Coriaceous (pronounced kawr-ee-ey-shuhs, kohr-ee-ey-shuhs or kor-ee-ey-shuhs)
(1) Of or resembling leather.
(2) In botany, a surface (usually a leaf) distinguished having
the visual characteristics of leather.
1665-1675: From the Late Latin coriāceus (resembling leather in texture, toughness etc), the
construct being cor(ium) (skin, hide, leather (and also used casually to refer to
belts, whips and other leather items, and upper layers (ie analogous with a
skin or hide) in general such as crusts, coatings, peels or shells)), from the Proto-Italic
korjom, from the primitive Indo-European
sker & ker- + -aceous. The
suffix –aceous was from the New Latin, from the Classical Latin -aceus (of a certain kind) and related
to the Latin adjectival suffixes –ac &
-ax.
It was used (1) to create words meaning “of, relating to, resembling or
containing the thing suffixed” and (2) in scientific classification, to indicate
membership of a taxonomic family or other group. The comparative is more
coriaceous and the superlative most coriaceous while subcoriaceous means "somewhat or slightly leathery".
Coriaceous & subcoriaceous are adjectives and coriaceousness is a
noun.
Botanists classify coriaceous leaves by degree. The common greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia) (left) is listed as subcoriaceous (ie somewhat or almost coriaceous) while the Shining Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida) is distinguished by glossy coriaceous leaves with a prominent vein along margins (right).
Coriaceousness by degree: Jaguar, leather and Ambla
In late 1967, as a prelude to the next year’s introduction of the XJ6, Jaguar rationalized its saloon car line-up, pruning the long-running Mark II (1959-1967) range from three to two, dropping the 3.8 litre model and re-designating the smaller-engined pair (the 2.4 becoming the 240, the 3.4 the 340), thus bringing the nomenclature into line with the recently released (4.2 litre) 420 (1966-1968). The standardization exercise extended to the big Mark X (1961-1966) which became the 420G but curiously, the S-Type’s (1963-1968) name wasn’t changed and it became the only Jaguar in which the 3.8 litre engine remained available as a regular production option, the E-Type (XKE, 1961-1974) having in 1964 adopted the 4.2. So the 240, 340, S-Type (3.4 & 3.8) and 420 (all based on the 1959 Mark 2 (an update of the 2.4 (1955-1959 & 3.4 1957-1959, the range retrospectively informally dubbed Mark 1 after the debut of the Mark 2)) remained in production, along with the Daimler 250 (the re-named 2.5 (1962-1967). fitted with Daimler’s superb 2.5 litre V8) and to add a further quirk, a dozen 340s were built to special order with the 3.8 litre engine. Production of most of the "legacy Jaguars" ceased in 1968 with the coming of the XJ6 except the big 420G (which lasted until 1970 although sales had for some time slowed to a trickle) and the 240 (available until 1969 because Jaguar wasn’t until then able to offer the short-lived and never quite satisfactory 2.8 litre option in the XJ6). The Daimler 250 & Sovereign (a version of the 420 with most of the optional equipment fitted and slightly finer trim appointments) remained available until 1969, production of both ending when a new Sovereign (a "badge-engineered" XJ6 in 2.8 & 4.2 litre forms) entered the showrooms).
1967 Jaguar Mark 2 3.8 with leather trim (left) and a "de-contented" 1968 Jaguar 240 with the "slimline" bumpers, Ambla trim and optional rimbellishers (right).
Given the revised naming convention wasn’t carried over to the XJ6 (rendering the 420G an alpha-numeric orphan for its last days), there’s since been speculation about whether Jaguar's management had a change of mind about how the XJ6 was to be labeled or the changes were just an attempt to stimulate interest in the rather dated Mark 2 and its derivatives. If so, that certainly worked though perhaps not quite as Jaguar intended because in 1968 the most ancient models (240 & 340), handsomely outsold both the newer 420 and the by then moribund S-Type. Probably the change in name had little to do with this and more significant was the price cutting which made the 240 & 340 suddenly seem like bargains, the 240 especially. Dated they might have looked in the year the NSU Ro80 debuted, but there was still had a certain charm and the lower prices attracted buyers whereas the 420 suffered because it was known the XJ6 would soon be available and expectations were high.
1959 US market Jaguar Mark 2 3.8 with leather and burl walnut (left) and 1967 US market Jaguar 340 with Ambla and straight grain walnut (right). Other than the aroma, the Ambla was sufficiently coriaceous to do an admirable job of replicating the appearance of leather and didn't demand the same degree of care and attention. No other wood can quite match burl walnut although many over the years have been fooled by the painted metal facias in Facel Vegas, the look expertly emulated by French artisans.
The renewed interest in the 240 was at least partly because Jaguar had finally devoted some attention to the breathing of its smallest engine, straight-port heads and revised SU carburetors increasing the power to the point where a genuine 100 mph (160 km/h) could be attained, something not possible since the lighter 2.4 ended production in 1959. The 100 mph thing was something the factory was quite sensitive about because in the 1950s (when it was still a rare capability) it had been a selling point and for most of the Mark 2’s life, Jaguar was reluctant to make 2.4s available for testing, 96 mph (155 km/h) all that was possible. The 240’s new performance solved that problem and it was the biggest seller of the revised range (4,446 240s vs 2,800 340s (the latter including the 12 "special orders" with the 3.8 litre engine)) although those who read the small print might have been disappointed to note the fuel consumption; both models weighed about the same but the small engine had to work much harder, the 340 barely more thirsty.
