DD: Connolly Leather Special
Vegetable tanned, full grain leather with fine grain and uneven appearance, aniline surface pigment on a neutral biscuit-colored ground, available in the classic colors of the period, from magnolia to English green, in red, ah the red!
This is the simple description of a myth, that is the Connolly leather, that for decades has covered the cockpits of the most prestigious cars, first of all Rolls Royce that since the very first production chose Connolly as supplier to supply its sumptuous interiors.This product of English tradition, was present in the most prestigious UK production, from Bentley to Jaguar, without forgetting Lotus and Morgan. But perhaps the most prestigious customer was the very Italian Ferrari, which helped make it a status. At the end of the day, it was certainly a good quality leather, with a high sensoriality (touch, smell, sight), but many Italian leathers at the time could equal if not more than it. Its Britishness makes the difference, that is, the ability to work as a team, in addition to that innate sense of marketing and imperialism according to which if a leather is good enough for the Queen, it can be very good enough for anyone around the world.By now, this legendary leather no longer exists. The company closed its doors in 2002, overwhelmed by debts, probably also because it remained morbidly attached to tradition, effectively excluding a certain search for performance that the automotive world began to demand. Resistance to tests of light, rubbing, humidity, have in fact transformed the leather into something that today is very different from the persuasive hand of Connolly leather, and perhaps the proud English Connolly brothers preferred to perish like in a Shakespeare tragedy, rather than see their leather turn into painted “cardboard”, like the vast majority of today’s upholstery.XOXO Marci
