BMW 1 Series - Schnitzer style

Following the launch of BMW's stylish new compact car, the 1 Series, Germany's various prestige tuning houses have been hard at work moulding the new baby-Beemer into an ever sharper driving tool.

The first team off the rank is AC Schnitzer, and rather than taking the most powerful petrol engine in the range and attacking it with a monkey wrench and a hack saw, the German company has instead decided to add dash to the diesel version.

With more than two thirds of new cars in France powered by diesel engines, and Europe's wide approval of the fuel type in general, this may come as a shock to many of our Australian and American readers.

The idea of a sporty diesel-powered car used to be fantasy, but not any more.

AC Schnitzer has taken the diesel-powered E87 model 1.8d and 2.0d and concluded that, firstly, they needed more poke under the bonnet - to the tune of roughly 20kW (25-30hp).

Even though the 1 Series are compact cars, designed to appeal to younger buyers, AC Schnitzer is a company with a long history exclusively tuning BMW's, and the rear wheel drive 1 Series may well be small, but that doesn't mean it has to be slow.

Well ahead of the most powerful 2.0-litre petrol engine in the 1 Series range, the 120d is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine that normally makes 163hp or 122kW of power and 340Nm of torque, so power can be expected to reach about 140kW or about 190hp after AC Schnitzer has worked its magic.

Even in it's standard tune, the diesel powered 1 Series looks down disdainfully upon the 2.0-litre petrol version, with more power, torque, better acceleration and a higher top speed, and the AC Schnitzer tuned 'ACS1' increases power levels via a number of new components, including a sports rear silencer with chromed racing tailpipe that improves gas flow.

But more than just a loud exhaust, faster and more precise gear changes have been incorporated to improve the 1 Series acceleration thanks to the fitment of an AC Schnitzer Short Shift manual transmission.

Ride, and in particular handling, has been altered to offer a more dynamic drive thanks to the inclusion of AC Schnitzer sports suspension, which the company says is currently undergoing tests on public roads and even on the North Loop of the famous 20km Nürburgring track.

The sports suspension dumps the car by a good 30mm - giving it a lower centre of gravity and adding more of a ground-hugging and aggressive stance to the baby-Beemer - and other changes include the addition of an aluminium strut brace for the front axle and an anti-roll bar kit.

For those who are unaware, AC Schnitzer is far more than just a small backyard tuning operation in Aachen, Germany, as it designs and develops many of its own components, body panels, engine chips, wheels and the list goes on.

As a testament to the company's craftsmanship and quality, all parts can be ordered through the official BMW dealers in Germany; a big endorsement if there ever was one.

Getting back to the ACS1, a tuned and modified BMW 120d, it's not just the performance that cops an upgrade, as the car gets a number of unique bodykit extras, including an new front fascia/apron that incorporates an edgy new front spoiler and air dam design, which helps improve downforce according to AC Schnitzer.

New side skirts, plus the rear apron/bumper section and even a funky little roof spoiler made the ACS1 cut, giving it a much racier demeanour than the standard BMW 1 Series, and in Schnitzer speak, the body mods "subtly enhance the lines without appearing obtrusive".

There's even a 'Chromeline' set available as an option that includes shiny highlights on the front spoiler and side skirts for those extroverted types who want all and sundry to see them in their new prestige compact sports car.

The ACS1 treatment even stretches to the interior, with the lightweight and now fashionably sporty carbon fibre interior trim dominating proceedings.

The ergonomically shaped sports airbag steering wheels and areas of the transmission tunnel are finished in carbon, and hints of aluminium - particularly on the controller of the BMW-specific "i-Drive" system and gear stick - are a nice touch.

AC Schnitzer also designs it's own alloy wheels as well, with the Type II, Type III and Type IV designs available for the ACS1, and some can even be tizzied up with chrome elements inserted in the dishes.

Starting with 17-inch diametre rims, the 1 Series BMW can take up to a maximum wheel size of 19-inches, shod with 235/35 R19 aspect ratio tyres all round, and the bigger wheels give the car a very pleasing aesthetic that more clearly highlights its front overhang. As most enthusiasts will know, a good set of wheels with high-quality rubber can do wonders for a car's driving dynamics as well.

With auto salons growing in popularity and vehicular personalisation becoming more and more apt as people want to express their individuality, the car modifying scene is going from strength to strength.

The myth of car tuning being solely limited to drivers under the age of 26 who exclusively own late-model Asian cars with hot dog exhausts and clothes-dryer rear wings, or yobbos with their 1970's HQ Monaros with 351 cubic inch stroked V8s is quickly disappearing.

In Australia, a good example of the modifying scene working its way into the mainstream are the IS200 Lexus-inspired clear lens brake lights that can be seen on what sometimes looks like half of all Mitsubishi Lancers, or the bonnet-mounted water squirters with brilliant blue LED lights in them.

The idea of modifying an everyday car would have been an abhorrent thought to many BMW drivers just a handful a decades ago, but today there are more specialist tuners right across the globe, and most of them are doing very good business to boot. AC Schnitzer is one of the groups at the top of the modifying tree, as a company that covers almost all aspects of BMW and Mini car customisation, and the ACS1 is yet another success in its burgeoning portfolio.