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The 570-hp AC Schnitzer ACL2 Concept tries to one-up the M2

AC Schnitzer's new ACL2 concept aims to outdo the BMW M2 at the Geneva Motor Show. To out-muscle the latest M car, the German tuner starts with an M235i and installs the M4's 3.0-liter inline-six. The company also turns up the power to 570 horsepower – a healthy upgrade over 365 hp from the M2's 3.0-liter. The power bump lets the ACL2 reach 62 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 205 miles per hour, AC Schnitzer claims. Those figures make the coupe a few tenths quicker than the M2's 4.2-second to 60 mph sprint, but BMW limits its creation to 155 mph. AC Schnitzer's long list of upgrades makes the impressive performance possible. To get the most out of the engine, the company installs a carbon fiber intake. It also replaces the most of the exhaust, including the downpipe, catalytic converter and tailpipes. Carbon-ceramic brake discs make sure a driver can control so much power, and the company fits a fully adjustable suspension to aid handling. The ACL2's body is too loud for our tastes even through the subdued dark green paint, but the extensive use of carbon fiber parts should keep weight down. AC Schnitzer adds a road-scraping front splitter with canards at each corner. The rear has a similarly aggressive diffuser and huge wing. The wider fenders also add 5.5 inches to the coupe's width, and 20-inch wheels sit underneath them. The ACL2 doesn't get to challenge the M2 on the Autobahn yet because AC Schnitzer says it's just a concept. The coupe exists simply for the company's product development. However, if you want to put all of these bits together, the final cost would be 149,000 euros ($161,500 at current exchange rates), the tuner claims. Related Video:

Official pics of BMW M235i surface ahead of coupe's debut

BMW isn't supposed to debut the 2 Series until tomorrow, according to Carscoops, but that hasn't stopped these photos of the 1 Series Coupe replacement from leaking onto the web. First picked up by a BMW 2 Series enthusiast site, the photos eventually found their way around the web, and complement the spy images we showed you of the uncovered 2 Series from almost six months ago.
This particular car is the M235i, and will serve as the range-topping 2 Series. As the number "35" is affixed to this car's tail, there's no question that the engine powering this example is BMW's turbocharged, 3.0-liter six-cylinder. As we reported earlier this month, power for the M235i should sit around 320 horsepower, blessing the 3,240-pound coupe with a 4.8-second sprint to 60 miles per hour when equipped with an eight-speed automatic (a six-speed manual is also available, but drops the time down to an even five seconds).
While this isn't a full-bore M car like the 1 Series M Coupe, it has been touched by the company's in-house tuning division, which means it sports a racier body kit, blacked out grilles and M-labeled interior items, like the steering wheel.

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe caught without cladding

Like it or not, the majority of BMW 3 Series variants are on their way out, and the 4 Series models are hotly embroiled in the testing needed to replace them. We've now driven the basic 4 Series, seen spy photographs of the 4 Series Convertible and both versions of the M4 and today we get a better-than-ever look at the 4 Series Gran Coupe.
And, mostly dependent on your personal disposition towards four-dour coupes, that look should be a pleasant thing. The long, swooping Gran Coupe may be roughly similar in size to the related 3 Series GT, but it has been sculpted with beauty in mind rather than crossover function. We expect that those details still hidden by the body cladding here, mostly front and rear, can be filled in by simply remembering what the standard 4 Series looks like and squinting your eyes a bit. Subtlety is thy name, BMW variants.
As for the mechanicals, well, we expect to have the very same greasy bits under the hood and beneath the car that are found in the 4 Series lineup, too.