A pineapple might seem out of place on a BMW M3, but it was Alex Zanardi’s good-luck charm. BMW Italia put it at the centre of a one-off M3 built with Italian design studio BorromeoDeSilva to mark what would have been Zanardi’s 60th birthday. The car is on display at the BMW Motorrad stand at EICMA 2026 in Milan.

BMW M3 Zanardi Tribute Wears His Lucky Pineapple

BorromeoDeSilva used the current G80 M3 as its starting point, drawing on BMW’s old racing liveries for the graphics. Zanardi’s pineapple is worked into the familiar M colours, giving the car a detail that belongs to him as much as the stripes belong to BMW. The project also marks 40 years since the original M3.

An E30 M3 Sport Evolution Nod Inside

The reference to the original M3 is clearest in the cabin. Laser-cut perforations in the anthracite Alcantara seat centres reveal an iridescent layer that shifts from blue to red. Bands of Alcantara carry the pattern across the seats and onto the door panels, a nod to the E30 M3 Sport Evolution.

Alex Zanardi’s BMW Racing and Paralympic Legacy

Zanardi raced in Formula 1 and won back-to-back CART titles in 1997 and 1998. After losing both legs in a crash at the Lausitzring in 2001, he returned to racing and won four World Touring Car Championship races with BMW. He went on to win four Paralympic gold medals in handcycling.

The family’s connection with BMW continues through his son Niccolò, who helps run driving courses for people with disabilities using a BMW M2 fitted with adapted controls.