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AC Ace
Motor vehicle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The AC Ace is a sports car produced by AC Cars of Thames Ditton, England, from 1953 until 1963. About 220 AC Aces and 466 Ace-Bristol cars were produced during its 10 year run.[3]
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History
AC came back to the market after the Second World War with the 2-Litre range of cars in 1947, but it was with the Ace sports car of 1953 that the company really made its reputation in the post war years. Casting around for a replacement for the ageing 2-Litre, AC took up a design by John Tojeiro that used a light, ladder-type tubular frame, all independent transverse leaf spring suspension, and an open two-seater alloy body possibly inspired by the Ferrari 166 MM barchetta.[2][4]
For the Ace as well as the Aceca, AC used chassis numbers beginning with AE for AC-engined cars, BE for Bristol-engined ones, and RS for those equipped with the Ford unit. An "X" following the first two letters indicated an export model.[5] With the engine set well back in the chassis, the Ace handled well and was successful in competition.
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AC engine cars
Early cars used AC's own 100 bhp (75 kW) two-litre overhead cam straight-six engine first seen soon after the end of the First World War, which, according to a 1954 road test by Motor magazine, gave a top speed of 103 mph (166 km/h) and 0–60 mph (0–100 km/h) in 11.4 seconds and a fuel consumption of 25.2 miles per imperial gallon (11.2 L/100 km; 21.0 mpg‑US).[2] It was hardly a sporting engine however, and it was felt that something more modern and powerful was required to put the modern chassis to good use.
Joining the Ace in 1954 was the Aceca hard top coupé, which had an early form of hatchback rear door but used the same basic timber framed alloy body.
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Bristol engine cars
From 1956, there was the option of Bristol Cars' two-litre 120 bhp (89 kW) straight-six with 3 downdraught carburettors and slick four-speed gearbox. The Ace-Bristol prototype has chassis number RS 5000. Top speed rose to 116 mph (187 km/h) with 0–60 mph (0–100 km/h) in the nine second bracket. Overdrive was available from 1956 and front disc brakes were an option from 1957, then standardised for 1958/59.
Ford/Ruddspeed engine cars
In 1961 a new 2.6 L (2,553 cc; 155.8 cu in) straight-six 'Ruddspeed' option became available, which was a version of the Ford Zephyr 6 engine tuned by Ken Rudd. It used three Weber or SU carburettors and either a 'Mays' or an iron cast head. This setup boosted the car's performance further, with some versions tuned to 170 bhp (127 kW), providing a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h) and 0–60 mph (0–100 km/h) in 8.1 seconds.[6] However, it was not long before Carroll Shelby drew AC's attention to the Cobra, so only 37 of the 2.6 models were made.[7] These Ford-engined models had a smaller grille which was carried over to the Cobra.
The production model of the AC Ace 2.6 (as it was later known) is for many people the prettiest Ace of all—and relatively rare, with only 36 such cars built. To fit the Zephyr engine, AC had to modify the frame, relocate the steering box and completely change the nose of the car. These changes are often mistakenly attributed to Carroll Shelby.
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Specials
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AC ACE LM Prototype
The AC Ace LM Prototype was a single piece from the year 1958 with the unusual chassis number LM5000, which John Tojeiro designed on behalf of the brothers Hurlock specifically for the AC factory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and for further long-distance racing. The vehicle was only 737 kilograms (1,625 lb) and differed fundamentally from the standard model: it had a load-bearing, lightweight, tubular steel frame without the massive ladder structure, a new front axle with single wheel suspension, this time in the form of upper and lower triangular steering with coil spring / shock units, and a newly designed pendulum axle at the rear. The open aluminium body was much flatter, with larger overhangs at the front and rear and aerodynamically rounded with a lowered down front and high tail. It was designed by artist Cavendish Morton, who also styled other sports cars. The engine and transmission unit were tuned production unit from the Bristol Type 100D2/S. After a test ride on the Brooklands circuit, just a few kilometres from the AC factory, the not yet fully tuned prototype completed two events in 1958: in June as a factory car in the Le Mans 24-hour race and in September in the Rudac Racing Team at the RAC Tourist Trophy at the Goodwood Circuit. Due to changes in the regulations, the car was no longer able to compete in the next event in its class in the FIA - Sportscar World Championship. The Bristol drivetrain went back to the manufacturer and the racing car was sold without it and later rebuilt. The Ace LM prototype was acquired by a collector.[citation needed]
AC Bristol Zagato
The "AC Ace Bristol Zagato" was designed and built by Zagato from the year 1958. Conceptually, the Berlinetta resembles the two-seat factory coupe ' 'AC Aceca' ', but on the chassis number BEX 477 of a left hand drive 'AC Ace Bristol'. The idea came about at the Geneva Motor Show in 1957 during a meeting between Hubert Patthey, the then AC and Aston Martin importer for Switzerland and Elio Zagato. The original vehicle from 1957 was delivered to the Swiss company Pattheys in 1958; Who commissioned the Carrozzeria Zagato to produce a single, individual car body for the vehicle to be used at local races and the Pescara rally. Zagato designed and built a coupé body made of thin-walled aluminium sheet with Zagato's trademark "Double Bubble", a solid roof with two vaults above the driver's and co-driver's seat to ensure sufficient headroom at low headroom. Patthey sold the finished vehicle to an Englishman who lived in Switzerland, who was negotiating with him for various rides near Lake Geneva; Later the racing driver Jo Siffert acquired the unique car, which he used at different racing events and historical races like the Mille Miglia. On the circuit, the single took part only in a well-known race, on 5 October 1958, at the Coupes du Salon, where it won the class in the class up to 2000 cc. The vehicle was acquired by an American collector.[citation needed]
The Ace Bristol Zagato was fitted with a modified Bristol six-cylinder engine with 130 hp at 5750 rpm, torque 174 Nm at 4500 rpm, length 3,848 millimetres (12.625 ft), height 1,245 millimetres (4.085 ft), ready-to-run weight 862 kilograms (1,900 lb), top speed 185 kilometres per hour (115 mph), Acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour in 7.7 seconds, to 100 miles per hour in 16.1 seconds.
