Hagerstown, MD - From green to blue to purple to black.
The 2004 Limited-Edition SVT Mustang Cobra Mystichrome package has been getting lots of attention every since its introduction at the 2003 New York Auto Show last April. But, thanks to custom leather from Garden State Tanning, Inc., it isn't just the ever-changing exterior color scheme that's got everyone's talking - it's what's inside.
The Mustang Cobra is the first car to offer Garden State Tanning's new, custom color-shifting leather.
"Ford came to us with a challenge to develop a leather package as dynamic as the exterior package of the new Cobra," explained Mark D. Lecher, president and chief operating officer for Garden State Tanning, Inc. "The color-shifting technology had been done before with paint, which allows particles to float in a liquid for a unique application. No one had ever done such a thing with a natural base product like leather."
Garden State Tanning met the challenge by developing a special leather treatment process to create Mystichrome leather. Mystichrome leather utilizes light interference pigments to mimic the color-changing patterns of the car's exterior paint. These pigments (each an average size of 17 microns) are made of five layers of colorless film. Together, these layers produce shimmering, vibrant colors.
"There was a tremendous response to the first color-shifting Cobra design in 1996. We wanted something more exciting, something that would really stand out for the new model," Alan Eggly, Ford's senior color and materials designer said. "Garden State went out of their way to help us meet our objectives with this design. Spreading the color-shifting design to the interior with Garden State's color-changing leather helped us raise the bar in the automotive industry."
"I would put our scientists, designers, tanners and manufacturers up against anyone else in the industry when it comes to creating products that are perfect for our customers' needs," added Lecher. "It is a key part of our company culture to work with our customers to produce unique solutions that help them stand out in the marketplace."
About Garden State Tanning (www.gstautoleather.com)
For nearly seventy years, Garden State Tanning, Inc. has been the proud supplier of the world's finest automotive leather. One luxury nameplate after another has turned to Garden State seeking the ultimate in leather quality, aesthetics and durability. A leader in innovation and development, Garden State engineers and other technical experts work hand-in-hand with customers to conceive, design and develop new generations of leather. Among the automobile name plates currently carrying Garden State leather are Toyota, Lexus, Acura, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Lincoln and Mazda.