Lap times on the Grand Prix circuit at Hockenheim have long been a yardstick in car tests. The AC Schnitzer Eagle, a concept car based on the MINI John Cooper Works, set a time of 1:12.3 minutes there. That put the small car in the same league as genuine sports cars, and in direct comparison it also left its class rivals behind.
Only big names with far more power, such as the X-Bow, a supercharged M3, Mercedes AMG or Caterham, finished ahead of it. The idea behind the study, which was never for sale, was simple: AC Schnitzer's engineers optimised every area of the car for what they called Efficient Performance.
Output rose from 155 kW (211 hp) to 191 kW (260 hp), and the entire exhaust system was renewed. At the same time the weight dropped by 80 kg, which gave the Eagle noticeably more agility and driving pleasure. A height-adjustable RS coilover suspension and 18 inch AC Schnitzer Mi2 light alloy wheels completed the package, both dynamically and visually.
sport auto tested the car in its lightweight special, issue 12/2011, under the headline "Eagle nagelneu". The magazine wrote that its lap time placed the Schnitzer MINI straight into the first league, between the Audi R8 V10 and the Porsche Cayman R. The AC Schnitzer record list also names the Eagle as the fastest road-legal MINI on the Sachsenring, with 1:36.92 min.
Key facts
- Base: MINI John Cooper Works
- 191 kW (260 hp), up from 155 kW (211 hp)
- 80 kg lighter than standard
- Hockenheimring lap: 1:12.3 min
- Sachsenring lap: 1:36.92 min
- Tested by sport auto, issue 12/2011
