A racing touring car with road registration: AC Schnitzer made that dream real in 1993 with the ACS3 Sport CLS, short for Coupé Leichtbau Silhouette. The base was the two-door BMW M3, whose sporty concept was refined even further. The central idea was a better power-to-weight ratio, reached through lightweight construction and a fully road-usable power increase for the 2,990 cc six-cylinder, four-valve engine.
Sport camshafts, a high-performance exhaust and a new Motronic program lifted output to 320 hp at 7,000 rpm and torque to 340 Nm at 3,600 rpm. Together with a weight saving of around 160 kg, this gave the CLS a 0 to 100 km/h time of 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 276 km/h. It was conceived as a pure-bred racing car that still worked every day.
A height-adjustable AC Schnitzer coilover suspension lowered the M3 by up to 25 mm and, with adjustable anti-roll bars, made it even more agile. It was tuned on the Nürburgring Nordschleife and on public roads. A high-performance brake system with drilled discs all round and black racing wheels in 9.0J x 18 front and 10J x 18 rear, on 235/40 and 285/30 R 18 tyres, completed the package.
A new front spoiler with an exposed carbon lip, a roof wing above the rear window and a rear wing gave the car excellent aerodynamic balance, helped by small streamlined mirrors and a softly rounded rear apron. Inside, very light racing seats in black leather replaced the standard seats, the rear bench made way for light carpet trim, and a digital display taken straight from the DTM kept the driver informed.
Key facts
- Base: BMW M3 Coupé with 2,990 cc six-cylinder
- 320 hp at 7,000 rpm, 340 Nm at 3,600 rpm
- Around 160 kg lighter than standard
- 0 to 100 km/h in 5.5 s, top speed 276 km/h
- Nordschleife lap: 8:21 min, Hockenheimring: 1:14.1 min
