Description
Sending a British coupé to Italy for its bodywork and then fitting it with a seven-liter Ford V8 sounds like the product of a development team determined to pursue three excellent ideas at once. And that is how the AC Frua 428 came to be.
The foundation came from AC, the British marque that had already demonstrated with the Cobra just how remarkably well a lightweight car and an enormous American engine could work together. For the Frua, the familiar chassis was lengthened and then sent to Italy, where Pietro Frua designed an entirely new body around it. No longer an open sports car, but a large, fast, and exceptionally exclusive grand tourer. We love it.
The first open version was unveiled in the mid-1960s, followed not long afterward by the Coupé. And it was perhaps this closed version that received the most distinctive lines of all. A long hood, a low cabin, and a rear end that seems to fall away almost abruptly. Elegant from some angles. From others, not at all. A Frua design is not for everyone. Some people understand it immediately, while others need to walk around the car three times before they see it. But one thing is certain: nobody simply walks past it.
Under the hood is the 428-cubic-inch Ford V8 from which the model takes its name. In metric terms, that means roughly seven liters of displacement. This is not a small engine that needs high revs before anything happens, but a vast powerplant that makes it clear from low in the rev range just how much reserve is available. The AC Frua was fast. Seriously fast.
Contemporary road tests recorded acceleration figures that remain impressive even today. And all of this in a luxurious coupé from the 1960s, with an interior that was clearly designed more for long-distance travel than for chasing lap times.
This example dates from 1973 and is equipped with the optional automatic transmission. That actually suits the character of the Frua perfectly. There is no need to shift constantly in order to build speed. The V8 takes care of that effortlessly.
The chrome wire wheels are also present and give the car exactly the right appearance. Not too sporting, not too traditional, but precisely right for a British-American grand tourer styled in Italy.
The body was originally finished in Wedgewood Blue, but now wears Ruby Red. It is a warm, deep shade that complements the broad rear haunches, the long hood, and the generous chrome beautifully.
The Frua has been carefully preserved and well maintained by its owners. More recently, the car was fully inspected and serviced, and it now presents in an attractive and well-cared-for condition.
And then there is that small detail from its past. A previous owner sold the AC in order to buy a Lamborghini Miura. That naturally says something about the Miura. But perhaps it says even more about the kind of automobile for which this Frua once had to make way.
A 1973 AC Frua 428 Coupé finished in Ruby Red, equipped with the automatic transmission and chrome wire wheels, and recently inspected and serviced in full. Italian in line. British in origin. American at heart. Some combinations need no explanation. This is one of those cars. What an impressive machine. Interested? Contact Gallery Aaldering and discover this AC for yourself. We export our vehicles worldwide; please inquire about the available possibilities.
