Alcantara interior..

This winter I want to pull my sticky air vents out, and give them a refinish...

I have some how got it in my head, that it would look good to replace that leater/vinyl(?) dash cover with black alcantara..
Kinda like this lotus was done..( just to get the basic idea, I´ll only over the dash area acoss the cockpit, and only in black...)
Se the red dot pic, these areas, not sure if the door "V" should be done too

Anyone ever done this? And what do you think of this project?
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I think that would look great. One or two people on this board did it with TR's.

 

I also reckon it would look fantastic. I have seen a 348 on Fchat with most of the interior/dash covered in alcantra. I forget who owns the car, but it looked very nice.

 

The "challenge" Ferarri's have alcantara dash from the factory right??

I wonder how would it affect future buyers/resale?

Would they think its a plus or a minus?

 

Makes sense, although I wouldn't buy a Ferrari that had that kind of modification.

 

your right...guess it comes down to the look and feel of the finish product..
It could be a " WOOW!" thing, or a "Arrh c**p, look what he did" thing..

Im sill thinking about doing this..

 

Did this a couple of years ago. Pulled the dash and door panels myself. Sourced the material direct from Gulf Fabrics in Florida and had a local guy do the actual covering. 4 yards at $80 per and $1200 labor (not including mine). Also installed a Momo "Club 4" steering wheel with a Challange adapter to complete the look.
More than happy with the outcome.

JD
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

VERY NICE!!! Looks great!!!

 

I think that stuff looks cheap......only belongs on a head liner. Real leather is classy.

 

+1

I think it does look cheap, leather looks a lot better. Maybe would look good in carbon fiber?

 

It looks way better than glossy hot sun glaring shrinking leather. This was done when the car was ordered new. The stichwork and quality are flawless.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Both are very nice.

 

That look REALLY good! Just like I thought it would.

I really think the alcantara looks more exclusive than the stock blacl shiny leather. Buts thats a matter of oppenions I can see.

 

I love it and think in Florida it is especially nice. I need to redo my dash soon and will likely go this route... CM

Thanks for the great pics and nice work!

 

I think it looks good too, especially if it is going on a track car. Being as how the challenge cars have it !

I guess in can look "cheap" when comparing to standard interior but I think the factory used it for function more than anything IMO.

On the other hand it does look like "real leather" if you think 'suede' .

 

I have seen Dave's(group77racing) interior up close and it looks great. I thought it was aftermarket at first because I had never seen anything like it before. The pictures do not do the "look" justice, Scott

 

I have a Maserati Spyder with some alcantara on the dash, on the side of the seats, and on the doors. Do any of you have any tips on how to clean it? Do I use regular leather care, or are there special treatments for alcantara? By the way I love the alcantara dash in the pics. Go for it Lars!

 

Go to www.alcantara.com. Under the America section there are maintainance tips

 

My Momo steering wheel is mostly leather, but it has two side positions that are covered in Alcantara.

In my opinion, the leather has the better look, but the alcantara is more practical. For instance, on a hot day the alcantara is still cool to the touch, whereas the black leather becomes untouchable because it heats up so much.

Alcantara also has less glare, so it makes sense to have it on the dash.

So I've got it on my steering wheel, love the feel, and note that it is more practical. That being said, the leather looks better.

 

What about Carbon Fiber?

 

What exactly is Alcantera? Is it leather suede? Is it synthetic. Do you kill little Alcas like you do Naugus? It sure looks good. I've got plastic and vinyl thruout my Corvette. I might try it on there.
Bee Jay

 

I'm not a fan of carbon fiber on the upper dash areas due to excessive Sun glare on the windshield. Looks great at night, though.

 

Looks superb, definitely going to do it when I muster up sufficient funds! My car is far from original anyway and I am not concerned about resale so much.

 

You'll be happy to know that no animals were harmed in the process...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcantara_%28material%29

Now, all those plastic trees being chopped down for those Walmart plastic bags is a different matter...

 

Here is where I bought yardage from:

http://www.gulffabrics.com/

http://www.gulffabrics.com/alccolor.htm