connolly leather currently available…there are more colors
The OP asks about kits. Has anyone had a better or more accurate job done at the upholstery shop nearby, where they didn’t install someone’s kit? - did all of the work-in house?
I enquired once, and BAS in the US, and BAS in the UK are totally different companies, they told me.
Yes, it is my understanding that they are separate franchises, but one suspects that they use the same source for their materials.
thanks for pic of this I don’t have the new swatch can you send photo of back presumably with colour names and codes?
Mitchell’
I’m gonna jump in here, reply directly to your question of “more accurate job done at the upholstery shop nearby, where they didn’t install someone’s kit? - did all of the work-in house?” and “cast a vote”
for one Rick Holland (1953 DHC)… Rick asked me for a LOT of pictures and measurements of my DHC’s original interior… I even took the leather off the seats to get him whatever measurements or pictures he wanted!! (I wouldn’t do that for anyone else!!) Rick was kicking 80 in the ass when he MADE HIS OWN Interior… From Scratch!! From the pictures I saw of his finished seats, I’d say his work was, at a minimum, EQUAL to that of Jaguar Coventry, circa 1953!!!
Charles Ch# 677556.
If he didn’t disassemble a cover and copy the parts piece by piece, he didn’t end up with an exact pattern. I’ve done it a hundred times, it’s the only way to make a copy.
Assume I sent you a picture of my shirt and and asked for an exact replica… Buy the flannel and cut out all the parts by eye from a few photos. Can’t be done. It might be a shirt, it might even fit. But I asked for a copy of the original.
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Mitchell;
Rick did it right!! Disassembling the entire sear covers, measuring EACH strip of leather (also compared to mine) and replicating same… His primary interest in my pictures was to see, exactly, which way the “folds” went (top and bottom-- these are NOT often seen on “reproduction” and “over-stuffed” with a “brick” of foam" upholstery!!). The original covers were made to allow for “stretch”. Given my seat covers were (are, still!) the Factory Originals, Rick wanted to make sure his matched what the factory was had put-out, at the time!!
Are Rick’s Seat Covers 100% Concours Correct?? Don’t know and don’t care… They DID look “factory correct”!! The important parts are: Rick bought this DHC back when he & Pat (wife) had NO Kids!!, He finished “restoring” the 120DHC (with help from his son), while in his 80’s AND After suffering a stroke!!!
Charles Ch# 677556.
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the fact there there is only one recommendation for a kit, for the entire world…
does that mean most people don’t have an opinion?
As I stated, I went with OSJI. Twice.
okay two kits. just thought there might be more options.
so I guess there are lots of bad and only a few good.
Up until 4 or 5 years ago, if you were restoring a Model A Ford, LeBarron Bonney was the place to go. They closed. There may be a new owner. We’ll see if it works out. There are a few minor players to get the proper materials and the correct stitching, pockets, rope cord, piping… If you go to a local trimmer you better have an original set to pattern from or it won’t be right. Model A’s are so well documented we can spot an improper stitch at 10 feet.
Shame, but nobody’s restoring some cars. Their suppliers have to disappear.
I discovered this recently, when I went in search of windlacing, for the hood of the jeep.
Used to be as common as dirt… The keywords being, "used to be. "
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Hi,
Originally Connolly Bros had many “levels” of leather available. “Vaumol” was their finest, also used in classic Ferraris, Maseratis etc.
Jaguar switched to “cheaper” “Autolux” in the early 1970’s, the colours (dye) were the same, but “Vaumol” was thicker and smoother to make things simple.
Some colours were not being remade in the 2000’s but I think due to big demand, now also VM.3171 “Red” is being remade in the correct bright red tone (for a number of years only a less saturated slightly burgundy tone was available.)
Originally Jaguar did not have many options, the sample booklets don’t include “Black” Connolly VM.8500 although it was available for certain coloured cars in the 1950’s, and was very popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Cheers!
PS. I bought the last rolls of “Rexine” from Georg Dönni in Switzerland a few years ago, one for a friend’s Pastel Green (Metallic) MKV Saloon “Suede Green” interior and one (ca 15 meters IIRC) for my (to be) Birch Grey (1948-1952) MKV DHC “Pale Blue” interior. Pale Blue is Connolly VM.3244 that Jaguar has also called “Light Blue” (in XK’s and E-types) and “Blue /Grey” (in DS420’s up to 1992) and Italians have called it “Grigio” meaning “Grey” although it is somewhat blue. It is the one used in the duotone “Light and Dark Blue” interiors on OTS’s and “Light Blue” FHC’s and DHC:s. Connolly also called it “Grey”. 
PS.2. Sorry, I keep forgetting that to my eyes these are obvious, but in case you did not know, this is what Jaguar called them:
VM.3171 “Red” (ca. 1946-1970)
VM.893 “Maroon” (ca. 1951-1970)
VM.3104 “Light Tan” (ca. 1961-1970)
VM.3234 “Beige” (ca. 1946-1970) very very light tone, looks in some photos almost white, Italians have called it “Crema”
VM.3230 “Grey” (ca. 1946-1970)
VM.3510 “Suede Green” (ca. 1946-1970)
VM.3244 “Pale Blue” (ca. 1946-1952) and “Light Blue” (ca. 1949-1970) and “Blue / Grey” (ca. 1970-1992)
VM.3197 “Dark Blue” (ca. 1949-1970)
VM.3280 “Tan” (ca. 1949-1970) possibly the same tone as in “Pigskin” (ca. 1946-1952) and “Brown” (1946-1949)
VM.8500 “Black” (no sample given in the booklet)
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Great piece
the word pigskin referred to the finish and maybe the colour of the leather but it was not the skin off a pig!
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Wow! I never cease to be amazed by your knowledge about things like this, Pekka!
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Hi Terry,
Thanks!
You’re right, that “Pigskin” was also called “Pigskin Grain Tan” and thus I am pretty sure it is the exact same dye (hue) as “Tan” Connolly VM.3280 which was quite popular in the 1950’s and 1960’s and is now pretty much extinct. And yes, it was not made of a “pig skin” it was a hide just like the others, made of a cow (or bull) skin and only had a special “Pigskin Grain” surface to it. 
And again thank you for helping me already long ago, when no-one (including the JDHT) could tell me what the “Blue” in my DHC’s build sheet meant.
I had thought it was either a “Blue” or a “Dark Blue”, but nope, during the MKV production there was only one “Blue” interior and that was “Pale Blue” VM.3244 which continued over to MKVII and XK120 FHC and DHC. For the XK120 OTS’s there was the “duo-tone” Light & Dark Blue.
The original samples you sent me about two decades ago have been on tremendous help, although still the biggest culprit for my project seems to be that there is no near substitute for a “French Grey” hood like these cars (and my DHC) had:
Same tone, same hooding material, only different lighting and different film stock etc.
Cheers!
My Dec 1950 120 OTS had Biscuit and Tan duo-tone interior, originally. I now know that the Tan was Connolly VM 3280, but I couldn’t find any of the major kit suppliers in the UK who could supply that colour. One even maintained my Tan was not a Jaguar colour (they can only supply “New Tan” which I assume is VM 3104). This surprises me, as VM 3280 was not uncommon on 120s, or Mk VIIs, for that matter. You’d have thought there would be a reasonable demand for it. I guess I might have to buy a hide from Connollys (they have premises not far from me, at Brooklands).
Here’s a picture of my dash and you can see the difference between the two Tan colours - the piping under the dash is New Tan. Yes, I am aware that the mirror is incorrect, as are the Lift the Dot studs for the tonneau!
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