Hello brainfloss,
Thank you for your question.
This page at Detail City should lead to the answer to your question:
http://www.detailcity.com/forums/archive/topic/3864-1.html
"...2001 King Ranch Edition F-150 SuperCrew interior picture attached...
The leather is called "Castano Leather" and is a trade-marked leather
brought to Ford by the fine folks at the King Ranch in Kingsville,
Texas (www.king-ranch.com or www.krsaddleshop.com)
But, as a moderator over on an F-series based truck message board, I
can certainly attest that Ford does have some issues with their
clearcoated leathers. They're made by a company named 'LEAR' and it's
very common that I see interior problems rearing their ugly head in
various threads..."
Checking the King Ranch pages I searched "Castano" and found luggage
made from this material:
http://www.krsaddleshop.com/shopping/prod_detail/main.asp?uid=BD9311DB-3AC9-11D8-B79A-0090277A52D2-21397341&search=castano&stype=PHRASE&sl=1&productID=1455
"...Discover our luxurious Castano Leather luggage. This beautiful
leather maintains the resilient qualities of strength and enduring
functionality which makes it unique..."
For a little more background on King Ranch, see this page:
http://www.king-ranch.com/index_ie.htm
"...Founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King, King Ranch sprawls across
825,000 acres of South Texas with land that varies from fertile black
farmland to low-lying coastal marshes to mesquite infested pastures
that mark the beginning of the great Texas brush country. Covering
almost 1,300 square miles, it is larger than the entire state of Rhode
Island. Captain King?s descendants continue to play an active role at
King Ranch working with professional management to build on traditions
of the past and innovations for the future.
Once a dusty outpost on the road between the settlements of Corpus
Christi and Brownsville, King Ranch is, at 825,000 acres, one of the
largest working ranches in the United States today. While it continues
to advance cattle ranching and preserve the legacy begun by Captain
King, King Ranch is more than a cattle ranch. Today's King Ranch has
diversified and grown into a major agribusiness corporation, with
interests in cattle ranching and feedlot operations, farming (cotton,
grain, sugar cane, and sod), citrus groves, commodity marketing and
processing, and recreational hunting. Its retail operations include
luggage and leather goods, farm equipment, commercial printing, and
tourism..."
A cached page at Ford notes that the F-250 and F-350 can be equipped
with Castano leather:
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:9QlylBMkxCQJ:www.forddirect.com/content/truck/03f-350/+%22castano+leather%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
"...Trimmed in yards of rich, brown Castano leather and uniquely
branded inside and out, the Ford F-250 and Ford F-350 King Ranch
pickups are entirely new topics for bragging rights..."
And the 2003 Edition Ford F-150 has a number of deatils that show off King Ranch:
http://www.fordvehicles.com/features/bft/alliances/kingranch/index.asp?pid=115
"...When Ford Motor Company, known for its pioneering and innovations
in the automobile world, wanted to build an upscale truck that
appealed to a Western American market, they naturally turned to the
pioneering people of King Ranch.
Founded in Texas in 1853 by steamboat Captain Richard King, the ranch
covers 825,000 acres or almost 1,300 square miles and is larger than
the state of Rhode Island. Here, visitors can see the King Ranch
trademark Santa Gertrudis cattle and King Ranch quarter horses and
take a tour to view the land and wildlife or do some birdwatching.
Ford used the inspiration they found in the spirit of King Ranch to
produce the F-Series King Ranch Special Editions: the 2003 F-150 King
Ranch in SuperCrew or Flareside SuperCab models and most recently, the
all-new 2003 F-250 & F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab models. Designed with
the more affluent truck buyer in mind, these special edition trucks
start with the top-of-the-line truck and add a high level of unique
luxurious appointments.
2003 F-150 King Ranch Features include:
Front and rear Castano leather-trimmed captain?s chairs & console with
embossed King Ranch logo and two-way head restraint (SuperCab rear
seat is a bench; SuperCrew has optional bench seat)
Castano leather covered front (and rear with Captain's Chairs) console
lid(s) with King Ranch brand
Woodgrain accents on I/P center stack bezel and door switchplates
King Ranch logo embroidered on front and rear floor mats
Chrome tubular lighted cab steps
6-disc, in-dash CD audio system
Unique 17" 10-spoke cast aluminum wheels with embossed King Ranch logo
on center cap
Clear lens headlamps
Unique badging/tapestripe and two-tone exterior paint treatment..."
So, briefly to recap, Castano Leather is a trademarked leather product
from King Ranch that is an option on some Fords and appears to be a
much higher quality leather than normally offered on Ford (and other)
vehicles.
Search Strategy:
"castano leather"
I trust my research has provided you with your answer. If a link above
should fail to work or anything require further explanation or
research, please do post a Request for Clarification prior to rating
the answer and closing the question and I will be pleased to assist
further.
Regards,
-=clouseau=- |
