There’s probably no greater Audi than the original 80’s Quattro, a car steeped in rally heritage in the hands of Michele Mouton, Walter Rohrl and the actual Stig. It’s hard for any petrolhead not to be smitten by the 5-pot burble and those flared box guards, especially on the combination of red paintwork over a classic black interior. Given it’s rarity, the brief from the owner to us, was to restore the seats front and back, door cards, steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake lever to precisely match how the interior was delivered by the factory - all in matching black leather. But this wasn’t as simple as it sounds. From a craft perspective, the skill required for this was particularly challenging as the leather is stitched using “boot seams” which require a particular construction and a high degree of accuracy in not just making the pattern, but stitching the panels together. Speaking of pattern, this had to be made from scratch. It wouldn’t be unfair to assume that a pattern can be created from the original covers, but because the leather shrinks and warps over 40+ years, a complete pattern needs to be created. And this, in our opinion at least, is where the real skill lies. Needless to say, we loved working on such a unique and special car, and the degree of difficulty is a challenge that John secretly loves to tackle. The end result was very satisfying (and you can even see in the pictures how pillowy comfortable the seats actually are). And this is despite the brief not actually being a complete restoration with some of the original pieces and trim being matched with brand new panels.