Many people know that Alcantara is a fancy microsuede, but not everyone knows it's actually the specific brand. Regardless of whether you know that tidbit or not, the Italian company is celebrating BMW M's 50th anniversary with a special M4 Competition festooned with Alcantara's finest and most vivid fabric.
The car was unveiled at the "Touch the Skyline" event held at the House of BMW on the Via Verri in Milan, with the city playing a unique role in the interior.
The car, finished in Sao Paolo Yellow, is full of black Alcantara that adorns the seats, headliner, pillars, and door panels with stitching in black and yellow to celebrate the historic partnership that started decades ago. There's even more Alcantara to be found, as the door uppers have vibrant yellow with "Milano" and the city's skyline laser etched into the fabric.
"2022 is a special year for BMW's M division because we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the brand that has always offered the highest-performance sports cars in our range," said Chairman and CEO of BMW Italy Massimiliano Di Silvestre. "This is an extraordinary story of a car that has become legendary and its Italian DNA."
Now it may seem a bit odd that a car brand that is as German as sauerkraut would laud its Italian DNA, but you must remember that the first M car, the M1, was designed by legendary Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. So it does make sense that the automaker would turn to the Italian brand for the one-off celebration.
This isn't even the first BMW that Alcantara has customized in recent years. Besides being an option on every M model, in 2020, Alcantara created a one-off BMW i8 in a similar hue.
That project was to celebrate BMW's march towards electrification and the fact that Alcantara is a carbon-neutral material with the company having gone carbon-neutral all the back in 2009.
"At Alcantara, we are delighted about this partnership with BMW, which once again has given us the opportunity to demonstrate our shared identity values," said Chairman and CEO of Alcantara Andrea Boragno. "Alcantara accentuates the extreme sportiness and lightness of the M division, offering the driver grip for a sporty ride with comfort and wear resistance, without ever sacrificing the truly unique sensory experience."
The company has found massive success in recent years thanks to its environmentally friendly stance and the fact that the material is luxurious yet durable. The brand has become so popular, in fact, that it's even had to turn down contracts in the past due to its success, talk about a good problem to have.