1978 911 SC Red Interior Color Question

[bbturbo]

Hey, all. I have a '78 911sc targa and am curious for those experienced in the difference between "light red" and "lobster" interiors. I believe mine is "light red", as in person it doesn't look as orange/pale as lobster. However, I wanted to see if anyone could chime in with some knowledge. As many know, both were options in '78.

See photos below. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

[jrwilson]

That is totally Lobster.

Consider yourself lucky to not have a cracked dash!

[911hutch]

Yup Totally Lobstah........ and my R.O.W. coupe has the same interior combination as you have....the same cloth inserts/material as you have....... I haven't been able to source that exact material as I also have some deterioration of the material.

[bbturbo]

Thanks for the help, you two!

Jrwilson, I'm definitely happy about the dash being clean in that regard.

911hutch, that's interesting. I've never seen another interior like ours... in person anyway. I didn't believe it to be rare but would love to see a shot of your interior. I'm not looking forward to upholstering these in an alternative as I love the original covers.

[jrwilson]

It's extremely rare but there's more than I expected - this guy has tracked down 41 of them:

https://www.instagram.com/savethe911lobster/

[timmy2]

My ROW car is the same except “light red” leather dash failed and has a black one now.
I’m saying Light Red as that is how it is described in the Netherlands DMV.
I had the car checked for originality through them by a friend.
The red interior with black carpeting is as originally delivered.
Maybe the term Lobster is the US Marketing?
Lots of pics in here with some scrolling:
Finally, back in the game!

[911hutch]

[911hutch]

Interesting the picture as it reproduces here makes the Lobster color look more red than orange..the actual picture portrays the color more accurately, i.e. more orange...true Lobster interior color appears a bit more orange than shown here...

[bbturbo]

Lobster photographs redder than orange, but also the leather/vinyl contrast had me thinking twice.

Does anyone have a good source for lobster dye?

[jrwilson]

I had mine custom matched by Color-Plus. It was spot on perfect.

[Bill Douglas]

Nice seats JR.

[bbturbo]

Jrwilson, where did you pull your clean sample from the car so they could match?

[brasch]

Best is to pull a cut of material from under the seat where the sun hasn’t hit it much, you can get SEM vinyl/leather paint matched to that to freshen up any areas too, plus match any new leather/vinyl you need

[jac1976]

You guys might want to reach out to these folks:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssn=steufmehl-teile&store_name=steufmehlteile&_oac=1&_trksid=p2047675.m145687.l2562

https://www.ebay.com/itm/295096700993

[jac1976]

[911hutch]

Jac1976...... thanks, about ten years ago I was trying to source that insert material and came up empty....

[bbturbo]

Nice, Jac1976! So, guys, would you get this material and dye it to the proper orange? This sample looks tan, or is it just my computer?

Brasch, thanks for the tip. I'll have to dive under my seat and see what's still looking fresh.

[jac1976]

It looks tan to me, too. But seemed to be a close match to one of the above photos (albeit that upholstery is likely sun-faded). I’d contact the seller as they seem to have a number of vintage upholstery for VW, Porsche, etc.

[bbturbo]

The sun definitely went to work on my seats. Underneath reveals a nice reddish/orange pinstripe, like 911hutch's.

[jac1976]

Was the stripe dark?