Custom fitted luggage

[EuroShark]

Are any other E28 owners interested in custom fitted luggage? I know it's generally more of an Italian or British car thing, but I think the idea of an E28 M5 specific luggage set is pretty neat. After all, our cars were designed to be fun and practical. What's more practical than luggage that is designed to fit neatly into the trunk and, more importantly, stay put while you're enjoying the drive?

The company I work for is collaborating with a custom luggage craftsman in the UK to make fitted sets for some Alfa applications. He will make anything we ask for based on the designs we provide. We can do leather or vinyl in virtually any color with or without stripes, embroidery, pleating, custom stitching, etc.

Step one is to gauge interest. Pricing will be based on the number and size of the bags and the material of choice. Every set does not have to be the same, so we could do a mixture of leather and vinyl in different colors, but they'll need to be largely the same in terms of the rest of the design. If we can get half a dozen or more people to commit we should get a fairly decent price break. To give some idea as to what they might cost, the bags pictured retail for $1695 in leather or $865 in vinyl.

I'm open to suggestions on the size and shape of the bags so that they might utilize the available space in the best possible way. We could stack them, like we do with our 4C sets pictured below, or go with deeper bags that do not stack.

Let me know what you guys think and I'll see if we can get something going.

[vinceg101]

Interesting proposition, here are my thoughts (and again, just my opinion):
1. The E28 trunk (including the M5) isn't all that restrictive in terms of volume, shapes and geometry that would warrant specialized luggage. It's an interesting 3D puzzle solving exercise sometimes to pack for a road trip but that is more about packing supplies rather than luggage.
2. Since the E28 trunk is large enough to be customizable, many people have done so with the likes of audio amp boards, subwoofers, tool kits, road boxes, etc. Those variations will limit the need or use for customized luggage (e.g. you will be left choosing a bag that fits the unique left-over space in the trunk).
3. Have you looked at the luggage that was made for the M1? I saw one set in person it was pretty neat and worth a look for an example of how to 'brand' your bags to the M5. (Louis Vuitton made it):



I would think that developing a series of trunk storage boxes to work in concert with some specific custom luggage pieces would be an interesting exercise and probably far more practical for the average E28 owner. But that's me since for most long road trips I typically pack one or two personal bags and then half a dozen supply boxes full of parts, fluids, tools, etc. This could branch out to other models and generations.

[Mike W.]

As one who has a wife who likes to be prepared, I mean one vacation she took 3 irons and 2 ironing boards, I've learning soft sided bags, less than 110% full are the key. And not huge soft bags. You can push them, stack them, squish them, fit stuff in around them, they just work for maximizing the trunk. She packs so much one time I took a picture to try to remember how to fit it all back in. I like ones as I pictured below, to me they are ideal and around 20" long.

Now I've always been a function above form type of guy, but I admit as the cars have gotten older and transitioned, mostly, from nice, but affordable daily drivers to hobby cars, the OPs suggestion might be of interest to some.

[vinceg101]

She packs so much one time I took a picture to try to remember how to fit it all back in.

I know that need.


I've even gone as far as measuring the entire trunk and components, translating into an AutoCAD file and then worked out about 100 different variations with different versions of crates/boxes, tools, fluid containers, etc. (that photo above is a direct result of this exercise). I guess this goes back to what I said in that developing a 'system' of trunk boxes with interlocking/luggage bags might be the way to go for the E28.

[stuartinmn]

The trunks on our cars are sufficiently huge that custom luggage isn't something most owners think about. I've stuffed all kinds of things in mine without running out of room.
One suggestion if you do go forward with the project - my sister in law used to be the product designer for a company that makes tool bags of various styles, and she made a few regular old gate mouth bags for me. A neat trick she used was putting a couple strips of Velcro on the bottom of the bags, so they stay put wherever they're placed in the trunk. It's nice not having them slide around in the trunk when going around corners.

[garageboy]

Apparently, this photo is being used in an upcoming publication!

When I did my jaunt from NYC to Yellowstone, this was what I managed to squeeze into the trunk for me and 2 passengers (actually, just the part from Jackson Hole to Kalispell)... Here's another vote for soft luggage!!