How we make our Vintage Car Special Editions
The source of our unique leather lies in Eching near Munich. Here in the BP Autosattlerei, new life is breathed into the vehicles with a great deal of craftsmanship and attention to detail.
The Workshop
The saddlery workshop is much more than just a craft business. Forget West Coast Customs, Orange County Choppers, this workshop is a museum. Just for the many collectibles, this place is worth a visit.
A life-size Lara Croft is greeted right at the entrance, and everywhere else, you will find props like from an old Hollywood movie. Our view gazes over some of the rarest and most luxurious classic cars that we have ever seen. We are regularly in the saddlery and are surprised every single time by new magnificent vehicles.
At the far end of the workshop is a glass case: the head office, the control center. In here reigns the coolest vehicle specialist in Germany.
Boris
Boris Pankiewicz is the owner of the workshop, and Clint Eastwood is his own Hollywood studio.
Aside from his Dirty Harry charisma, Boris is also a walking encyclopedia for all sorts of classic car models and of course, an outstanding craftsman. He is appreciated for his extraordinary work by BMW Classic, for whom he frequently restores vehicles.
We talked to Boris about his job.
Boris: It’s nice to see how you guys breathe life into these vintage leathers. Many vehicles have a long and interesting history that continues to be told by your straps.
Boris then shows us some projects he is currently working on and leather of past projects he had reserved for us. After all, we can always rely on one thing: Boris regularly stocks exciting new vintage leathers for us.
The Leather
The leather we decide to go with depends on what Boris has to offer – and of course, on its condition.
Instead of destroying the old leather, Boris leaves us some of the material to up-cycle it. Depending on which leather parts are still usable, we get larger and smaller parts that are still excellent for further processing. Often, leather-covered fittings, the side and back seats are still very well preserved.
Whether a leather is well suited for strap production is usually tested on site. Sometimes the leather is too porous, or the pieces are too small to make straps out of it. However, Most times, we find a few raw diamonds.
If everything works out, we present a brand new special edition a couple of weeks later.