When it was originally unveiled, the AC Schnitzer ACS1 5.0d was considered an overkill by many. The small chassis of the 1 Series it was based on was doomed to be unable to cope with the ludicrous amounts of horsepower and torque the modified tri-turbo diesel engine would bring to the table. And yet, last week, the German tuner showed the world that their contraption is not only frugal and fast in a straight line but also going around a track.
In a video published on Youtube, the AC Schnitzer ACS1 5.0d model can be seen setting a new record around the Hockenheim Ring, the track used by the German tuner to test the capabilities of their cars. The record is for the fastest diesel car around the track, not for the fastest car all around. Even so, with a lap time of 1:13.80, the diesel 1 Series is on par with cars like the BMW M4 Convertible and faster than the Porsche Cayman S (987) or the 911 Carrera 4S (997).
Under the hood of the ACS1 5.0d model, as you probably expect, hides a tuned version of the N57S tri-turbo 3-liter diesel engine usually reserved for cars like the X6 M50d or the M550d xDrive models. On the 1 Series at hand here though, the stock 381 HP and 740 Nm (546 lb-ft) of torque weren’t enough. The mill was massaged to squeeze up to 400 HP and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque out of it.
Thanks to the new specs, the acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 4.5 seconds while going from 80 to 180 km/h (50 to 112 mph) takes just 7.9 seconds. The video below proves that the diesel Bimmer can definitely move at a rapid pace, the lap time being set by an independent journalist, on a press test session.
