Partial Leather?

[Huey581]

I just received my "Certificate of Authenticity" form Porsche(Highly Over-rated). It says my 86 911 Cab came with "Partial Leather/LT"interior. My question is, what is leather and what is not on the inside of my car? Any help is appreciated!

[don911]

With partial leather, I think about the only leather is the front seating surface...and steering wheel/shift boot if you want to include those items. At least that's all that is leather in my partial car.
With full leather, I think the entire front seat is leather along with the dash knee pads, rear seats, door panels and rear side panels. The dash pad may be as well but I thought that ended with earlier SC's.
Maybe someone with full leather can add more.

[old_skul]

The partial leather in my car includes not just the seat fronts, but also the console sides, and the doorhandles and map pocket covers.

[Eric Coffey]

Full leather interiors have the following items covered in leather:

Dash top
kneebars
ashtray
center console
door top rails
door panels
door handles
door pocket lids
complete front seats
rear seat backs & pads
rear parcel/speaker shelf
rear side panels
rear panel trim rails
steering wheel
shift boot

Generally if you can see stitching, it is leather. However, there are a few items like the seats, and rear parcel shelf that use stitching for both leather and vinyl. Also some pieces like the door top trim rails (i believe) don't use any stitching for either, so the best way to tell is to take it off and look at the underside. You should clearly see if it is leather (suede backing) or vinyl. Full-leather cars usually smell really good too!

-Eric

[rcilurso]

The seat fronts are the only leather part on my partial leather 87. Odd that others are different. Don't surprize me tho, this car has been a bucket o' surprizes.

I'm going to cover the whole thing in leather. Nothing like the smell of fresh cowhide.

[Boss]

I don't have a cert for my car ('87 Carrera) but I have always believed it to be full leather. It differs as follows:

Dash top no
kneebars no
ashtray no
center console yes
door top rails no
door panels yes
door handles yes
door pocket lids yes
complete front seats yes
rear seat backs & pads yes
rear parcel/speaker shelf no
rear side panels yes
rear panel trim rails no
steering wheel yes
shift boot yes

Just another data point.

[speeder]

I was selling new 911's at a dealership in '86 and '87. Partial leather was standard equipment on 911 carrera's and included front seat seating surfaces, (but not sides or back of seats), back seats were vinyl. Also steering wheel and shift boot+shifter were leather. There were two optional levels; "full leather seats",(just what it sounds like), and "full leather", which was basically whole interior, (door panels, grab-handles, etc.), but NOT dash-top or door tops or rear shelf. Turbo 911's came standard w/ "full leather". By 1986, Porsche had learned the hard way, through warranty claims, not to fit leather to top surfaces including dash. In hot, sunny climates, (where they sell most of U.S. cars), these items had about a 100% failure rate. Leather knee bolsters in those years would only have come on a "Sounderwunsch" car, (usually slant-nose turbos), where one could probably order leather bumpers and a continental-kit if willing to pay. (Porsche going after the un-tapped pimp market in those days).

[Huey581]

Thanks Guys!

It looks like Porsche should have listed my car with
"Just a Little Leather" rather than partial leather. Now
I know what kind of interior cleaner and protectant to buy!

[89911]

Isn't it nice to know for all the money that "certificate of authenticity" cost, they went into such detail about your car. And, yes, I got suckered into buying one also.