My Ferrari 365 GTC4

RESTORING THE INTERIOR OF A 1972 V12 FERRARI 365 GTC 4

There are quite a few components to the interior trim seats,dashboard & console,headlining & carpets & all except the headlining were really well badly worn. I really wanted to keep the original leather but the front seats were beyond saving as was the dash & iother interior covering The black Alcantara,an artificial suede like material had faded really badly & was worn completely smooth in the visible areas. Affectionately known as ”mouse hair” in the U.S.I managed to obtain a really close match to the material inside the glove box which was untouched by both wear & sunlight. The original material had a grained appearance but was something I could not find although it is available now some 10 years too late! I re-trimmed most of the simple pieces myself but there were complicated shapes & curves which required complex & detailed stitching that were beyond so I entrusted this work to an expert car upholsterer.
There are many Alcantara trimmed pieces dashboard,dashboard ends instrument binnacle,glove box,steering column pieces,ignition switch cover section.front window pillar covers,right handbrake & gear lever covers left & right tunnel sections & the several smaller pieces which cover the rear part of the tunnel to form a storage tray	The replacement of all these trim pieces is a time consuming task& the chosen material is very easily damaged or permanently marked so it must be done really carefully. Amazingly as the pieces are replaced the effect is really dramatic & you begin to understand what the interior looked like some 40 years before	There is a lot of Alcantara trimmed pieces: dashboard, dashboard ends, instrument binnacle, glove box, steering column pieces, igntion switch cover section, front window pillar covers, right handbrake & gear lever covers, left & right tunnel sections, & the several smaller pieces which cover the rear part of the tunnel to form a storage tray
The drivers seat leather was obviously the most worn & when I first got the car it was serviceable. Over time there were areas that were cracking & tearing. I had the recommended Connolly treatment on the interior & it looked really good but the coating peeled away & also began to crack& lift. As you can see over a 12 year period the leather deteriorated further & i decided to replace the leather		The rear seat leather was largely unused & still in great condition other than being badly creased. Apart from their age of 30 + years old no one had ever sat on them.They had been Connolised & dyed repeatedly & had the front seats been in similar condition I would have stayed with the original.Since I have owned my car for the leather has deteriorated badly & each time I used the car produced more problems.
The rear seats were largely unused & the leather is in good condition other than being really creased.Over a 40 years period I would not think they had ever been sat on.The other leather had been Connolised & dyed repeatedly but had failed & if the front seats had been like the rear I would not have redone the interior leather.	Leather dries out & hardens over time & there is real real deterioration & UV light causes.Even in a climate like the UK, sunlight has a damaging effect on natural products & leather is particularly susceptible.The leather dries & hardens & in many old cars does not get the repeated hide food applications that it needs.	The thread continued to pull out of the now perished leather on the front seat headrest in so many other areas & it is impossible to repair.I have had some areas restitched but the existing leather was repaired it is so dry & brittle the repairs were only temporary. My choice of a new leather is a Ferrari Fawn equivalent to the period original colour VM3218
		For confirmation of the hand made nature of the cars you need look no further than the the piece of tape on the inside of each hand made piece of aluminium.Interestingly 238 appears on some interior parts whereas others are numbered 239 Build number of 238 & date is handwritten on most piece. See on the inner surface aluminium of the door card,rear centre arm rest,rear window trim & front edge of the rear parcel shelf have similar pieces of hand torn tape
		There are quite a number of vinyl trim pieces that fit around the headlining to cover the internal details above the waistline The pieces that fits above the front screen is clearly also houses the sun visors & the interior light. The rear roof trim covers the rear edge of the headlining above the heated screen with the through flow ventilation system grilles. These trim pieces are hand made of aluminium & covered by a thin foam foam then matching vinyl.
		Above are the rear wheel covers that form part of the rear quarter trim adjacent to the rear seats.The top section of these covers is secured by the pieces below which clip over the internal body section at the bottom of the rear side windows& the covers.The leading edge is secured by the rubber door trim /draught exclude
		This is the trim panel that finishes off the front edge of the rear parcel shelf & retains the rear sear carpet & tops off the rear seat backrest These are the aluminium & leather trims that fit beneath the rear half-lights & secure these tops of the wheel arch trims.They are really complicated & hand made to no pattern that it is clear to see the individual nature of each car
		The headlining is made in three layers, a thin canvas layer,a thin foam layer & ten matching vinyl strips sewn lengthways. Evo-Stik Timebond adhesive as a contact adhesive that allows a little time for adjustment & repositioning. Normal contact can be difficult to apply on porous or absorbent material. This adhesive is an easily applied jelly & enables some movement rather than giving only one chance to accurately stick difficult pieces first time
		The carpets were made by Coverdale Carpets of Atherton Lancashire who are capable & reliable company. I had a new set of carpets made in Dark Blue Wilton which looked awful with the original leather & were hidden away in my workshop. I thought they would a perfect with the car colour & a contrast with the new leather Although the leather is not an original Connolly the new colours go well & I am happy the result.
I have always tried to keep to original as far as possible & I could have kept to original colour scheme but that was not my preferred choice. I have now changed both paint & interior colours but to Ferrari correct period colours. I wanted to be sensitive in this respect without becoming a slave that originality. Changing the paint colour was easily done when going back to bare metal as was replacing the leather to my preference. In most other respects the car is as original.
		This is the housing for the separate boot & filler cap release handles.It was a challenge to recover the metal frame & reinstall but patience & determination produced a good result. I expected the new colour ways of tan leather & Navy Blue Wilton carpets to work well together & they do.The original scheme was matching seat & carpet which I have replaced with a complementing contrast. I am happy with my choice as the original leather was not suitable for painted in Blue Sera Metallic.
The modern equivalent of the original leather is sold by UK Hide Co. as Connolly Autolux. The leather I bought was to be as original but was not supple at all. It was a similar flexibility to the existing 40 year old hide & marked & shaded.My upholsterer was so unhappy with it & said it would not produce a good result. I could not proceed on that basis & contacted the supplier where I ran into difficulties.	UK Hide insisted that the leather was perfect for my job & rudely suggested I find another upholsterer.They did refund my money & I purchased a different type of non Connolly leather.I am both pleased with the result & the reduced cost of this material. The new leather is tan equivalent to the period Ferrari colour & is a good combination with the carpet & exterior paint.
This is the finished car & I have done all I am going to do.. There is nothing left on my car that has not been repaired,replaced,overhauled or reconditioned. Weather permitting, I intend to drive the car a great deal,weather permitting!!