Bridge of Weir Leather, expert supplier of Fine Automotive Leather to the world’s most respected luxury car brands, honoured the very best in automotive design at the 2021 Concours of Elegance with a remarkable display of iconic cars, the presentation of its design award and supported on two public debuts.
Featuring some of the world’s most remarkable supercars and classic cars, the Bridge of Weir enclosure played home to a host of ‘Icons’ including the McLaren Speedtail, Range Rover SV Autobiography Ultimate Edition, Aston Martin DBX, David Gandy’s Jaguar XK120. Each represents exceptional automotive design, and Bridge of Weir is proud to have supplied Fine Automotive Leather to them all. David Gandy also displayed his restored Porsche 356 C, featuring a bespoke five-piece luggage set hand colour-matched in Bridge of Weir leather.
Now in its second year, Bridge of Weir presented its Design Award to a standout car from the concours that exemplified remarkable exterior and interior design. The company has unique connections with automotive designers and was delighted to be joined by Peter Horbury, Senior Vice President of Design at Group Lotus, Libby Meigh, Chief Designer, Colour and Materials at Aston Martin and Guy Bird, automotive design writer and consultant, who were the judges.
After much deliberation, their shortlist was whittled down to the Aston Martin Bulldog, Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 and Bentley 3-litre Pickup, with the winner being the 1953 Delahaye 135MS CL Spéciale Faget Varnet. A highly significant one-off car, it brought together three different brands: Delahaye for the type 135 chassis and the engine, Facel Vega which manufactured the striking body and, Faget Varnet, who lead the project.
Fully restored in 2018, the car has spent the majority of its lifetime in a private museum, making very infrequent public appearances. Its appearance at Concours of Elegance was a rare opportunity to see this remarkable car in the metal and it certainly made an impression on the judges.
Peter Horbury: “Overall, the restoration of the Delahaye is immaculate with a number of additional styling embellishments. It was without doubt the car that we wanted to drive away in.”
Guy Bird: “This elegant one-of-one prototype immediately stood out. Fantastically smooth and flowing exterior bodywork, a restrained and thoughtful interior refurbishment and a fascinating back story too. The whole package then, and a worthy overall winner.”
Libby Meigh: “The interior was beautifully restored with a combination of leather and wool cloth and exquisite detailing. The beautiful blue exterior paintwork catches your eye and overall it was a joy to look at.”
The Bridge of Weir Design Award, a gear lever wrapped in Bridge of Weir leather specially produced by CALLUM, was presented to owner Jérémie Collé on the Sunday.
On the Friday, the event saw the public debut of the Jaguar C-type Continuation. Created by Jaguar Classic, the limited run new hand-built examples of the iconic Jaguar C-type celebrate its 70-year anniversary. Bridge of Weir is proud to be Jaguar Classic’s chosen leather supplier for the new continuation car, which boasts eight colour options for the seats.
Friday also saw the public debut of an electric version of the Land Rover Series IIA by Everrati. Fully restored and updated with a state-of-the-art electric powertrain, its interior features Bridge of Weir leather throughout in Chestnut Automotive Nappa.
Lotus’ new Emira also appeared at Hampton Court and Bridge of Weir is delighted to supply leather to the new sports car.
Jamie Davidson, Director, Bridge of Weir Leather Company: “We were delighted to honour exceptional automotive design at Concours of Elegance 2021. Over the years Bridge of Weir has supplied Fine Automotive Leather to some of the world’s most iconic cars and it has been a privilege to display so many fine examples at our enclosure.
“Our connections to the world’s leading automotive designers are incredibly important and we are extremely grateful to our Design Award judges, who selected a very worthy winner in the shape of the 1953 Delahaye 135MS CL Spéciale Faget Varnet. Finally, our congratulations to Jaguar on the debut of the C-type continuation, and Everrati, on the debut of its electric version of the Land Rover Series IIA, both of which feature Bridge of Weir leather.”
Bridge of Weir Leather sources the finest hides from the best heritage breeds, offering a unique blend of craftsmanship with the latest advanced manufacturing techniques. It is one of the world’s leading automotive leather suppliers and has been at the forefront of innovation, design and quality for over a century, starting with the Model T Ford in the early 20th century.
Bridge of Weir is synonymous with many household names of the automotive industry, such as Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, and Volkswagen. With the company’s leather long-established as a leading export from Scotland, over 90 per cent of its products are now sold overseas in 30 countries across the globe.
Sustainability lies at the heart of the business, Bridge of Weir also manufacturing the lowest carbon intensity leather for the automotive sector, independently verified by Life Cycle Analysis.
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