Car tailoring — reimagining classics with a personal touch – The Times
T he restoration of a classic car can take many forms. One option is a faithful recreation of the vehicle as it left the factory. Embracing the patina while making the car mechanically perfect is another. Yet acclaimed interior designer Tristan Auer takes a different approach, introducing a whole new concept to the particular world associated with classic motoring: “car tailoring”. He happened upon the process when restoring his own Ferrari 308 GT4. Despite being the fairly unloved model and probably the cheapest Ferrari you can buy, the angular Bertone-designed vehicle — the particular only Ferrari by that house — has a purity to Auer. When he came to repairing the inside he realised he could do something different to what was offered originally. And, more importantly, create an internal unique in order to him. He used the skills this individual has applied to some of the best hotels plus private homes to reimagine the textures and materials of the cabin, and car tailoring has been born.
Auer sees this as correcting issues that will may have been unavoidable at the time of the particular cars’ manufacture. “They were sometimes born with the wrong interiors, ” he gently describes it. “Because associated with the oil crisis in the Seventies some brands could not afford to overspend, so it was thick leather, very thin plastic and the incorrect quality. ” There’s harmony and elegance to the finished result, but it’s not just about the final look; Auer is interested in the particular sensory aspects of his redesign. He describes a typical flourish “on the side of the door where a person put your sunglasses — it’s in cashmere, you don’t see it because it’s on the back side of the pocket but you feel this when a person put your own hands in it. ”
Tristan Auer’s redesigned Ferrari 308
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Creating something for personal use plus enjoyment is the epitome associated with luxury for Auer. This individual savours breathing life into something abandoned and the sustainable aspect of reusing an object as opposed in order to forever buying new. A car he will always keep and drive. “I’m not going to sell this car, I’m going to give it in order to my son, and so this particular car will age nicely with me, with my perfume inside it. ” This idea of something very personal to the owner will be an idea that Auer returns to regularly, as is usually the scent and tactile nature of his work. It’s not just about recovering seats — this is definitely about designing an unique, emotional space to enjoy. “It’s to produce generous and meaningful moments with your friends, together with your family, along with your lover” may be the rather charming way the French designer puts it.
To complement the particular tailoring he’s busy creating a car fragrance which, if you look at his other concepts, will certainly be about as far away from the Magic Tree car air freshener because possible. Luggage is also designed to accompany the interior within the same fabrics plus materials. It’s part associated with an approach to curate the whole journey, not just the car. Auer believes that setting out for a road trip, particularly in a classic vehicle, should be some thing to savour and prepare for, and certainly not really be rushed. The luggage also serves to remind him of the car when he is away from it. “It may sound silly, ” he says, “but when I am travelling along with my bags which are related to my car, I feel like I’m travelling with my vehicle even if I get the train or an aeroplane. ” It’s the dreamy, romantic idea, but hearing it from someone as passionate as Auer you understand the strategy and it doesn’t sound silly at all.
Tristan Auer’s Citroën DS with regard to Hôtel de Crillon
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His most visible creation is the courtesy car regarding the Hôtel de Crillon. Auer had been tasked along with redesigning the public spaces of this famous 18th-century Parisian landmark as part of a multi-year renovation. He convinced the hotel owners that they needed in order to tailor the Citroën DS, not with a drawing but by handing them a bag with all the finishes inside plus asking them to “see the vehicle through your fingers”.
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They signed off on the concept and “in the end, it was the particular cheapest element of Hôtel sobre Crillon as well as the biggest talking point, ” he says proudly. It became a celebrated feature from the resort, with models within the bedrooms and chocolate versions in the patisserie.
The cars themselves aren’t always typical luxury versions. Auer’s latest project can be a Land Rover Defender, which he or she describes since “a tool, not the car”. He or she has taken a simple, utilitarian method to the design with washable materials, yet somehow still giving this an classiness it didn’t necessarily possess when it rolled off the production line. This aesthete is certainly a restless creative and his next project is a limited edition of vehicles with an as yet unnamed manufacturer, as well because planes and a train for Belmond.
Auer’s tailored Land Rover Defensive player
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Car tailoring. It sounds like something that should have existed before, yet Auer has created a wonderful, individual way to interact with your beloved classic car. Does he have any ambition for this new line of work? “It’s not a business, it is purely the passion. No goal, only the journey” is his response. And that tells you everything you need to know regarding Tristan Auer and vehicle tailoring.
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