What exactly is "full leather" and how do you know if a car has it?

r-mm · 04:02 PM

Dumb question...

When a Carrera has "full leather" does this mean that the rear seats are genuine rather than vinyl? Anything else? Was the shift boot usually leather to match the seats? Or if a car has a matching leather shift boot that indicates that it also has full leather? Did a search and came up with a lot of posts saying "do a search" but nothing that addresses this specifically.

911dean · 911dean's Garage

I believe it's part of my option list. I think these items are leather: dash,headliner,door panels and seats. My shift boot is rubber. I'd like to learn more about it, hopefully others will chime in.

r-mm · 02-10-2013, 04:53 PM

I should have added - I'm asking specifically about an 87 Carrera.

Flat6pac · 02-10-2013, 04:57 PM

If the dash is leather and shrinking, its a full leather interior.
Bruce

javadog · 05:29 PM

Fulll leather interiors in that era included all surfaces of all four seats, the door panels, rear quarter panels, door pulls, door pocket lids, lower dash trim, upper door and quarter panel trim, rear parcel shelf and (in some years) the dash. Yeah, you got a leather shifter boot, too.

There was an option in some years/markets for everything to be leather but the upper trim, dash, etc. to be vinyl. This option was intended for hot, sunny climates.

JR

r-mm · 02-10-2013, 05:17 PM

I'm guessing that visually (from pics) its pretty hard to tell if its full leather or not since you'd be trying to discern leather from vinyl that was explicitly made to look like leather...

There are no easy tells?

javadog · 02-10-2013, 05:29 PM

It's pretty obvious to me. Leather and vinyl look nothing like one another, if the pictures are halfway decent. Plus, some colors were available in leather only.

JR

r-mm · 02-10-2013, 05:45 PM

The car in question has a bright red interior, not positive if its Can-Can, Lobster or Lipstick but it is BRIGHT. Does that give any clues? The pics are unfortunately less than decent and I'm dealing with an old school seller who can't send more.

timmy2 · timmy2's Garage

My Lobster interior has an orange hue to it. Quite like a boiled lobster.. Hard to see in pictures though. The car was originally full leather including the dash.

McLovin · 02-10-2013, 06:43 PM

It's easy to tell a full leather from a partial leather in an 80s carrera.

There are a lot of giveaways. One, for example, is the door pulls and the lids for the door pockets. To make the leather fit on those pieces, they had to stitch together several pieces of leather. So you can see the stitching. On the partial leather cars, they are made from one piece, molded rubbery/plastic.

McLovin · 02-10-2013, 06:44 PM

post pretty much any interior pic you have up. I'll tell you if it's a full or partial leather car.

ivangene · 02-10-2013, 07:22 PM

Hey, anyone read the article in pano about the very last 930

Bit of a "full leather" car
Check it out, worth the read

Harvs11 · Harvs11's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by McLovin

It's easy to tell a full leather from a partial leather in an 80s carrera.

There are a lot of giveaways. One, for example, is the door pulls and the lids for the door pockets. To make the leather fit on those pieces, they had to stitch together several pieces of leather. So you can see the stitching. On the partial leather cars, they are made from one piece, molded rubbery/plastic.

I know the question relates to an '87 Carrera, I have a '80 SC first delivered to the USA. In my car everything, including the dash upper and the roof liner (perforated leather) is leather trimmed. The exception is the armrest pads and door pulls which are molded black plastic. The only vinyl I have found is on the parcel shelf.

The options list was quite extensive making no two cars the same.

DRACO A5OG · DRACO A5OG's Garage

It would be front and back, basically all over

, even dash gauges surround

dshepp806 · dshepp806's Garage

My 89 S.A. Edition has Leather everywhere except the door caps, dash, dash front backing, and rear deck (top part),..all else was leather, from the Factory. It's ALL being replaced , as we speak!

I've opted to make the dash repair of leather, even against the great advice here. I'll take my chances and provide that dash the best of loving attention.....paying strict attention to what will be necc'y to keep a full leather dash in "working order"....wish me luck.

Can't wait for the FULL smell of fresh LEATHER!!!!!!!!

BEST!

Doyle

frankc · 02-10-2013, 09:44 PM

My car had the full leather option, but as usual the leather on the dash shrunk and turned it into a Pringle. Everything else has held up rather well.

When the windshield was out for some paint work, I decided to use the opportunity to replace the dash as well. The shop talked me out of leather, saying it would just shrink again, so I went with vinyl.