[Wierd Riviera Question 01] Why No Leather Seats In 1964?

[J3Studio]

9 hours ago, jsgun said:

my 92 vette has leather seats and steering wheel wrap. It feels like hard plastic, there's no give or softness to the material at all. 

 

Big differences between early C4 and late C4 seats.

[frenchy51]

Turbinator- That's an original interior? Wow! NICE preserved Rivi....How many miles on her? I need the story. I guess when you're from "Leatherville" you can't go plastic  (-;

[Turbinator]

On 3/24/2019 at 8:30 AM, frenchy51 said:

Turbinator- That's an original interior? Wow! NICE preserved Rivi....How many miles on her? I need the story. I guess when you're from "Leatherville" you can't go plastic  (-;

Frenchy, to me the materials are determined by the need to accomplish something. In the case of my upholstery in my 63 the trim tag indicates leather interior. The interior in the car was ok , but I wanted a little more spiff in my ride. I bought everything per repros spec from Clark’s Corvair. I got the window fuzzies, all the wether stripping, carpet, padding, and of course the leather. Clark Corvair has great merch and very good customer service. I will tell the truth I have  had a terrible time with the button covers coming off the button base. The upholsterer put on 5-7 replacement buttons. I finally found a remedy to hold the buttons on of my own design. I replaced the dash pad on the original frame and it turn out real good. I the dash pad color to match and the cover fits like a glove[. I’ve been fortunate on the interior , other than the button covers coming off. Car has 73,000 miles now. I like leather. Matter of fact all my favorite shoes have  a full leather sole. Thank you for your interest.

Turbinator

[Zimm63]

Bob- Where did you get your floormats?  I have originals that were in my car, but they are worn out.  

[RivNut]

1 hour ago, Zimm63 said:

Bob- Where did you get your floormats?  I have originals that were in my car, but they are worn out.  

Look at what CARS, www.oldbuickparts.com, has to offer.  

[Zimm63]

Thanks.  Don't recall they had red the last time I looked.

[riv2x4]

On this subject, has anyone had Clarks make a set of leather seat covers for a 64? They have the pattern and I'd think the material.

[RivNut]

They would probably do the '64 pattern in leather as long as it was in a standard '63 leather that they would have on hand.  

[telriv]

Clark's did mine for my '64 in leather probably about 16 or so years ago in the '64 pattern.

[Turbinator]

On 3/19/2019 at 11:21 AM, petelempert said:

Leather has a funny history in US cars. Early upscale cars had serious leather seating with upholstery that was much more like home furniture. Postwar luxury cars also had thick, heavy leather seating. If treated well, those interiors take on a patina that is really pleasing to some, but generally un-appealing to the restoration crowd. Very little of a modern car interior is actually leather...like hide from a cow. Most manufacturers actually call out "leather seating surfaces" which means pretty much everything on the seat is vinyl except the sides facing your butt and back. Add to that all the fancy marketing terms used to imply leather but actually describe a vinyl product. Alcantara leather is a term salesmen will tell you actually is leather with a straight face when really it's a spun textile of polyester and polyurethane. Todays Alcantara is yesterday's Morrokide. Suede, low glare dashboards on Corvette's are actually vinyl. Step into a King Ranch Ford pick up the days and its the best replication of what old school leather interiors were all about and yet most of that interior is actually vinyl. Interestingly, in Asia leather interiors are considered crude in upscale cars and silk spun interiors are considered ultra luxury. We live in a plastic age and consumers seem to care less and less about what something actually is and more  about how it looks, feels and performs. Very little of the brushed aluminum trim you see in a modern car interior is actually metal. The fastest selling "hardwood look" home flooring product today is actually vinyl  Nobody cares. PRL

We live in a plastic age and consumers seem to care less and less about what something actually is and more  about how it looks, feels and performs. Very little of the brushed aluminum trim you see in a modern car interior is actually metal. The fastest selling "hardwood look" home flooring product today is actually vinyl  Nobody cares. PRL

 

Pete, your post on leather and American’s taste regarding personal consumption of goods is great. I agree “ Nobody cares”. I actually think Americans are looking for utility. The consumer says to themselves what is in this product or service for me?

There are  many examples I could give where Americans could care less how the goods services are delivered .

thank you

Turbinatot

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[Buffalowed Bill]

Bob,

 

Yes and no. The fact that we are mostly Americans, and that we appreciate the things that we used to take for granted that shouted quality, means that some of us remember how important a car used to be. In a society where on one end of the spectrum we have utility, and the other end the mochismo  as represented by America's for big pickup trucks, we are outliers for our appreciation of old luxury. The distant future is a different matter, but for now we are blessed to be able to share our appreciation of some of the best cars ever produced.

 

Bill