Bill B wrote:
If someone is trying to make a quality copy of the original, then that's a step in the right direction. I hope they use a better quality carpet than the original although that shouldn't be too hard. Mk2 loop pile unravelled very quickly once the thin backing material broke up.
The challenge is to balance originality with availability of improved materials. My personal aim is to have the equivalent of NOS carpet and underlay. If a genuine NOS set popped-up I'd certainly be interested in acquiring it for my own car as I'm trying hard to keep it authentic without being ridiculous. Next option is to use carpet, binding, thread and rubber items that are close to original.
Bill - I know what you are saying about the relatively poor quality of the original carpet but I'd be happy with original, even if it were to last for only a few decades.
The original carpet didn't fit perfectly, unlike modern moulded carpets, but that's what you will get if the original patterns are used. That's why I said "warts and all" in the post above.
It seems the backing material is quite good these days.
