minicar: I'm just wondering what the anthracite roof lining is on the new mini cooper models? The only thing I could find on it was that anthracite is a type of coal, but what does it do and what is the benefit of installing it?What is anthracite roof lining in the new mini coopers?Wow. I have no idea what Annon was smoking when he found this answer. It's funny that someone would actually think that and that three people would agree. His answer is completely wrong. The roof of a mini cooper is aluminum, just like 90% of cars these days. Anthracite is a color designation used by BMW and Mini. It just means that it is a dark grey headliner (the cloth material on the interior of the roof). It's like how an Alpine paint color doesn't mean your car is covered in mountains from Switzerland, it means you have white paint.What is anthracite roof lining in the new mini coopers?Anthracite roof lining is as you described "a type of coal", this is used due to it's density and light weight. This is simply a carbon composite material; cheap and easily produced. It would be similar to replacing your roof lining with a carbon fiber material, but cheaper. It's said to give a "particular touch of modern elegance within the interior".