They’ve gone to plaid: You can now buy reproduction plaid fabric for the first-gen Mazda RX-7

Design patterns covering kyusha interiors fall into a special category of obsession for us. Who can resist the finely embossed crests in vinyl headrests, or the colorful swirls in 80s upholsteries? Unfortunately, these surfaces tend to be points of major wear, and sourcing replacements range from difficult to impossible. Now, a shop in Saitama Prefecture has risen to this restoration challenge by offering replacement fabric that reproduces the seat design patterns in classic Mazdas.

Plaid seats were only available on the earliest of Mazda RX-7s, 1979 model year only in the US. Replicated on countless models and even on the racing buckets of the the GTU-winning RX-7 race cars of the 24 Hours of Daytona, There is just something so fitting about that interior in thee first series RX-7s. To this Mazda otaku, it really is an indispensable option for the car.

Hence, we were so excited to learn that Jackpot, a shop in Shiraoka, Saitama that specializes in SA22Cs is now offering fabric that can exactly reproduce the graphic pattern and color of those plaid seats.

Curiously, Jackpot began as a carburetor shop, but over the years it became a specialist in restoring first-generation RX-7s and sourcing rare parts for this car. About three years ago, the shop realized that more and more classic RX-7s were being restored to beautiful mechanical and physical condition.

However, this was not the case with their interiors. The shop found that it was impossible to restore them to the original state due to an inability to source replacement fabrics of the same design. Though furniture fabrics can be custom printed, they do not meet the flame-resistant criteria for automotive restorations. As such, Jackpot went through great effort to solve this problem.

The fabrics that Jackpot provides through its “Original Seat Pattern Design & Revive Service” are flameproof, breathable, and strong. Stocked designs include tartan patterns on the SA22C RX-7 Limited and the RX-7 GT, as well as the houndstooth inserts in the Cosmo Sport. However, they can custom print any pattern to match your seats. Vinyl and moquette materials are also available. You can order from Jackpot and have the fabric drop-shipped to your upholstery shop directly or simply buy it directly.

This is, in a word, awesome. If you are restoring an SA22C (and, really, we all should be), order a few yards of Jackpot’s “Kizami Cloth” to tartan up the interior, as the designers intended.