Autoblog

Remember when Audi rolled out the baseball leather interior on the original TT convertible? That was nothing. For the real baseball fans, aftermarket trim specialists Katzkin Leather and sports equipment outfitter Rawlings have teamed up to offer a full, authentic baseball trim package for full-sized Chevy trucks.

The package includes seats upholstered in thick, rich baseball glove leather, in either brown or black – complete with contrasting stitching – that only gets better with age. You know, just like your childhood mitt. Also part of the package are a baseball bat ash wood dash inserts and steering wheel trimmed in leather to match the seats. A special grille was designed to mimic the look of a chain-link fence, and the package is rounded out by Rawlings badges galore.

The package just hit the market and is available for Chevrolet Silverado pickups and Tahoe SUVs. Only in America, kids.

[Source: Katzkin via Inside Line]

Order a new Ferrari, Maserati or Lamborghini and you'll have the option of ordering fitted Schedoni luggage. The hundred-year-old leathercrafters are based in Modena, the same city where the exotic supercars are made, and the exclusivity and allure of their products rival that of the cars for which their luggage is custom-made. The company also makes bullet-proof briefcases for the Italian secret service, leather golf bags, thousand-dollar women's purses and those little pads in the cockpit that the shield Massa's and Raikonnen's precious heads, but back at the turn of the last century, Schedoni started by making shoes.

Teaming up with Puma, Schedoni is returning to its original core craft to produce a line of bespoke driving shoes for those who have to have everything to go with their fancy new gran turismo or barchetta. The collaboration between the two independent Scuderia Ferrari suppliers will yield two series of driving shoes. The first will come in Schedoni's trademark rich golden tan, branded with the owner's initials. If that's not personalized enough for your taste, a second line of shoes can be fully customized with their "puzzle kit" that allows customers to choose from a wide variety of leathers.

Each will be available in limited quantities, along with matching bags, for what promises to be exorbitant amounts of money. You know, just to keep the riff-raff out of these fancy sneaks.

[Source: Motor Trend via Luxist]

For customers accustomed to driving a Bentley, everything's got to be leather-lined. Heaven forbid one should actually have to handle a cold metal key, even one as nice as that put out by the boys at Crewe.

Fortunately for the pampered motorist, London leathercrafter Ettinger has come to the rescue with a specially-fabricated key case. The soft leather sleeve fits snuggly around a Bentley key allowing for its owner to use it normally. The case features the Bentley logo embossed into the leather and a circular B button on an extended tab.

Ettinger offers a range of leather wallets in partnership with Bentley that are available directly from the dealership. Like any other automotive branded product, you don't have to own the car to buy the item, but you would look rather silly starting your Jetta with a leather Bentley key.

[Source: Ettinger]

Apparently swathing the dash of a Ferrari or the headliner of a Noble wasn't enough for the sellers of Alcantara leather around the world. The suede-like leather product that has until now been reserved for exotics and upper end cars is going to be find its way into Chryslers, Cadillacs and even Mercury Mariners. As Dave from Kicking Tires notes, the grippy material probably won't seem out of place in the Chrysler SRT models or Cadillac's V series, but the Mariner seems a stretch.

We've now seen Alcantara in almost every make's catalog. Scion has it in the tC 2.0, Mitsubishi and Subaru in their rally-inspired offerings, too. M-B, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Noble, Audi, Peugeot, Lancia, Mazda, VW, Honda, even SMART. Looks like Alcantara is shapin up to be the fabric of the future.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Mercedes-Benz Accesssories GMBH has taken a great thing -- the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class -- and enhanced it with a full line of high-end accessories inspired by the vehicle.

First up is MB's leather trinkets, available in the classic black nappa found in the cabin of the CL. Leather products consist of both a wallet and business card cases. The two offerings incorporate beige stitching into the black leather, mimicking the look of the trim in the CL's cockpit and providing a classy alternative to your run-of-the-mill personal accessories.

Next up is the ash timber pens and umbrella handle, reminiscent of the wood trim found in the cockpit of the Benz. And where would you be without your exclusive driving gloves and instrumentation-inspired wristwatch? Rounding out the offerings are a keyring and money clip, both with the MB logo etched into them.

Also available is a die cast model of the CL, whose design, according to DaimlerChrysler, is so perfect that it even got the approval of the Design Center in Sindelfingen.

While products inspired by vehicles are nothing new, we're excited by the high-end parters that are involved in the gig. The accessories are available starting this month at Mercedes-Benz dealerships. Happy shopping!

[Source: DaimlerChrysler]