Leather
Acecas were trimmed in leather (traditionally Connolly-type hides). Looked after it lasts generations; neglected it dries, cracks and splits.
Cleaning: use a dedicated pH-neutral leather cleaner and a soft cloth, gently. Avoid household cleaners, all-purpose sprays and excess water, and be cautious with saddle soap on fine automotive hide. Always test on a hidden area first.
Feeding: a good hide food keeps leather supple and slows cracking. Clean first, then feed sparingly — about twice a year suits a used car; over-feeding leaves a sticky film. Keep leather out of prolonged direct sun.
Cracks and wear: light crazing can be cleaned, fed and recoloured; deeper cracks need professional recolouring, and perished panels reskinning. On a rare car, think carefully before recovering a sound, original interior — honest patina is desirable and often worth more than a fresh retrim, and any work should match the original specification.
Seats and upholstery
Beneath the covers sit padding on webbing and springs. A sagging base or a "hammocking" backrest usually means tired webbing or broken springs, not just worn foam. Recovering is a skilled trimmer's job — matching hide, grain, piping and stitch to the coachbuilt original is what separates a good retrim from an obvious one. If the covers are sound, focus on cleaning, feeding and supporting the structure beneath.
Carpets and mats
The Aceca uses wool carpet. Damp is the enemy: wet carpet holds water against the floors, and on an alloy-over-steel body that means both corrosion and a risk to the ash framing. Lift the carpet to check and dry underneath, treat any moth, and never leave the car with damp trim. Correct-colour wool carpet sets can be made up to transform a tired cabin. The body and coachwork guide explains why trapped damp is such a serious threat on this construction.
Headlining, door trim and panels
The fixed-head Aceca has a headlining and trimmed panels over board backings. Board warps if it gets damp, so a wavy panel usually points to a past leak — cure the leak as well as replacing the panel. Re-covering to the correct materials lifts the whole interior.
The facia and instruments
The Aceca carries a full set of instruments spread across the facia. Whatever your car's facia finish, keep it clean and protected, and have the instruments restored by a specialist where needed — bezels re-chromed, faces refinished, and mechanisms serviced. Keep the steering wheel out of strong sun. Because facia and trim details varied on these hand-built cars, use your car, club records and the chassis registry to confirm what is correct before refinishing.
The interior's three enemies
Damp, ultraviolet and pests. Damp rots trim board and carpet and threatens the alloy body and ash frame; UV bakes leather and fades fabric; moth and mice destroy wool and padding. Fix leaks, ventilate, keep the car dry and covered, and check regularly.
Do it yourself, or use a trimmer?
Cleaning, feeding and fitting a carpet set are within a careful owner's reach. Seat recovering and panel retrimming on a coachbuilt car are specialist skills, and getting them right matters to a rare car's value — a good classic trimmer is worth every penny. Local to Yorkshire, the Classic & Sportscar Centre at Malton runs its own trim shop (Malton Coachworks), the kind of in-house facility that does this work to a high standard.
Interior care checklist
- Clean leather with a pH-neutral cleaner; feed sparingly about twice a year
- Keep leather and the steering wheel out of prolonged direct sun
- Lift carpet periodically to check and dry the floors and framing
- Deal with any damp or musty smell at source — it points to a leak
- Treat any sign of moth in wool carpet or trim promptly
- Is the leather sound, or dried and split? Surface wear is fine; splits mean recolouring or reskinning
- Do the seats sit level, or has webbing/spring support collapsed?
- Are trim panels flat, or warped from past damp (a leak clue)?
- Are the floors and framing dry beneath the carpet, with no alloy corrosion?
- Are the instruments complete and working, the facia sound?
- Does the trim appear correct to the car's specification (check against records and the registry)?
Frequently asked questions
Q.How often should I feed the leather in my Aceca?
For a car in regular use, clean it and feed it lightly about twice a year. Always clean first, then apply a good hide food sparingly — over-feeding leaves a sticky film that attracts dust. Kept out of strong sunlight and fed occasionally, the leather will stay supple for decades.
Q.Can cracked leather be repaired, or must it be replaced?
Light surface crazing can be cleaned, fed and recoloured to look much better. Deeper cracks can be professionally recoloured, but leather that has genuinely split or perished needs that panel reskinning. A specialist can advise whether your seats are savable or due for recovering.
Q.Should I recover a complete original interior?
On a car as rare as the Aceca, usually not if it is sound. Honest original leather with a little patina is desirable and often worth more than a fresh retrim. Clean and feed it, support the seat structure, and recover only when the leather has genuinely perished — matching the original specification.
Q.My Aceca's interior smells damp — what should I do?
Damp means water is getting in. Lift the carpet, dry underneath and find the leak. On an aluminium body over a steel-and-ash frame, trapped damp is not just a smell — it threatens corrosion and frame rot, so trace and cure the source promptly.
Q.What leather and trim did the Aceca use, and can I still get it?
Acecas were trimmed in Connolly-type hides with wool carpet. Correct-specification leather, carpet and trim materials can still be sourced, so a sympathetic restoration to original specification is possible — worth confirming against club records and the registry given how the hand-built cars varied.
Q.Can I retrim the interior myself?
Some of it. Cleaning, feeding and fitting a carpet set are within a careful owner's reach. Seat recovering and panel retrimming on a coachbuilt car are skilled trimmer's work — and on a rare, valuable car the quality of that work matters, so a good classic trimmer is the safer choice.
General guidance for maintaining and restoring a classic interior; always test products on a hidden area first and consult a specialist trimmer for major work, especially on a rare coachbuilt car.