Big sedans like the BMW 730i are not easy to dress up. Thanks to their sheer size, every styling add-on mistake is amplified and no one can miss it.
Taking cues from the demonstrator cars built by specialist tuners may give some inspiration, but the end result may still not look quite the same.
Nelson had always had his eyes set on a BMW 7 Series. But he wanted his dream car to look unique. His opportunity to realise his wish came when there was a 730i for sale. Nelson took one look at it and the deal was sealed – this 730i was exactly what he wanted.
He had always wanted an AC Schnitzer body kit for his BMW. After seeing how great it looked in the flesh, he was overjoyed by his decision.
The addition of the five-piece body kit has done wonders to the car. The front lip and side skirts, in particular, have broken up the roundish and (some say) pudgy lines. They have made the front and side look much more purposeful.
Add in the AC Schnitzer rear exhaust muffler – with its trademark trapezoidal tip and the bespoke customised side gills similar to those found on the M3 and M5 – and it becomes even more attention-grabbing. The Breyton lowering springs bring the car closer to terra firma by about 25mm, without sacrificing any ride comfort while improving handling.
A 19-inch or 20-inch set of rollers wasn’t enough for this car (more specifically, it was not sufficient for Nelson), so on went 22-inch items from DPE alloy wheels.
Shod with Yokohama tyres measuring 265mm and 295mm wide at the front and rear respectively, the grip accorded by such a large contact area has been more than sufficient.
Stopping-wise, hiding behind the wheels are a set of Brembos. And the cross-drilled disc rotors are bigger than the wheels found in many family sedans. The fronts measure 380mm across and the rear tyres are 345mm in diameter.
Clamping on these are a pair of powder-coated red 8-piston calipers in the front and 4-piston units in the rear. These stoppers can haul this black behemoth down with ease from any speed, and the braking response and feel is nothing short of amazing.
Engine-wise, the 3-litre inline-6 makes a dyno-proven 280bhp now (up from 258bhp), courtesy of the exhaust, performance headers, cold air intake system, lightweight pulleys and a re-flashed engine control unit with E-ROM software.
Nelson gets a big kick out of seeing cars scramble out of the way each time he closes in from behind.
King of the road? You bet.
+ ENGINE/ELECTRONICS
UUC Motorwerks pulley conversion
Cyberspeed cold air intake system
HIOP stainless steel headers
Brisk LGS Silver spark plugs
AC Schnitzer rear exhaust muffler
E-ROM software upgrade
+ EXTERIOR
AC Schnitzer body kit with customised M-style side gills
+ INTERIOR
AC Schnitzer pedals and foot rest
Carbon fibre interior panels
+ WHEELS/TYRES
DPE 22-inch alloy wheels
Continental ContiSportContact 2 tyres – 265/30 R22 (front), 295/25 R22 (rear)
Brembo 8-piston calipers (front), 4-piston calipers (rear)
Brembo cross-drilled disc rotors – 380mm (front), 345mm (rear)
+ SUSPENSION/HANDLING
Breyton lowering springs
