( Worldcarfans ) - A Convertible provides the ultimate for the senses: Where can you experience driving more directly than in an open car, with the wind gently emphasising the acceleration, the acoustic muscle play of the engine teasing your ears, and a breathtaking silhouette reflected in every shop window. The new BMW 3-series Convertible, a complete car with folding hard top, stimulates the automotive pleasure centre without setting reason aside. When you've had one taste, you soon long for more - for example the ACS3 3.5i Convertible.
In designing the bodykit, the objective for AC Schnitzer was not to hide the body contours under excessive bulges, but to emphasise the natural characteristics of the vehicle in a structured way. So the front skirt, which simultaneously increases downforce, in its basic design follows the three-piece original but it is substantially softer, more facetted and more energetic. Like the AC Schnitzer side skirts which aesthetically highlight the side crease of the Convertible body and with their asymmetric lines, rising towards the back, emphasise the sporting abilities of the vehicle even when stopped. Its charm is enhanced with the clearly marked AC Schnitzer Racing rims type IV in silver, which at the front measure 9.0Jx20" and at the rear 10.0Jx20" (tyres 245/30R20 and 295/25R20). As an alternative, the dark Type IV BiColor wheels in 8.5Jx19" at the front and 9.5Jx19" at the rear give the BMW a hint of Badboy (tyres 225/35R19 and 255/30R19).
Although the classic rear view of the new 3-series Convertible is already eyecatching, the AC Schnitzer design language with its more strongly contoured rear skirt expresses extra sporting ambitions with no loss of credibility or coherence. The twin flow left/right tailpipes of the AC Schnitzer exhaust contribute to the neat overall impression not just visually but, with the gas pedal pressed, also acoustically with a unique crescendo. The twin sports rear silencer is enhanced by tailpipe trims in "Racing" design, which visually suggest a stylised horizontal figure eight, the mathematical symbol for "infinity".
A reference to the enormous power reserves of the vehicle, expressed above all in the superb BMW six cylinder twin turbo, a power plant which has been praised unanimously by the trade press, and which with its 306 HP/225 kW has caused worries for many competitors. The duel would be even more difficult for them with the AC Schnitzer performance kit which is currently in development. The 335d will also soon undergo a power make-over at Aachen. For the Convertible with the 3.0 litre diesel (standard 231 HP/170 kW) the tuners already offer a superb Power-Plus pack that increases the power to 265 HP/195 kW. Power reserves which the chassis can handle easily thanks to fine tuning by AC Schnitzer.
A special antiroll bar kit for the rear axle is already available, and the complete suspension with race technology is just completing its final test laps on the Nurburgring. A multipiece AC Schnitzer alloy strut brace divides asymmetric forces evenly over the entire front of the car and provides not only a purely functional aspect but a high level of unobtrusive aesthetics. An image which can naturally also be expected in the interior, where high quality decor and controls give the driver the visual and tactile impression of driving a true AC Schnitzer at every moment.
