You’ve been through the entire restoration process; trawled the classifieds and scoured the auctions, found a good basis for a project, cut and welded it, replaced almost every moving part, rubbed down and painted the bodywork, and now its all back together, shiny and running like a clock. But what about the interior? The seats look like they were home to a nest of badgers, the door panels allow excellent access to the window winder mechanisms and the headlining is dangling down towards the smelly, threadbare carpet. Even the most capable spanner-wielders seem to shirk at the prospect of tackling the fabric and leather of a car interior, and the sight of an otherwise tidy classic with a tatty cabin is pretty common at the vintage rallies the length and breadth of the country. The interior can often be simply neglected, once the car looks good on the outside and drives well on the road; nevertheless a mint interior remains the ultimate finishing touch to any collector vehicle.
Speaking from experience I’ve had a good few motors over the years, some old, some not so old, but not one has had an interior I could be proud of. Even worse than my inability to conquer the mysteries of a sewing machine was my inability to track down a specialist that could do the work for me at a reasonable price. Sound familiar…? If not, then turn the page, but if so, then help is at hand thanks to Stitched Up Autos, based near Dunshaughlin in Co. Meath. Proprietor Joe Cottrell has fourteen years experience in furniture and upholstery repair under his belt, but the fact that he is a big old car fan himself eventually got too much for him about two years ago, when he took the plunge and decided to devote himself full-time to classic interior work. The move paid off almost immediately, as Joe informs us that he is always booked six to eight cars in advance, and he is in the process of expanding his premises to cope with the workload.
Currently on the waiting list for his services are classics as diverse as an Aston Martin V8 and a Renault 17, and on the day of our visit a huge fifties Buick was moored outside his workshop, taking up most of the yard. Having come in a few days previously with a faded and rather tatty interior in light blue cloth, it had already been in receipt of new black carpets and the rear seat was finished in red and white leather, much more rock and roll and far more in keeping with such a car. In the past Joe has re-trimmed such delectable machines as Rolls-Royces, Daimlers (including a beautiful SP250 Dart) Porsche 911s and even a Mack truck, and when we say ‘re-trim’ we mean it; carpets, headlining, door panels, dashboards, seat covers and even steering wheels can be repaired and trimmed in almost any way possible.
Leafing through swathes of samples, Joe tells us that he can supply ten different types of leather to suit any era of classic, from top of the line Italian hide to imitation-worn leather that very convincingly replicates the slightly ‘distressed’ patina of a well-kept, original leather interior. A large selection of cloth is also available, from hardy seat cloths to light perforated material for use in headlinings. Such variety also ensures that a good match can be made with existing materials for effective repairs, rather than outright replacement, if budget and/or originality are of concern, and faded leather can also be re-dyed. Furthermore, broken seat frames can be repaired, new springs made up in-house and rolls of cushioning and padding are in stock ready to bolster that saggy old seat.
One of Joe’s specialities is steering wheels, and looking through his photos of past jobs is certainly very impressive. One BMW steering wheel particularly wowed us, as it had been completely trimmed in hand-stitched cream leather; such a job can take over a full day, and often involves reshaping the structure of the wheel to allow the seams of the leather to sit properly. Speaking of time-frames, a full interior generally takes no more than a week to eight days, quite a quick turn-around considering the quality and quantity of work involved. Prices obviously vary according to the extent of work and types of materials involved (much of which is in stock ready for immediate use), but we were amazed by Joe’s reasonable prices; leaving Joe’s workshop I was full of ideas for my own projects, with plans to return to him in the future with some interior bits of my own…
For more details, contact Joe Cottrell of Stitched Up Autos on 086 3555990 or
email joe.stitchedup@gmail.com.