The tricky thing about coming up with performance mods for hybrid vehicles and the like is making sure you don’t undermine the car’s efficiencies in the pursuit of cool. It makes little sense, for example, to just slap any old aero on a wind tunnel-tested fuel sipper if all that aero is going to do is make the car less of a sipper. Which is why the kit developed by noted tuners AC Schnitzer (ACS) for the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is pretty darn near brilliant; if anything, it enhances the environmental friendliness of the coupe.
430HP AC Schnitzer BMW ACZ4 5 Concept
ACS began by lowering the car’s center of gravity a smidge via suspension, almost an inch at the front and 0.787 inches at the rear. Lightweight carbon-fiber aero elements like a spoiler, side skirts and rear wing help the i8 get even lower at speed, while new AC1 forged alloys, available in any color a customer wants, keep un-sprung mass down at each of the car’s corners. In comparison with the i8’s factory Turbine 625 rims, the AC1s are 9.7 lbs. lighter; add in the mass of the tire and the running gears are equivalent in weight, except that you get way more tire (both higher and wider) with the AC1s.
| Profile Static
The lightweight exterior motif carries over into the interior. AC Schnitzer has an aluminum pedal set and velour floor mats to round out its complement of mods for the i8. Peep the photo gallery and sit through the video to see how the AC Schitzer grip works seamlessly with the breathtaking BMW i8.
| Rear Three Quarter Rolling
