Earlier today, Airkooled Kustoms announced the launch of its in-house custom interiors department. For anyone with even a passing interest in the world of classic Porsche and Volkswagen restoration, this launch will be worth paying attention to, as it's set to shake things up.
Currently, with even a passing glance, a person will notice that many automotive shops offer interior installation services. The Owner / Founder at Airkooled Kustoms, Eric "Spook" LeClair, makes a point of saying, "I'm very happy to be able to offer custom interiors to our client base now. It is a big step forward as we up our product line's game."
LeClair continues, "Even though there are excellent custom automotive interior artists around, people with this skillset are hard to come by. More often than not, before we had this capability in-house, we'd find that our Volkswagen and Porshce restoration projects essentially stalled out when it came time for getting new seats upholstered, convertible tops installed, and headliners and door cards made and installed. The other option was buying kits and installing them here - but then you lose the ability to create a completely custom look. By opening an interiors department here in the shop, now we can offer professional, completely custom interiors created and installed with the same legendary levels of OCD that the Airkooled Kustoms brand has become known for in its car restorations. We do this because we believe sending a car restoration project out for its interior is often an exercise in frustration. It's not uncommon for interior specialists to become so backlogged that a project can sit for months without being touched. Ultimately this is going to be a huge benefit to our customers because it will give them a superior option for getting an interior with a level of quality that matches the body and paint, engine work, suspension, and other restoration work we do."
Anne Brandt, an expert in textiles out of University of California - Davis, has joined the Airkooled Kustoms team to head up the interiors department. "I'm happy to be a creator again. I get to use my brain, my imagination, and my hands to help create cool things," says Brandt, formerly of Lake Tahoe where she owned an alterations and custom sewing shop.
Currently, the next best alternative for classic car owners who need their interior redone is to undertake it as a DIY project. That option demands a skill set most people do not have. Especially when using leather or suede on automotive upholstery, great care must be taken in the cutting and sewing, as there is no opportunity for a second try at getting it right - and those materials are rather expensive. By matching expert design, upholstery, and interior installation skills with the finest materials available to provide truly custom automotive interiors, the shop is now able to carry its extraordinary workmanship into the inside of its project cars now. This alone is predicted to make Airkooled Kustoms's Custom Automotive Interiors more popular with car enthusiasts throughout the region.
Airkooled Kustoms was established in 2005. It has been doing business for eleven years, thriving in an extraordinarily narrow niche even during challenging economic times. One of the secrets of the shop's success is its leaders' commitment to facilitating each team member's ability to work within his or her strengths. The shop has always aimed to build the classic Volkswagen or early Porsche of an aircooled vehicle enthusiast's memories and dreams, following such excruciatingly exact standards for quality that, quite simply, it's done right.
To find out more about the custom interiors services at the shop, the place to visit is http://airkooledkustoms.com/custominteriors/ Throughout the pages of the shop's website, visitors can see the current restoration projects, several past projects, and extensive photo files documenting the progress of each build.
Further information about Airkooled Kustoms can be discovered at
http://airkooledkustoms.com and in the book "Blood, Sweat, and Vintage Steel" which is available on Amazon.com.
