---

Hello, everyone! I’m Mina, the writer behind the “Welcome Home, PORSCHE” blog. The other day, I took our Panamera to Nakabayashi Kogyo, a long-established car cover manufacturer that I’d interviewed previously, to have a custom cover made. This time, I was given special permission to photograph the process, from measuring the car to making the cover, so I’d love to show you how it all went.

1. What Does It Mean to Bring Your Car in for a Custom Fit?

A Free Car Cover as a Thank-You!

We’d previously ordered Nakabayashi Kogyo covers for our Porsche 981 Boxster GTS and Mercedes-Benz SL500 (R129). My husband, who tends to be a tough critic, couldn’t praise them enough.

“Let’s order a cover for the Panamera, too!”

But when I got in touch, I learned they didn’t yet have a pattern for it, since it was a new model introduced after a full redesign.

Nakabayashi Kogyo has patterns for around 3,000 different cars, but naturally, not every model is covered. If you bring in a relatively new car that’s had a full redesign—or a model the company is looking to add to its range—they’ll give you the first cover made from the new pattern for free as a thank-you for helping with the measurements. (If you’d rather not receive the cover, you can instead get a ¥10,000 VJA gift card on the day the pattern is completed.)

Photos of your car and the finished cover will also be featured later in the company’s production diary on Minkara, a Japanese car enthusiast community.

A free, first-off-the-line car cover sounded like a fantastic deal, so I was happy to bring our Panamera in.

Three Options for Bringing in Your Car

There are three options to choose from when bringing your car in for measurements.

① Same-Day Service
Bring your car in at 9 a.m. on a weekday, and the work is completed that day. Recommended for customers traveling from farther away.
② Multiple Short Visits
Bring your car in for around 40 minutes per visit, typically three to five times (four visits on average), until the pattern is complete. Recommended for local customers or anyone who can’t leave their car for a full day.
③ Overnight Drop-Off
Leave your car for at least 24 hours, then pick it up the following day or the day after. Nakabayashi Kogyo says this is the option it recommends most, as it gives them plenty of time to work toward the best possible fit.

I chose ③, the “Overnight Drop-Off” option.

You cover the cost of fuel and travel to and from Nakabayashi Kogyo, but they can lend you a courtesy car while yours is in their care. (Nakabayashi Kogyo covers the fuel costs for the courtesy car.)

Why Go to the Trouble of Bringing Your Car in?

To be honest, my first reaction was, “You really have to bring the car all the way in?” The process involves a lot of work for both the owner and Nakabayashi Kogyo: coordinating schedules, arranging a courtesy car, making a sample cover, and ensuring staff are available to do the work.

There’s also no way to completely eliminate the risks of scratches or theft while a car is left overnight, however carefully it’s handled.

And while our Panamera was a new model after a full redesign, its size and styling weren’t dramatically different from the previous generation. I couldn’t help wondering: “Wouldn’t it be enough to start with the previous model’s pattern and adjust it using the dimensions in the manufacturer’s catalog?”

I asked company president Nakagawa about that, and here’s what he told me:

“It’s true that bringing a car in for measurements takes time and effort. But the most important job of a car cover is to protect the car. That’s why we believe we need to work directly with the actual car, using our own methods and experience, rather than making a cover based on measurements calculated from catalog specifications. Every pattern we have is based on a real car. In other words, we can’t make a cover for a car unless we’ve had the chance to work with one in person.”

I see… That’s the pride of a company devoted to craftsmanship.

That said, the in-person measurement service is very popular, so Nakabayashi Kogyo has temporarily stopped accepting bookings. They expect to resume after the New Year.

2. Measurement Day

Heading to Nakabayashi Kogyo in the Morning

The big day had arrived, and I drove the Panamera to Nakabayashi Kogyo. The forecast called for sunshine all day. I’d been worried that if it rained on the way there, they’d have to dry the car off before getting started, so I was relieved to see the sun.

Nakabayashi Kogyo’s office and workshop are about a three-minute drive from the Habikino Interchange on the Minami-Hanna Road. We found the place without any trouble. Inside, I saw stacks of boxes filled with car covers waiting to be shipped.

