LUXE
NOT JUST PRACTICAL, CARBON FIBRE IS BECOMING AN EXCLUSIVE CHOICE FOR SUPERCAR INTERIORS
CARBON FIBRE AS THE NEW STEEL? With its adaptability and high strength-to-weight ratio, the once elusive material is increasingly seen in everyday equipment — laptops, fishing rods, archery arrows, tennis racquets, golf clubs and billiard cues. It is used for big machines, such as sailing yachts, high-end mountain bikes, high-performance motorcycles and, of course, Formula One cars, where lightness allied to strength is essential. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is the first commercial aircraft to use carbon composites for its fuselage. The fuselage of its rival, the Airbus A350 XWB, will also make extensive use of the material.
At first horrifically expensive to produce, carbon fibre components were initially only used in a limited number of applications. Improved manufacturing techniques, however, have significantly lowered the cost and broadened its appeal. Sometimes referred to as graphite-reinforced polymer or graphite fibre-reinforced polymer, it is essentially the same material, with layers of carbon fibre cloth overlapped and finally cured in a vacuum bag or an autoclave. The alignment and weave of the cloth fibres affect the strength and stiffness of the final material.
Carbon fibre has another edge over materials such as steel and aluminium — from a design point of view, it is more exciting. California-based manufacturer MAcarbon seizes this advantage to customise interior trims of supercars, such as Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and Audi. Its manufacturing plant in Montreal, Canada, makes moulded, solid carbon fibre parts, while its plant in Liege, Belgium, creates laminate components, which is carbon added to original factory items.
84 JETGALA
FUTURE META L
by Jeff Heselwood MACARBON
FROM TOP MAcarbon’s installation of the Ferrari 458 centre console includes the F1 panel, hazard/window switch panel, glove box lock surround and storage tray insert
Owners can customise the Audi RS5 and RS6 steering wheel, from its thickness to stitching
OPPOSITE PAGE The Audi R8’s carbon fibre-reinforced centre console extends across the ashtray before the gear stick
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