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Project Details

Fabric 1

Ascot Wool Cut Pile Carpet - Supplied by Reid & Twiname
Producer/Manufacturer: OTHER
Primary Use: Secondary Fabric

Fabric 2

Bedford Houndstooth - Supplied by Le Mans
Producer/Manufacturer: OTHER
Primary Use: OTHER

Fabric 3

Jaguar Black Vinyl - Supplied by Le Mans
Producer/Manufacturer: OTHER
Primary Use: OTHER

Please describe the project specifications

Our client, the third-generation owner brought their 1960 Bel Air in for a full interior restoration. The 1960 Bel Air has been in our client’s family since day dot and had a price tag of £3,500 which was just over half the price of the average house in the 60s. The original exterior paint colour was black, but our client’s grandfather painted it white as there was another Ford in the town and he wanted his to be different.

The overall goal was to restore the whole vehicle. By the time it was in our workshop, the exterior paint was returned to an original jet-black shade for originality. Our client had decided on a houndstooth fabric for the design that they presented our team. Inspired by a two door 1960 American Impala which had much higher specifications, our team had to accommodate for new features such as the carpets, door panels, front, and rear seats (with pleats), speaker installation, shifter cover, parcel shelf, front, and rear seat belts, fitting of new windows supplied by the client, window channels, boot panel, interior rooflining, sun visors, and sound proofing of the whole vehicle.

One feature in particular that was included in the American model but not the New Zealand model, was the speaker grill in the back seat. This was an added decorative feature that our team had to source and fit as a part of the clients request as well as the houndstooth on the seats and door cards.

As our client received the vehicle when they just 16 years old, it was running for the past 14 years until they decided to begin a ground up restoration six years ago.

As our client’s vehicle was very tired and worn out, the ground up restoration decision was implemented to help update and modernise the 62-year-old vehicle. The overall goal our client had in mind was to ensure that the life of the vehicle was prolonged for the future generations ahead to also enjoy. This was to ensure they could have the vehicle in a state where they can enjoy the hard work that has gone into the restoration of it, and not only feel like they’re driving around a brand-new vehicle but so that it is in good condition for future generations to come.

What is unique or complex about the project?

What was most complex about this vehicle restoration project was putting an inspired two door American model into the reality of a four door New Zealand model.

In particular, getting the lines accurate throughout the whole vehicle was difficult as houndstooth increases gamma oscillations in the brain which are associated with headaches, ultimately meaning our team would have sore eyes and begin to second guess measurements if they looked at the material for longer periods of time e.g., cutting and sewing. Hence why this had to be sewn in bite size pieces to ensure accuracy. Although this may have been a complex material to work with, we successfully succeeded with an astonishing end result.

As the background of this vehicle is very unique, our client felt the need to keep his father in the loop on how the restoration process was coming along. Due to the nature of the heirloom, our client’s father was uneasy on upgrading anything related to the car as he thought it was going to just be another ‘hotrod.’ To his surprise, we were able to show him that the vehicle is more than just a ‘hotrod,’ but something that can be enjoyed and used for the future to come by many more generations.

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