slightly off track with respect to re-trimming interiors, but it should give you a good reference point. Types of Dye, types of leather and quality to expect. Cost is another matter altogether. Check out the comments of Mike Charness in re-finishing his 308. I followed his and Leatherique's directions and am very happy with the end result. That is on another Thread, please take a look. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks to this thread, I contacted Vic at topsonline. A nice and knowledgeable guy with very good pricing for a Ferrari interior.
