Paul L

If yes, why did it seem to lose out to vinyl and leather?

NorthVette

Green Peace deemed Naugas as endagered and they couldn't be used any more. :lolg: :rofl:

BigBlockVette

I thought naugahyde was just a brand (GM?) name for vinyl?

Dwayne

JRD77VET

You used to see Naugas from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in great herds. :yesnod:

Now it's a rare sight just to catch a glimse of one :D

:p: :jester :lolg:

:seeya JRD77VET

MN-Brent

I remember this was the stuff alot of street rodders would put into their coupes. I used to be hooked on 32, 33, 34, and 41 Fords. My dream car was a black, fenderless, chopped, 34 Ford 3 window with Halibrands, blown 426 Hemi, manual tranny, and dual velocity stacks coming up out of the hood.

Back to Naugahyde, lost focus for a second, I always thought is was an upscale vinyl material.

Brent...

yellow 72

Naugahyde is a trade(brand?) name for a high quality vinyl coated fabric.
I recently bought some on E-Bay to recover side rails on a water bed. Great looking product.
It's probably the closest to leather looking stuff there is. It can get pricey also :cheers:

LT1driver

I do, I do :lol: it is in between vinyl and leather, I had it as upgrade in my 68 W-31 (Ram Rod) cutlass supreme, rare, rare car I sold back in 70 :cry

mapman

paul79,

Today, they have naked girls protesting the use of fur. Back in the sixties, the naked girls were on the naugahide. :lol:

FASGLAS

Everything you ever wanted to know...and things you didn't.
http://www.naugahyde.com/

Naugahyde: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: With all the cruelty in the world, how can you kill those cute little Naugas just for their hydes?
A: We don't. Naugas shed their hydes without harm to themselves, making Naugahyde the Cruelty-Free Fabric. For more information and pictures about Naugas, their history and their habits, read the Nauga Story.

slagrec1

Yikes, this brings back other "sights and sounds" of the 70s, including "... fine Corinthian leather..." big hair, platform shoes and leisure suits:eek:

The original question posed was why did Naugahyde lose to leather and vinyl?

For me, it's the "image thing". During that time period my parents purchased a La-Z-y boy Naugahyde armchair. I recall the salesman positioning Naugahyde as a "low cost alternative" to (those who couldn't afford a real) leather chair. My impression, reinforced by other subtle and not-so-suble cues since then is that Naugahyde is the "poor man's leather". Best to get cloth and when you can afford, graduate to leather. One man's experience.

Paul L

So it's still around. The authors of that web site have a great sense of humour!

Desertdawg

Oh great! does this mean that Pleather is coming back also... :U

Paul L

Never heard of that. Is it something like Corinthian Leather?

PRNDL

:) MJ

Smokehouse69

Ah yes, the mighty Nauga! Too bad that they are illegal to hunt, in some parts of the world they are starting to become a real problem. I hear numerous accounts of valuable automobiles damaged when rut crazed bull Naugas cross roads, trailing a heard of cow Naugas.

:jester

Vetterodder

It's demise was probably due to it no longer being in fashion, for cars or for furniture. When vinyl first became available in cars it was an extra cost option. After a few years though it became the standard upholstery in the bottom line models and fabric was used in the high line cars and the use of leather became much more widespread. I think it is interesting that it's demise was close in step with McDonalds growth. All those dead cows made real leather more available. Things would have probably turned out much differently if the "Naugaburger" had caught on :).

Desertdawg

Pleather....
It was the street name for black market Naug.
mostly used in the home market. :D

mapman

I think our school lunch program included government surplus "Naugaburgers". At least that's what they tasted like. :lol:

If you read some of the comments on the C5 forum concerning the quality of their leather seats, Naugahide might just come back into fashion. Did it ever WEAR out?

Schwee

I actually had a pet Nauga that rode around in the back of my 58 Chevy for years. When I finally sold the old Biscayne, the Nauga got away.

joe73vette

The biggest Nauga farm ever was in Naugatuck CT. It too went the way of the dodo bird. Joe