Where can I find the cool Alcantara material used in the newer S4 models?
So you want to upholster your door panel inserts or center panel of your seats in Alcantara you say? Well, S-CAR lister Bob Pastore came up with the following source for the material. The distributor in the USA is Gulf Fabrics (813) 875-2707. The stuff sells for $67/yard (either quality), and is 54″ wide. There are two qualities — Ultrasuede “Milano”, which is marketed in Europe as “Alcantara” is fabric backed, and is good for 125,000 double-rubs in the Wyzenbeek abrasion test. The Ultrasuede Ambience, which is the one I selected, is a little thicker, not fabric backed ad is good for 200,000 double rubs. This stuff is amazing — It is actually 100% synthetic, and is machine washable. Even holding a piece in your hand, you would think its real suede. They charge for the sample card — but will send swatches of certain colors for free. In red the colors you should ask for are #1334 Tomato (nice deep red), or #1304 Scoundrel (Very bright red). Black onyx is # 5709, and for blue, #2530 Re