Apparently, orders had surged after the powerful typhoon that hit in September, and the company was struggling to keep up with shipments. (By the time this article is published, the backlog should have eased.)

After greeting Nakagawa and the staff, I was handed three documents.

The first was titled “For Customers Bringing Their Cars in for Measurements.” It covered important points to keep in mind, along with estimated times for measuring the car and making the cover.

The back even had sightseeing suggestions for customers opting for same-day service. How thoughtful! (Laughs.)

The second document was a consent form.

Nakagawa explained, “We didn’t originally have a consent form, but people around us advised that we should prepare one, so we made it just in case.” It covered points including:

・Measurements are taken while avoiding contact with the car’s body as much as possible, though some contact may be necessary.
・Photos of the measuring process and finished cover may be posted later on the company’s Minkara blog.
・If the car already has any damage, customers should point it out beforehand.
・Customers will be notified in advance if the work takes longer than expected.

The third document was an application form for a courtesy car, which was given only to customers who needed one.

Step 1: Taking Measurements

After reviewing and signing the paperwork, the measuring began. Nakabayashi Kogyo had several sheets listing the many measurements to be taken.

Two staff members measured the car while Nakagawa recorded the numbers. They were both completely focused, so I kept quiet and watched.

What surprised me most was just how thorough they were. They took measurements at more than 30 to 40 points—including spots that made me think, “Wait, you’re measuring that, too?”

The team worked with such practiced ease and coordination that the measuring itself took only about five minutes.

Step 2: Making the First Sample

Once the measurements were taken, it was time to make the first sample. Normally, cutting takes 30 to 40 minutes, sewing takes another 30 minutes, and the whole process takes around an hour and a half. Since I was there to document the process, they had prepared a sample for the 970 Panamera (the previous generation) in advance. (This was an older sample they had kept, so the fabric was wrinkled. The fabric on a new cover would be much smoother.)

They draped the sample cover over the car…

…and this is what it looked like.

Step 3: Marking Up the Cover

Nakagawa carefully checked the cover for tight spots and wrinkles.

To my untrained eye, the 970 pattern looked like a pretty good fit, so I said, “This looks fine to me…” Nakagawa immediately replied, “No, it’s not fitting well at all.”

“For example, see this sag here? If rainwater or dust collects in this spot, the extra weight can wear down the fabric and eventually damage the car.”

“There’s also some tension around the hood and rear of the car. We need to leave a little more room in these areas so the cover doesn’t put stress on the car. And it looks like the mirror position is slightly different between the old and new models. We’ll need to correct that, too.”

I hadn’t noticed any of that at all, but now that he pointed it out, I could see what he meant. It was clear that the sample was still a long way from the fit Nakagawa was aiming for.

Next, he marked the areas that needed adjustment, indicating things like “take this much off here.”

These marks were kept to a minimum and, I was told, wouldn’t affect the car’s finish in any way. After checking everything, they removed the cover from the car.

Step 4: Making the Second Sample

They then unpicked every seam in the cover. “Wait, you’re taking the whole thing apart?” I asked, surprised. Nakagawa replied, “Yes. We unpick all the seams, then adjust the areas we marked.”

Following the notes showing where and how much to trim, they cut and adjusted the fabric, then spent around 30 minutes sewing it back together.

Then they’d fit it on the car again, mark it up, take it apart, make adjustments, sew it back together—and repeat. Normally, they go through this process two or three times. Fine-tuning the fit takes a considerable amount of time.

Sometimes a pattern turns out just right on the first try, but that’s rare.

Nakagawa makes the final call on whether the fit is right and the pattern is ready. He told me:

“Even if the measurements are correct and everyone else says it looks good enough, if it doesn’t feel right to me, we’ll do it again as many times as it takes until it does.”

That’s impressive…

Apparently, Porsche models are relatively straightforward when it comes to getting the fit right. As I mentioned in my earlier interview, Porsche design is natural and well-proportioned, so it doesn’t usually require extensive adjustments. Supercars with more unusual designs, on the other hand, can be a real challenge.

→【Next page】The next day, the perfect car cover is finally complete!