Description
The Bristol-engined small single-seater, designed by John Tojeiro at the very start of the 1950s, enjoyed notable success in competition in Cliff Davis's hands. AC Cars, famed for sporty models but whose range was ageing, was on the lookout for a new model and took a keen interest in Tojeiro’s race car, deciding to put it into production in 1954 under the name Ace. Tojeiro’s bodywork was practically a near-copy of the very beautiful Touring-drawn Ferrari 166 MM barchetta, and it was adopted on the Ace with minor modifications. It rode on a ladder-frame chassis with independent suspension, inspired by the Cooper design that Tojeiro had also conceived. However, AC did not use the Bristol engine for its model and preferred to stay faithful to its trusty old 2-litre, long-stroke, push-rod six, dating back to 1919. Its power was modest at 80 bhp, a bit insufficient for a modern sports car. It was boosted to 100 bhp, which allowed the Ace to offer respectable performance, but not truly spectacular. A very pretty and original fastback coupé version, designed by Alan Turner and named Aceca, was unveiled at Earls Court in London in 1954. Its body was built in hand-formed aluminium sheets on a tubular lattice. To reduce cabin resonance, AC mounted the components on rubber blocks. The tubular chassis was built more robustly than that of the Ace. The Aceca was a very attractive, lightweight and well-powered Grand Tourer. The Ace and Aceca helped restore AC’s pre-war prestige among sports enthusiasts. The Ace and Aceca underwent very few changes during their careers, aside from the engine replacement in 1956, when the more powerful 2-litre Bristol six (up to 130 bhp) became available. Towards the end of production, Ford Zephyr’s excellent 2. 6‑litre engine, light and compact for its displacement, was finally adopted. The combination of a rigid chassis that held the road well and an appealing power-to-weight ratio – with the Bristol engine, the car already reached 190 km/ h – allowed the Ace version to rack up numerous competition successes in the Sports category, its best result being seventh overall and first in its class at Le Mans in 1959. The rest is history. This well-born car was chosen by Carroll Shelby to install a Ford V8 in its reinforced chassis for the occasion, giving birth to the legendary Cobras, which definitively pulled AC out of a circle of connoisseurs and secured international recognition for it. BE625 was first registered in 1957, making it eligible for the Mille Miglia. It is one of 169 Bristol-engined Acecas produced. The green Log-Book records the first owners, and the Club notes that it is the first Aceca to leave the factory with standard disc brakes. We know this car well, having repeatedly crossed paths with its previous owner, who has used it extensively since buying it in 2017. Since then, much work has been done to ensure not only reliability but also long-distance travel comfort. A transmission rebuild by Stanton Motorsports in 2018. Classic Performance Engineering has carried out the complete maintenance of the Aceca, including a full differential rebuild in 2020. As for the engine, Pendine Works has fully rebuilt its rare 100C2, while installing a new clutch at the same time. We ourselves recently had the water pump replaced and carried out some maintenance with the Paris workshop we collaborate with. The previous owner being the grandson of the founder of Bristol Cars, he also included in the car’s history some copies of a fascinating correspondence between Bristol Cars and AC. It is an exceptionally well-maintained specimen, ready for many kilometres. Always perfectly serviced, with a handsome file, it is ready to hit the road for the next Tour Auto, or for Mille Miglia.
