| Author | Message | ||
     Jason Pfeiffer Yet to post message Username: jpsnaggs Post Number: 1 Registered: 7-2006 |
Hello all from the US Hope you don’t mind, but I really enjoy reading this board, and although I am many miles away, I thought I would join in the discussion So, here is my question. I am a new Rolls Royce owner. 1982 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit. Silver or grey hides w/ black piping. It is a family friend’s car that I purchased, so I am familiar w/ the history going back about 15 years. It was actually the second Rolls I was ever privileged enough to sit in. I am 32, and although young know what I am getting into with regards to repairs etc, as the rolls blood is in my family. The car is in Los Angeles right now, being worked on. I am having the seats touched up, and some mechanical work to include breaks, accumulators, and calipers, pads etc. I am pretty confident that car will be cosmetically perfect, and to as near mechanically as I can get it at this time. The car as 55,000 miles on it. I remember the car having the “Rolls Royce smell” way back when, but I have not seen the car in many years. I have been in many Rolls through the years, and they all have that distinctive smell and I have no reason to believe this one wont. But, I am worried, because that smell Is VERY VERY important to me. The car will be delivered this week, and I have spent a lot of money on it. They will slather the Hyde food on, but I am still nervous. Any hints on how to keep, or recreate the smell? What is this smell mostly made up of? Also, any tips for a new Rolls owner? Thanks in advance for your help! | ||
| Stephe Boddice Experienced User Username: stephe_boddice Post Number: 42 Registered: 2-2005 |
Hi Jason, Congratulations on acquiring your car - a decision you will not regret. On the topic of "What is this smell mostly made up of?" I can only give you my opinion. If my cars are typical then the araoma is a mix of blood, sweat and tears enhanced by the subtle whiff of melting plastic credit card. All good perfumes are expensive. SB | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 611 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hi Jason, To me, the most evocative scent from a Rolls-Royce is that of the Connolly Hide Food used on the leather. Other brands of hide food/conditioner do not have such a distinctive aroma after application but do keep the leather soft and supple. Whilst Connolly are no longer in business, another company has purchased the rights to this product and it is still available. I suggest you contact your local leather or saddler/horse owner specialist who should have it in stock or certainly can order it in for you. See also: http://www.saddler.co.uk/acatalog/Connolly_Hide_Food_for_Leather.html | ||
| bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 80.3.64.11 |
You can get a car smelly which smells of leather, I think Turtle do one. However If you can get the genuine connolly stuff then go for that. It is good stuff. I use Chelsea dubbin which is not so smelly because my youngest son says the smell of leather makes him feel queasy. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Arthur Francis Unregistered guest Posted From: 202.67.65.166 |
Jason, If you look for the website of S.C. Gordon (UK RR and B) coachwork repairers you will find they sell a "perfume" which you can spray in your car to replicate the smell of a Silver Cloud III. I kid you not ! (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Jason Pfeiffer New User Username: jpsnaggs Post Number: 2 Registered: 7-2006 |
Wow, thanks for all the great replies. I am ging to have to look for the perfume!! | ||
| John Shostrom Experienced User Username: silvawraith2 Post Number: 46 Registered: 4-2005 |
Hi Jason, and congratulations on your acquisition. The very best thing, as others have mentioned, is to regularly use Hide Food. I have always used it, and for the harder-to-get-at spots, use my fingers and "massage" it in, as we were taught at the old School of Instruction. The distinctive smell will vary from car to car depending on the type of Connolly hide used. Cars 1984 and earlier used Connolly's "Vaumol" hide which has a lacquer finish, and those afterwards used their "Autolux" which was dyed right through. They both smell different. Also, eswpecially with Vaumol-upholstered cars, you will notice a difference in smell between, say, a car upholstered in Red from one upholstered in Tan. Obviously something to do with the lacquer colour. Because of the different types of glue, etc. you will even notice that a Silver Cloud differs from a Shadow, which differs from a Spirit, in smell. Good luck, have fun, and remember: these cars were built to last a lifetime. All the components are rebuildable, so, the adherence to proper maintenance cannot be overemphasised. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 1039 Registered: 4-2003 |
Any perfume trace aside (I don't think there is any in Hide Food anyhow), it may surprise you to know that Hide Food has two ingredients. They are simply anhydrous lanolin thinned slightly with pure medicinal parafin oil. Anhydrous lanolin is available at any Australian or New Zealand pharmacy, as is the parafin oil. Of course, natural lanolin is a byproduct of raw wool. In other countries, lanolin is so called but often of pharmaceutical origin and quite unsuitable. Connolly imported its lanolin from the wool mills of Australia. So, the cows give us seats and the live sheep keep them soft.... ps if you want a full smell rejuvenation, apply a little Liquid Leather cream from Gliptone before applying Hide Food. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 1040 Registered: 4-2003 |
Here are two supplementary product lines to use before Hide Food: 1. The UK Gliptone range of products: Liquid Leather Gentle Cleaner (basically Johnson's baby shampoo), Liquid Leather Conditioner (perfumed lanolin liberally thinned with parafin oil), and Scuff Master Leather Dye (an excellent colour restorer), and 2. The complete and outstanding Colourlock restoration kit, smells and all, from Germany. The Glattledertönung is the recolouring agent. As with Scuff Master, it is a water-based colouring agent mixed to match your interior exactly. I also have a genuine Connolly rejuvenation kit for the Blue Vaumol in my R-Type which has thinner-based recolouring agents, and a dozen jars of Hide Food, but the lanolin solution would be equally effective.   | ||
| John Shostrom Experienced User Username: silvawraith2 Post Number: 47 Registered: 4-2005 |
I can attest to the virtues of Gliptone Liquid Leather as well, and apply it before I put on the Hide Food. | ||
| bob. uk Unregistered guest Posted From: brig-cache-4.server.ntli.net |
Leather is actually painted and there used to be a small business near me that repainted the leather in cars and I used to marvel how even the worse looking leather looked so good after he has finished. That is one of the beauties of leather even when it is scruffy -- not ripped -- it can easily be brought back to looking good. Many years ago I brought some red leather paint for a Rover P4 100 and it transformed the inside. It work well. When cars were first made they were made only for the very rich who did not actually drive the car, the butler or his assistant did the driving. The front where the worker sat would be leather and the back were his Lord and Ladyship would sit in the back on cloth trim because leather was considered very lower class. Other way round now. (Message approved by david_gore) |
