AC Schnitzer
Encyclopedia
AC Schnitzer Automobile Technik is a third party tuning company based in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 specializing in BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

 and MINI cars, as well as BMW motorcycles.

Founded in 1967, Schnitzer has headquarters in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...

 (licence plate code AC). The firm has common roots with Schnitzer Motorsport
Schnitzer Motorsport
Schnitzer Motorsport is a motorsport team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. From the early days of its establishment, the team has operated an automobile racing squad for BMW, and has remarkable results in touring car and sports car racing scenes....

, but is a completely independent concern both commercially and legally. AC Schnitzer is part of the Kohl Group, which also counts Steinmetz
Steinmetz Opel Tuning
Steinmetz 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 includes tuning for BMW motor vehicles and also motorcycle arm and the Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...

 and Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...

 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.

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.

Products

The core products offered by AC Schnitzer include chassis components, which receive final tuning on the Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...

. 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 fibre. 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.

The company recently unveiled a styling and performance package for BMW's new F11 5-Series Touring, upgrading the performance of the diesel powered Bavarian Tourings. They also developed a diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

 version of the BMW Z4.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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