Fancy A Three Seater But Can’t Afford A McLaren F1?

By Max Holder Mar 12, 2019

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By Max Holder Mar 12, 2019

This 1995 ACS Schnitzer ACS3 CLS is just one of 75 making it rarer than a McLaren F1 and it could be yours

The E36 M3 had a huge weight on its shoulders when it was launched, and looking back, many consider it the ugly duckling of the M3 family. That said, the E36 was considered one of the best handling cars of the nineties, with some even claiming the halo E46 feels like a tank in comparison.

So where does this AC Schnitzer come in? Most people will remember Alpina over ACS and for good reason. Alpina made far more models that were catered to far more tastes. ACS on the other hand went a tad nuts with this one.

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They grabbed 75 M3s, gutted them and went to town on making them into hard core track weapons. They also were given some rather unique, if not slightly puzzling if not genuinely amusing touches. Let us explain.

You’ll notice inside is lacking the usual refinements of your typical E36. No leather to be found here. Instead, ACS decided to remove the two front seats and the rear bench and replace them all with racing seats. Not two for the front, however, but three. Yes, this is the closest you’ll get to a McLaren F1, albeit in the opposite configuration.

The rear bench was removed and a singular bucket seat to match the front is positioned instead. Perhaps ACS knew Sabine Schmitz would eventually offered taxi rides around the Nurburgring… who knows.

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To add to this unusual cabin setup, all the door cards were binned too in efforts to save weight, with carbon fiber counterparts fitted everywhere, even the rear bulkhead got the carbon treatment. Exterior body panels were given the golden touch too, with carbon kevlar contributing to a 160 kg diet. Some final garnish was added to the 3.2 straight six pushing power 40hp north to 320hp, all in all making a car that has a better power to weight ratio than an E92 M3. That’s pretty bonkers.

The car featured here has just 30,000 miles on the Group A derived odometer (now that’s cool) over its 24 year life, which as averages go is pretty darned low. Although the price is enough to buy yourself a farm of E36 M3’s, we think this is too special to miss out on.

Head here to see this ACS listed for £120,000 to allow you to live your race car dreams.