Inside the M Cabin: Forty Years of Getting the Details Right

Every generation of M car has fought the same argument with itself: how much luxury belongs in a homologation special?

The cloth years

The E30 M3's standard interior was cloth, and the cars that kept it are now worth more than the leather ones. There is a lesson in that. Cloth held you in place, did not cook in the sun, and looked like a piece of motorsport equipment rather than a concession to the options list.

Vader seats and the E36

The E36's optional Vader seats remain among the best factory-fitted buckets BMW has ever offered. Support, adjustability and a shape that still feels contemporary thirty years later.

The tri-color stitch

Blue, purple and red. It began as a sponsorship compromise and became the most recognizable three-stripe sequence in the industry. On a steering wheel, on a seat belt, on a shifter boot — used sparingly it still lands.

Carbon and the modern era

The G80's M Carbon buckets are the most divisive item in the current catalog. They are also 21 pounds lighter per pair and hold you like nothing else BMW sells. Whether you can live with the center ridge is a question only a long test drive answers.