AC Ace-Aigle
The 'AC Ace-Aigle' was an aerodynamically improved one-off AC Ace Bristol-based vehicle with the BEX289 chassis number designed specifically for the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1960. The inspiration came from the Swiss AC importer Hubert Patthey, as was the case with 'AC Ace Bristol Zagato' in 1958, but was conceptually much easier. The Aigle Aigle, which has been legally independent in its own right alongside the design studio and car body builder Ghia in Turin existed. In contrast to the standard vehicle, the 'Ace-Aigle' had a modified front and a fixed hardtop. The roof top had two unusual vaults to give the rider and co-driver plenty of headroom - actually the "double bubble" design, typical of Zagato, and implemented in its 1958 coupé. The normal, aerodynamically relatively unfavourable front body of radiator grille, front fenders and bonnet was replaced by a new front and made of lightweight polyester. This was rounder, ran longer and flatter forward, and had a flat, oval cooling air intake, backlit headlights clad with plexiglas half shells. It remotely recalled the Jaguar E-Type. According to the same concept and with very similar lines, Ghia Aigle had already changed several Austin-Healey Sprites from 1958 to 1961 (albeit without hardtop).
The "Ace-Aigle" was used by Swiss riders André Wicky and Georges Gachnang from the Swiss racing team Ecurie Lausannoise. It completed the Le Mans test in April 1960 as the fastest vehicle, but failed to finish the June 1960 race.
A very similar "Ace Bristol" with chassis number BEX1192 appeared in Le Mans in 1962, at the same time the last Le Mans appearance of an "AC Ace" before the "AC Cobra" from 1964 was used. The car of a French private owner suffered accident damage the previous year and had been returned to the "AC" factory, where it received a special lightweight body with an aerodynamically favourable front in the style of the "Jaguar E-Type" / "Ace-Aigle". In the race, there was no clutch damage. The six-cylinder Bristol engine was optional until it ceased production in 1961.
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Motorsport
The car raced at Le Mans in 1957 and 1958. In the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ted Whiteaway and John Turner drove their AC Ace Bristol, registration 650BPK, to the finish, claiming top honours for the 2,000cc GT class and seventh overall behind six 3 litre cars. Few cars with this provenance have survived and are extremely valuable. They can range from $100,000 or more for an unrestored car, even one in pieces, to in excess of $400,000 for a restored AC Ace.
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AC Cobra
When Bristol ceased building their 6-cylinder engine in 1961, AC's owner, Charles Hurlock, was approached by Carroll Shelby with a proposal to use a Ford V8 in the Ace chassis, producing the AC Cobra in 1962. Production of the Ace ended the same year. Mark I AC Cobras came with either the 260 or 289 cu in (4.3 or 4.7 L) versions of the Ford small block engine, while the later Mark III Cobras had the 427 cu in (7.0 L) version of the larger Ford FE engine. At the time, the AC Cobra 427 was the fastest "production" car in the world.[citation needed]
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AC Automotive
AC Automotive, based in Straubenhardt, Germany, built AC cars under the original name from 2010 to mid-2023. Cars were sold in Germany, France and England, with sales in Luxembourg, Holland, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, and Belgium slated for the future. Pricing for the standard ACGT model starts at £104,400 before options. The AC Automotive company went into liquidation on July 24, 2023.[18]
Replicas
As with the Cobra, some AC Ace replicas have been made, such as the Hawk Ace, but are much rarer.
References
External links
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