mccusername

Um... explain that dumber please.

Hirsch Auto has Bedford Cloth in three different widths, one of which might be a better match for the OEM. Of course the color and other qualities might not match as well. https://www.hirschauto.com/bedcloth.htm English Bedofrd Cord.pdf

Steve, this 1600ti was built in December 18, 1967, so I believe the exposed chrome hinges are correct. I think fully reclining was 'standard' on the 1600ti's? Given that they gray cloth is NLA from BMW, the closest match I could find (with help) is Bedford-Cord in gray. https://www.martrim.co.uk/car-trimming-supplies/bedford-cord.php

Good reasoning, Steve. I am going to contact the 40 year + owner and see if I can get more info. It is, of course, easier to get an acceptable black basketweave vinyl, though I don't think BMW's current offering is that great. The original gray cloth is not available-- though BMW does have cloth in blue. I have found a very good but not perfect substitute for the gray cloth. Speaking of blue-- weren't Polaris cars 'supposed' to come with blue interiors? This one is black I don't think the entire interior was replaced.

Uli, do you think the clock would fit in the middle hole, or would it be too small?

Steve, I’ve already got the Alpina tach in the pod, and since it cost more than my first car I’ve got to use it 😉 Question is where to mount it. Seems weird to me that racers like in the pic would mount the tach blocking the speedo, and add a gauge pod, and leave the clock as is. I could mount the tach to the right on the steering column so that it blocks the clock, but then it will be a little tilted. Or switch the clock and speedo within the instrument instrument cluster, but that’s a hassle.

The smooth vinyl sections seem original. Being a 1600ti, this car definitely was Euro spec— but it has a MPH speedo, because Canada was not yet metric. Hopefully someone can chime in on whether Canadian market cars were more Euro/cloth or US/vinyl.

Going back to my original pic, the tach pod is mounted directly in front of the speedo, cool-racer style, so what was mounted where the optional tach would go? This was a 1600, which had a clock-- did they just leave the clock but block the speedo? I'm going with a similar set up so trying to decide what to do.

The current interior on my '68 1600ti is certainly very old, but I'm looking for opinions on whether it's original. It was a Canadian market car-- does anyone know if they more commonly came with cloth like the European cars? The cloth material is gray-ish, which would be right. It is very stiff and brittle. To me it almost feels like a faux suede. Does anyone know if the original material can age into this type look/feel? It's possible the clothe is 40+ years old but not original. Trying to figure out if cloth or vinyl would be correct when/if I restore them Thanks Michael

x2... which is what they would cost in LA...

Nighty night...