AC Schnitzer Automobile Technik is a third party tuning company based in
AachenAachen is a historic spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the medieval Kings of Germany...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
specializing in
BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
and MINI cars, as well as BMW motorcycles.
Founded in 1987, Schnitzer has its headquarters in
AachenAachen is a historic spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the medieval Kings of Germany...
(licence plate code
AC). It is one of the largest, most renowned vehicle customizers worldwide for the BMW brand. Although the firm has common roots with
Schnitzer MotorsportSchnitzer Motorsport is a successful Motorsport Team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. In the last years, they mainly competed as BMW Team Germany in the World Touring Car Championship with drivers Jörg Müller and Augusto Farfus who moved from Alfa Romeo during the winter leading up to the...
, the famous racing team, it is a completely independent concern both commercially and legally.
AC Schnitzer Automobile Technik is a third party tuning company based in
AachenAachen is a historic spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the medieval Kings of Germany...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
specializing in
BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
and MINI cars, as well as BMW motorcycles.
Founded in 1987, Schnitzer has its headquarters in
AachenAachen is a historic spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the medieval Kings of Germany...
(licence plate code
AC). It is one of the largest, most renowned vehicle customizers worldwide for the BMW brand. Although the firm has common roots with
Schnitzer MotorsportSchnitzer Motorsport is a successful Motorsport Team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. In the last years, they mainly competed as BMW Team Germany in the World Touring Car Championship with drivers Jörg Müller and Augusto Farfus who moved from Alfa Romeo during the winter leading up to the...
, the famous racing team, it is a completely independent concern both commercially and legally. AC Schnitzer is part of the Kohl Group, which also counts
SteinmetzSteinmetz is an automobile tuning company specialising in Opel cars, based in Aachen, Germany. They develop higher performance engines, sports suspension, special exhausts and complete aerodynamic bodystyling kits. Their engineers believe that the proving ground for all products is still in...
as one of its associates.
Brands and products
AC Schnitzer was established in 1987. Its range now covers not only high-value tuning for BMW motor vehicles but also its motorcycle arm and the
MiniThe Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
and
Land RoverLand Rover is a 4x4, SUV and all-terrain vehicle manufacturer, based in Solihull, West Midlands, England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business owned by Tata Motors of India....
makes. The range includes individual components such as chassis, custom exhaust systems and light-alloy wheels, as well as complete vehicles and performance tuning for petrol and diesel engines. Most accessories can be obtained via official channels through BMW dealers (738 dealers and 45 branches).
More expensive conversions, however, are handled by a highly qualified team direct in Aachen. AC Schnitzer components are obtainable via exclusive importers in more than 50 countries worldwide. In addition to its customizing business with 55 employees, the firm’s new buildings in Aachen are home to several car firms, boutiques and a luxury restaurant.
Company philosophy and technology
AC Schnitzer demonstrates its expertise in the specialist press and at fairs with various vehicle projects. An example of this is the Tension based on a BMW M6, which achieved the title of “fastest street legal BMW in the world” in 2006 on the high-speed track at the
NardòNardò is town of 31,185 inhabitants and comune in the southern Italian region of Apulia, in the province of Lecce.-History:Traces of human presence in the area dates from Palaeolithic times. The settlement was founded by the Messapi around the year 1000 BC. The Romans conquered it in 269 BC and...
Ring in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
. The 552 hp Bolide (406
kWkw or KW may refer to:* Kuwait* kW, kilowatt* Kw, the self-ionization of water* kw, the Cornish language * KW, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada* KW, Kripke's Wittgenstein in Kripkenstein* Kanye West a rapper...
) reached speeds of 331.78 km/h in test runs. Now it is the second fasted BMW in the world, with the fastest BMW being the 720Hp M5 from G-Power.
In its vehicles, AC Schnitzer attaches particular importance to a balanced contribution of all the components involved. The maximum achievable engine output is not the primary aim. High driving performance has to be achieved without loss of safety or reliability. This is why AC Schnitzer offers a guarantee of up to two years for its performance tuning on production vehicles. As well as
chip tuningChip tuning refers to changing or modifying an EPROM chip in a car's or other vehicle's electronic control unit to achieve better performance, whether it be more power, cleaner emissions, or better fuel economy....
, other supporting measures are taken to ensure the safety and reliability of the engine transmission assembly at all times, including at maximum load.
Products
The core products offered by AC Schnitzer include chassis components, which receive final tuning on the
NürburgringThe Nürburgring, simply known as "The Ring" by enthusiasts, is a motorsport race track in Nürburg, Germany. It was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel, which is about south of Cologne, and northwest of Frankfurt...
. A primary focal point is also comfort. As well as chassis components, the firm also produces light-alloy wheels up to size 22 inch.
Other products include aerodynamic components. Here the focus is not only on appearance but also on driving safety, by reducing lift, for example.
AC Schnitzer also makes products for vehicle interiors using materials such as aluminium, leather or carbon. The product range includes control elements such as steering wheels, pedals and hand-brake levers, or interior mouldings and cladding, as well as exclusive customer requirements.
External links