Remembering Connolly Leather

by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Jaguar Cars ::: Connolly Leather

PRECIOUS few automotive experiences ranked as luxurious as stepping into a new Connolly leather interior.

Jaguar’s own specially commissioned Autolux hides were a particular slice of heaven-sent bovine. If you opened the door of an X308 gen. Vanden Plas, as I did, the most wonderful perfume greeted your olfactory senses as you slid into a seat tightly bolstered with thick hide and punctuated with perfect, oatmeal piping.

In terms of G-rated leather-fetish experiences, sitting on Connolly leather ranked somewhere above slipping on a new Gucci loafer.

Founded in 1878, Connolly was a family business that catered extensively to the British auto industry over the course of 125 years. Their reputation for the bulk of their tenure was widely viewed as beyond reproach.

Connolly provided for Ferrari drivers, Rolls-Royce and Bentley owners, Aston Martin aficionados, and even MG sadomasochists devotees. Those slatted seats in the House of Lords chamber at the Palace of Westminster are by Connolly. As were the hide bound interiors of royal coaches at the turn of the 20th Century.

Sadly, following a botched expansion scheme into the US in the late 90s, which among other missteps saw corrupt executives pilfer company funds and low-volume Connolly try to supply mass-market Ford and GM, the company fell into financial duress and then slipped the market’s surly bonds in 2002.

Luckily for those who own Connolly upholstered cars, Connolly “Hide Food” is still sold and firms like Leatherique and GAHH are go-to resources for either restoring or replacing original Connolly hides.

Seems a shame, though, that when we think of Jaguar, Bentley, Aston, or Rolls interiors now, we can no longer give credit to King Connolly. All the more reason, then, to appreciate their craftsmanship in the classics.