Back in the 1970s, a car-mad 16-year-old called Dave Nunn was looking around for his first job. `I was keen to get involved in the motor trade,' he recalls, `maybe as a mechanic, but in the end I was offered a job with a firm of vehicle trimmers in Winchester.' After a five-year apprenticeship, the young Dave was himself an accomplished trimmer, and later worked for various such companies in the south of England. Eventually, he decided it was time to go it alone.

When a particular material is unavailable, Dave does his best to find an alternative. 'For the velour pinstripe, for instance, there's a Mercedes fabric which is very similar. Provided all the seats are retrimmed together, I think you'd be hard-pressed to spot the difference.' Of course, many customers choose to upgrade from the original cloth to leather upholstery. Again, says Dave, Southbound can offer some very worthwhile savings. 'Porsche charges over £1000 per seat squab for replacement leather covers,' he argues, 'and that doesn't include fitting! We can re-cover a pair of 911 seats in black leather for £*** plus VAT.'