A curious footnote in the tale of the short-lived “transitional” 240 & 340 was the unique 340 sold in the US market in 1967. Although it probably shouldn’t be thought of as a “trial run”, the 240s & 340s built for the UK and export to other places didn’t enter production until the last of the US-exclusive 340s had been shipped. Visually, the US 340s are most easily identified by being fitted with the deeper bumpers although the detail differences were many. While the basic mechanical configuration was the same as the 3.4 litre Mark 2, PAS (power-assisted steering) was fitted as standard but the overdrive remained an option (like all the post-1966 cars, the four-speed manual transmission featured synchromesh on all ratios). Like the 340s later built for the RoW (rest of the World), synthetic (nylon) carpet replaced the cut-pile Wilton and the seats were covered with Ambla rather than leather; unlike in the UK, there can’t have been much sensitivity to the “downgrading” because advertising explicitly described the upholstery as “vinyl”, a word Rolls-Royce would in the next decade deliberately avoid, preferring “Everflex” (an expensive, heavy-duty vinyl). Although there were now fewer individual pieces (the picnic tables in the back of the seats not included), the extensive timber veneers remained although most of the US 340s which remain extant appear originally to have been equipped with straight-grain rather than burl walnut. However, such is the appeal of the burl veneer, a number of 340s are known to have been retro-fitted (and some have also been re-trimmed in leather). So, the US-bound 340s can be understood as a “de-contented 3.4 Mark 2” and a lower-cost sedan for Jaguar dealers to have in the showroom alongside the 420, Prior to 1967, for some years, only the 3.8 litre version of the Mark 2 had been exported to the US and the factory never contemplated offering the 240 there. A total of 535 LHD (left hand drive) 340s were built.
Still, with the 240 in 1968 selling for only £20 more than the 2.4 had cost in 1955, it was soon tagged “the best Jaguar bargain of all time”, a claim with some impact for a marque which had always offered outstanding value for money. The "bargain price" had been attained by cost-cutting, some of the trademark interior wood trim deleted, the fog and spot lamps replaced by a pair of chromed grilles, the hubcap design simplified and “slimline” bumpers fitted in place of the substantial units in place since 1959, this not only saving weight but a remarkable amount of the cost of production. The revised cars were not as generously equipped as before (although some of the “de-contenting” had been introduced late in Mark 2 production) but a long option list remained and on it were some items once fitted as standard, the list including: a choice of five radio installations with or without rear parcel shelf-mounted speaker, a laminated windscreen, chromium-plated Ace Turbo rimbellishers for steel wheels, a tow bar, a locking petrol filler cap, front seat belts, the choice of radial, town and country, or whitewall tyres, automatic transmission, overdrive (for the manual transmission), wire wheels, fast ratio steering box, a fire extinguisher, Powr-Lok differential, rear window demister, heavy-duty anti-roll bar, close-ratio gearbox, tinted glass, a driver’s wing mirror, childproof rear door locks, an integrated ignition & starter switch (steering column), reclining front seats, power-assisted steering & leather upholstery. De-contented the revised range may have been but normal product development meant some genuinely worthwhile improvements were included, the RoW 340s produced after September 1967 featuring the updated (Marles Varomatic) steering box, a straight-port cylinder head that delivered a useful increase in power and Borg-Warner’s antiquated DG 250 automatic transmission was replaced by their BW 35.
1962 Jaguar Mark 2 3.8 with leather trim (left) and 1968 Jaguar 240 with Ambla trim. It was only when the optional leather trim was specified that the fold-down "picnic tables" were fitted in the front seat-backs.
It was the moving of the leather trim to the option list which is said to have made the greatest contribution to the price cuts. The replacement fabric was Ambla, one of a class of coriaceous materials which have come variously to be referred to as fake or faux leather, pleather, vegan leather, Naugahyde, synthetic leather, artificial leather, & ersatz leather. First manufactured in the US, most production now is done in China as well as upholstery, the fabric is use for just about anything which has ever been made in leather including clothing, footwear, gloves, hats, belts, watch bands, cases, handbags, sports items, firearm holsters, luggage and a myriad besides. It does appear that as early as the fifteenth century, the Chinese were experimenting with ways synthetic leather could be manufactured but it doesn’t appear anything was ever produced at scale and it was only when petroleum-based plastics became available in the US in the late nineteenth century that it became viable to mass produce a viable alternative to natural hide. Historically, most of the products were petroleum-based but vegetable-based alternatives are now attracting much interest as attention has focused on the environmental impact of the traditional petrochemical based approach.
Two 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SLs: In Light Ivory over Bamboo MB-Tex (left) and Tobacco Brown over Cognac leather (right). MB-Tex wasn't exactly indestructible but it was durable and there are 60 year old convertibles trimmed in MB-Tex in which the upholstery looks literally new, despite having received little care and no maintenance. Leather, especially in a convertible will noticeably age with exposure to the weather (especially sun) and while the quality of patina is valued in "original" vehicles, most restored W113s will leather will require a re-trim.
One of the best known coriaceous materials in the 1960s and 1970s was MB-Tex, a vinyl used by Mercedes-Benz which by far was the synthetic which most closely resembled genuine leather. That was something made easier by the Germans using a process which resulted in slightly thicker tanned hide than those from Italy, Spain or England and this meant that replicating the appearance was more easily attained. What most distinguished MB-Tex however was the durability and longevity. Unlike leather which demanded some care and attention to avoid wear and cracking, it wasn’t uncommon for 20 or 30 year old MB-Tex to look essentially as it did when new and many who sat in them for years may have assumed it really was leather. It certainly took an expert eye to tell the difference although in a showroom, moving from one to another, although the visual perception might be much the same, the olfactory senses would quickly know which was which because nothing compares with the fragrance of a leather-trimmed interior. For some, that seduction was enough to persuade although those who understood the attraction of the close to indestructible MB-Tex, there were aerosol cans of “leather smell”, each application said to last several weeks.
For the incomparable aroma of leather.
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