Alcantara celebrates 50 years with the Lamborghini Bravo

The marriage between the world of cars and Alcantara is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It was back in 1974 that the precious material, patented and designed to cover armchairs and sofas as well as seats, door panels and dashboards, made its debut in the interior of a supercar, the Lamborghini Bravo concept designed by Bertone.

Today, it is the material of choice for many carmakers around the world, both sporty and otherwise, because of its high breathability and durability.

The golden wedding of Alcantara and cars

Thanks to its unique composition, which literally 'sticks' to the seat, and to its great durability, Alcantara has been used in cars, past and present, for more than half a century.

In recent years, in particular, we have seen more and more car manufacturers around the world choosing this material as an alternative to leather to cover their sportiest seats or steering wheels, and the reason for this choice is simple: the feeling that this particular covering is able to give the driver or pilot, guaranteeing the greatest possible friction even at very high speeds or on the track and high breathability principles that prevent perspiration as much as possible.

The 1974 Lamborghini Bravo, the first car with an Alcantara interior

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A story that continues

As mentioned above, the first car in the world to be fitted with an Alcantara interior was the Lamborghini Bravo, the emblematic concept designed by Marcello Gandini for Carrozzeria Bertone, with its very clean lines and precursor to the later models produced by the Sant'Agata Bolognese company.

Lamborghini Bravo, Alcantara interior

 

Fifty years on from that day, Alcantara is now committed to continually reducing its carbon footprint, a journey that began over 20 years ago and continued in 2009 with the achievement of carbon neutrality certification, which is based on offsetting greenhouse gas emissions through the purchase of carbon credits from certified and verified projects.

The Alcantara steering wheel on the Lamborghini Urus

But that's not all. In 2023, at the Automobile Awards, the annual French event that rewards excellence in the global automotive industry, the Italian brand specialising in sports car interiors (but not only) received the "Coup de Coeur LR 66", the award for versatility. Today, the Italian company's patented fabric is the first choice for the world's most exclusive cars.