356 Interior

I've seen it before and although not really for me, it looks great and adds to the vintage look

It's pretty nice looking to me, a bit fussy for others. Plusses include better breathing than leather (waayyy better than vinyl), it warms up faster in cold weather, it can help keep you from sliding around if you have roadster style seats like the ones pictured. Make sure you get a heavy (16oz) upholstery grade fabric or you'll be sorry.  Thinner/cheaper stuff gets baggy and stretches out.  If you're not doing it yourself, make sure the upholsterer understands how you want it to look (matching pattern, major accent color going horizontal or vertical, etc. Like how the vertical stitching in the example goes along the red accent lines in the pattern and uses matching thread).

Original 356's had corduroy insets, and later the 911's had a houndstooth they called pepita.  Even later they had a pattern called pasha. Pasha is not for those effected by vertigo and would look particularly bad on a 356.

The guy who did the seats has won Pebble Beach four times for interiors.  Not sure what the gauge is.

Eric Marshall Green posted:

The guy who did the seats has won Pebble Beach four times for interiors.  Not sure what the gauge is.

If he's that good, follow his lead!!!

=My father had a 1952 356, ordered fromFerry Porsche in 1951, with those corduroy seat inserts.  So, I do know about those.

MIchael, what are you talking about?  The photo is of my 356.

Eric, I thought you'd posted a picture for illustration purposes and to get opinions about having it done. Didin't realize that was the finished product. I think it looks great!!! I'd totally rock that!

Edit: I did't see the first line of the original post, hand woven by your wife. That is extra special! Hat's off to both of you!

...I'm gonna go clean my glasses now...

Thanks, bud!  The seats are insanely comfortable.  I have a bad back.  Only in that seat does it feel good.  Cheers!@

I wear a kilt on occasion so I think my bum would look quite good on a tartan seat.

I like the plaid. Very Stirling Moss, and whether it’s factory-correct or not, it looks period-correct.

and as for hand weaving it - well that’s just insane!

I have quite a history with Stirling because of my father  The plaid seats were created in his honor.  Thank you for noticing!

A tasty Stirling bit.

Eric Marshall Green posted:

I have quite a history with Stirling because of my father  The plaid seats were created in his honor.  Thank you for noticing!

Do tell.

Suppertime here in Maine.  I will find the time soon.  Thanks

Those seats are the bomb! That whole car looks really excellent. 

Thank you.  I planned it over a 30 year period as I earned the money to pay for it.  Funny how my notes from long ago became a reality.

Just a terrific story so far. Looking forward to the whole story!!

Panhandle Bob posted:

Just a terrific story so far. Looking forward to the whole story!!

Agreed. I love to hear about stuff like this.

Stirling Moss - such a childhood hero to me, with my fascination back then on British sports cars.  Great story so far...

And your car looks fantastic.

Plaid isn't my thing, but FANTASTIC job! Even more impressive is your wife did the weaving of the fabric. It does look nice.

I saw Mr. Moss at LRP a few years ago(5?). What an impressive low-key racer.

@Eric Marshall Green Great job.  Your interior looks fantastic!  Saw plaid inserts in a Speedster last year at Fantasy Junction.  I loved it then.

Its perfect. I am a huge fan of plaids/tartan. Lining everything up is an art form in my opinion. I did the front and rear door cards in my Carrera - a few times - to get the patterns *ok*. I sold the car prior to getting the seats done. The mk1 GTI I am currently building will absolutely be wearing plaid as well.

Beautiful job.

Love the seats! It’s all about making it your own!

Stephen

Erik:  Those seats are awesome! The rest of the interior ain't too shabby, either.

Your project is coming along very nicely, indeed.

Thanks, everyone!  Notice that my seats are five-fold plaid and the others are one straight piece.  The five-fold requires extra material that is sown under.  VERY difficult and needs a huge secret to work, or the lines of the tartan will not mate perfectly.

As to THE STORY.  Here are nearly 1000 pages including movie trailers for the upcoming film.  Stirling taught my dad the four-wheel drift in the 1940s.  http://quantumrun356.com

Kevin, I told my plaid idea to Rod Emory on the phone, and soon enough saw him do seat centers that way.  He seemed to like a number of my ideas because they appeared in that 356.  Since then, I think people are noticing how good it can look.  The only time a saw it before was in 1975 at Chuck Stoddards in Ohio.  Chuck had just bought a very rare Pre-A for HUGE money then.  It had plaid seats.  I've never been able to find anything on that car again.  The blinker arm blinked red at the tip!  I was 18 years old.

Wow, Eric, That is quite the story! It's gonna take a while to read/watch.  Dad sounded like a hell of a guy!

The first time I remember seeing plaid inserts used was on a Gullwing Merc. It was an article from Car and Driver I think. Long time ago. As I recall it was about a photographer that followed F1 and racing in the 60's and this was the car he used to drive all over Europe.  That totally captured my imagination, still does. Can't find the brain cell that the rest of the info is stored in. It was white with a blue plaid and his daughters used to ride two abreast in the wider passenger seat.

Anyway, I was planning on doing on my build. This post makes me want to even more. 

Eric!   I’m about 1/4 way through your file.  Reminds me of a cross between Burt Levy and Jack Kerouac with some William Least-Heat Moon thrown in.  What a cool Road Trip read.   Thanks for posting it - I’m thoroughly enjoying it!
Gordon

Google "Eric Green, painter". Some really interesting work. Some is "Edward Hopper-esque", and all striking.

I am reading his blog as well. It will take awhile.

Panhandle, I was rejected by the art world for 45 years and lived pretty poor.  SUDDENLY, I began to sell like crazy.  Thus I could create the 356 of my dreams and drive it across America for the memory of my dad.

JMM Know those Mercs well.  It began with the Merc 55 F1 car the Stirling drove, I think.

In 1955, at just 25 years old, Sir Sterling Moss piloted this 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR to victory in the Mille Miglia. 
I saw it up close at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.  I was hoping to find interior pics of my own, but I guess I didn’t; so I “borrowed” one from the internet. 

Kevin, I have a VERY exact model in 1/18 scale of that car.  It is prized.  I think Moss's feat in the MM was the greatest achievement in sporting history.  My friend Jim was having lunch with Stirling some years ago, and Stirling thought it was the most amazing thing he'd ever done as well.  I asked what they had for lunch!@

What an epic! What an honor to your Dad. It speaks volumes about you.

Thank you so much.

Good for you, Eric. The old saw about an artist is never appreciated until after he/she is gone didn't hold true with you. That's terrific.

Now there is a real D top with zip down rear window.  That feature I love on my IM. 

I also like those side marker lights were they factory? 

@Eric Marshall Green :  Saw the business card you designed for your Dad.  When did you guys live in Westborough?  You were about a mile from us on Glen Street, on the other side of Nourse Farm.

Small World, huh?

I hung out around the farm ALL the time.  My dad drove a Fjord green 1961 356B then.  This in the late 1960s.

Ray, the marker lights were only used in Belgium and maybe Japan in 1956.  These are NOS.  Most stuff visible is NOS.