1971cc Inline 6
4 Speed Manual
Front Engined Rear Wheel Drive
Front Discs, Rear Drum Brakes
125 bhp 123 Lb-Ft
Exterior Blue Interior Red
AC Cars was one of Britains oldest car manufacturers founded in 1901, debuting their first car in 1903. Building a reputation for fast, light weight, high performance cars, many based around the overhead cam 6 cylinder engine developed by company founder, John Weller in 1919. That engine continued into production until after World War 2 and was the original engine fitted to the AC Ace, including this example. The Ace itself premiered in 1953, with a very light tube chassis supporting an elegant aerodynamic aluminum body, and fully independent suspension, designed by John Tojeiro. The end result was an elegant, advanced design, largely only held back by its more than 30 year old engine design. During production of the Ace, AC cast around looking for a more updated powerplant and initially settled on the BMW derived 2 liter cross pushrod engine manufactured by Bristol. Although also a pre-war design it was a significant upgrade in performance from the AC engine and helped cement the car as a true sports car. When Bristol ceased manufacture of their 2 liter engine, however, AC was forced to look for other options. A few cars were equipped with a Ford Zephyr engine of 2.6 liters which added quite a bit of performance, but the real change came with Caroll Shelby approached the company about using the Ford 260ci small block, which, with some redesign, turned the AC Ace into the AC Cobra. This car was originally fitted with the Weller-designed AC engine, but shortly
before I acquired it, an original Bristol engine and gearbox, sourced from an AC Ace Bristol that had burned, was fitted. The car was completely restored from the ground up as a very clean driver level example by Butch Dennison in Puyallup, Washington. I acquired the car immediately after the restoration and it is in excellent condition and running order. With its light weight of around 1650 pounds and reasonably good performance from the engine, the car is quite driveable and fairly quick. The fully independent suspension is good for the era, based around transverse leaf springs front and rear and fitted with adjustable tube shocks, The steering is relatively light for manual steering and the brakes, with front discs and rear drums are very capable in stopping this lightweight car quickly. The car is a bit tricky to get in and out of, with its small doors, but once in place, it is a very comfortable driving position. Although some models were fitted with an electrically operated overdrive, this car doesn’t have one, but with the gearing and high revving engine, it is perfectly happy at highway speeds in 4th gear, cruising comfortably at 65 miles per hour. In its original design, the biggest fault I can find is the cooling which relied on a two bladed fan placed quite a ways from the radiator, so the car runs warm in stop and go traffic and I will likely have to fit an electric fan if I don’t want to risk overheating.
