[singlemalt]

I would say, if at all possible, find someone who can repair and restore the original leather - it's amazing what the right person can achieve - I say right person, because it takes experience and the right materials to do it properly.

The main reason I say this is because you cant buy leather like the original any longer - Connolly no longer exists (in its original form) and they tanned and coloured the leather with a whole load of secret formulas (all, apparently, held in the head of a chap called Norman, who never wrote anything down - at least that's the story I heard). Also, the way Connolly tanned the leather changed over the years so a '74 Shadow has differently tanned Connolly leather to a 1990 Spirit.

Also, leather type aside, I've heard it is very difficult, ever for the best trimmer, to replicate the factory finish.

These people are ex-connolly, and worth speaking to, even if you are on the other side of the Atlantic. Very knowledgeable about restoring original leather:

www.leathercaredirect.com

 

[singlemalt]

I know they look bad with the tears etc - but easily restorable. Definitely the route I would take as it's so much less disruptive and far better to retain the original leather.

Another company to think about is Furniture Clinic, who are a British company but they do seem to have a presence in the USA. Here is a video of a restoration they did on an XJS interior - which would also be Connolly leather, albeit the Jaguar stuff was not to the same spec as RR because they were cheaper cars (If you speak to ex-Connolly people they will recount how fussy RR was, rejecting hides that would have been acceptable by other manufacturers)

Anyway these were really bad!: