Swedish leather crafter Benny Öhrman had an unusual dream one night, and this remarkable vehicle was the result. Prompted by his dream, Ohrman spent more than 2,000 hours over the course of a year to cover his Renault CV4 entirely in leather. The seams and details are all sewn by hand, down to the little buckle that closes the engine cover. It took the leather from nine cows to complete the project, and Öhrman also installed a 16-speaker Alpine stereo system inside the car. One of the most common questions posed to Öhrman is, "Can it be out in the rain?" The artist's answer is, "Have you ever seen a cow with an umbrella?"

The Leathercar now resides in Westchester County, New York.

August, 2001