AC Schnitzer 335i Review

After all the fun we had at the Final Red Line Time Attack event at Auto Club Speedway
in 2009, we couldn’t wait for another one of their events. Luckily for us, they held a
Customer Appreciation day in mid December at Willow Springs.

As if we weren’t lucky enough, our good friends at CEC handed over the keys to their
AC Schnitzer 335i for a WebRides review. The BMW 335i is a difficult machine to
improve upon. The cars Bavarian Bones deliver a 30 horsepower courtesy of a turbo
charged 3.0 liters inline 6. That’s plenty of power for scooting around your favorite track.

If you’re looking to give your Mini 33 Series a new suit, AC Schnitzer’s got your
number. A German tuner just unleashed the complete aero package for the 335i that
includes all the important bits.

Upfront, a new face should give the car a menacing skull and out back, there are enough
pipes to earn a blue ribbon at a bagpipe convention. That may sound like bad news but
trust us when we say the total effect is much sharper than the N3. Down each side, you’ll
find a set of subtle side skirts. AC Schnitzer has done great job of blending factory fit and
finish with unique style here and the piece has setup the car stance like fireworks.

Speaking of stance, the lower center of gravity comes courtesy of New Sport Spring.
Believe it or not, we even liked that rear wing. The combined effect is the world’s most
perfect poser mobile. While this thing moves like you could chew nails at a spit barbs
wire, the truth is there’s little more than a stock 335i under this getup. The good news is
that you don’t need mega power to cruise the street.

To find out what we’re really working with, we took the AC Schnitzer out for some
perfectly legal laps. After working over a few eight poxes, it was clear it needed more
sway bar to counter the high roll center. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt anything at this
porker shed a few pounds. Although this is on a purpose built track monster, we still
managed to blow by some fellow Red Line competitors to the corners in the beginner’s
class. Despite the track manners, we hated having to handover the keys to CEC. Those
mean looks give the stark 335i something it desperately needs in our book, a shot of
testosterone.

Thanks again to the Red Line time attack crew for allowing us to do our last few reviews
at their events. It’s the type of scene we can’t get enough of. Keep your eyes peeled for
more WebRides reviews and event coverage of the 2010 Red Line Time Attack Season
kicking off on March 26th at Button Willow Raceway.