AC Schnitzer's BMW M850i Coupe Is a Fake but Uber Cool Autobahn Patrol Car

Ever since the company’s foundation back in 1987, AC Schnitzer made its way up the German tuning food chain at an accelerated pace, to say the least. As of today, Aachen’s revered aftermarket enterprise is considered to be among the nation’s most reputed tuners, and that's not surprising.

When it comes to helping Bavarian beasts discover their true potential, the folks from AC Schnitzer are real MVPs. Although their exploits tend to revolve mainly around BMW’s machines, the firm will gladly work its magic on the likes of Toyota, Jaguar, and Land Rover. At this point in time, it goes without saying that AC Schnitzer is expanding its horizons.

In 2005, the Verband Deutscher Automobil Tuner (Association of German Automobile Tuners) launched the “Tune It! Safe!” campaign to demonstrate that modifying a vehicle doesn’t affect safety when done correctly. Sure enough, AC Schnitzer submitted a plethora of tasty entries for the aforementioned program, with the first one dating back to 2009.

The venture we’ll be looking at today is yet another fake police car brewed for VDAT’s campaign – a BMW M850i Coupe that looks prepared for a high-speed pursuit down the Autobahn. Before we dive in, let’s take a minute to remind ourselves about the original vehicle’s main characteristics, shall we?

Bavaria’s M850i xDrive trim is brought to life by a mighty 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that’ll happily deliver up to 530 PS (523 HP) at 5,500 rpm. On the other hand, this monstruous unit is perfectly capable of summoning as much as 553 pound-feet (750 Nm) of crushing torque output between 1,800 and 4,600 revs.

An eight-speed automatic transmission is tasked with distributing the engine’s force to all four wheels, leading to a generous top speed of 155 mph (250 kph). Furthermore, the coupe will accelerate 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in as little as 3.7 seconds, which isn’t too bad for a car that weighs 4,478 lbs (2,031 kg) on an empty stomach.

At the front, suspension duties are taken good care of by a double wishbone unit, coupled with a multi-link setup on the opposite end. The entire thing rides on a set of 20-inch alloy wheels that wear ventilated disc brakes on all sides. Long story short, the M850i is no toy, alright?

As to AC Schnitzer’s bespoke creature, the very first feature you’ll notice is a Foliatec wrap imitating the livery of a German police car. It is complemented by a pair of tiny LED lights on the front bumper, illuminated badges bearing the company's logo, and two police-style lighting modules on the roof.

This whole shebang is joined by a custom body kit that keeps things looking rad. It consists of several carbon fiber parts, such as bumper canards and a sexy splitter lip up front, along with a new diffuser and a carbon spoiler at the rear, where we also notice quad exhaust tips topping the Carbon Sport pipes.

On the flanks, you will find a couple of aftermarket side skirts and 21-inch anthracite AC3 Flowforming alloy hoops with five sets of twin spokes. To round out the cosmetic goodness, the tuner went about installing an assortment of aluminum units inside the M850i’s cabin, including fresh shift paddles and pedals, to name a few. Each and every one of these items is fully homologated by Germany's licensing authorities.

Last but not least, the team fiddled with the coupe’s twin-turbo V8 to extract as much as 620 PS (611 hp) and 627 pound-feet (840 Nm) of brutal twisting force at optimal revs. To handle the additional force with ease, the team also equipped a Nürburgring-tested front and rear suspension setup. AC Schnitzer hasn’t revealed any details on the new performance figures, but it’s quite safe to say this bad boy certainly isn’t sluggish!

What’s your take on this fierce piece of machinery?