Ferrari’s Faux Leather: We Explore the Latest Custom Option from Maranello

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The words “Ferrari” and “fake” often are found in close proximity, but the word “Fiero” usually is part of the equation, too. Yet after slipping inside a grigio-on-blue California T at the recent Frankfurt auto show, we found ourselves thinking about fakery—in terms of the upholstery. That’s because the car wasn’t lined with the delicate, super-smooth hides typical of Maranello, but rather a new material that’s just now appearing on order sheets.

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In the same way that automakers shun real suede in favor of microfiber textiles to create longer-lasting, fade-free surfaces in their sportiest models, Ferrari’s new Mycro Prestige upholstery aims to deliver a superior experience, and it’s perhaps the most convincing faux leather in the business. Ferrari quietly installed it on a custom F12berlinetta earlier this year, as well as on another California T displayed at Goodwood, but we hadn’t heard a peep about it until we spoke with Andrea Bassi, Ferrari’s head of personalization.

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Why would anyone trade the company’s famously soft aniline leather for a synthetic? For one reason, it’s water repellent, which makes top-down motoring in, say, Seattle or the U.K. more worry-free. Like MB-Tex, the long-serving Mercedes-Benz upholstery that looks and feels like standard Mercedes leather, Mycro Prestige won’t fade or crack over time. That means it keeps looking fresh for Ferrari owners who drive regularly, especially important for California T owners, since it’s the current Ferrari car most likely to be chosen for commuting duty. The material also is flameproof, although anyone occupying a Ferrari in which that quality is being put to the test should probably exit the car immediately. Customers, Bassi says, “want something different from the leather,” he said. “Everyone has a special taste.”

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Among the latest of 150 catalog items available through the Tailor Made personalization program, Mycro Prestige is supple and rich, and its look is uniform with none of the rubbery texture one might associate with synthetic leather. It’s produced exclusively by an Italian supplier. Indeed, the intricately stitched and ribbed upholstery in the show car fooled nearly every eye and finger in Frankfurt, and even the black trim on the doors and dash is made from the same stuff. But Ferrari hasn’t gone New Age-y or decided to kowtow to PETA; a California T buyer simply asked the company for a “sportier” version of its classic leather, Bassi said, and so it was done.

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• Instrumented Test: 2015 Ferrari California T

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• Cattle Cars: How Leather Goes from Cow to Your Car

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• The Definitive Guide to the Modern Automotive Interior

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Here, as with every custom option, Ferrari refuses to disclose pricing. (You’ll no doubt need to pay up, and likely select a few more options such as the matching Mycro Prestige golf bag and luggage.) And if you’d like to get as up and close to Mycro Prestige as we did, you’ll need to visit Maranello or Shanghai, the only in-person locations at which you can consult with Ferrari on your Tailor Made car from start to finish.

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