• An original, home market, 1955 Ace finished in the rare factory colour of Pacific Green with a Black leather interior and registered on the 13th April in Surrey as WPL 750
• The original AC two-litre engine was replaced with the highly desirable Bristol D2 in the early sixties
• Purchased by John Gardiner of Crosthwaite and Gardiner in 1966
• A full restoration eventually commenced in 2005 resulting in one of the finest mechanically and bodily restored Aces in existence
• Complete with a provenance file containing the 'buff' logbook, photos of the restoration, some recent invoices and an MOT valid until June 2022.

The AC Ace first appeared at Earls Court in 1953 and epitomised a new era of British post-war sports car production. The owners of AC, Charles and Derek Hurlock, along with AC agent, Ken Rudd, transformed the company's reputation by taking a racing special and putting it into production, with notable stylistic influences from Italian sports cars of the era. The result was a car that delivered both on the road, and particularly on the track thanks to the input of racing chassis designer John Tojeiro. Tojeiro employed the same simple tubular ladder-type chassis with an aluminium body that he had used in his earlier specials, however, the Ace differed by being fitted with all-round independent suspension by transverse springs (the first British sports car to do so), ensuring superb handling with minimal body roll and plenty of feedback. Such was the success of the Ace chassis, it became the foundation for the mighty Shelby Cobras with over three times the power of the original 105bhp, Weller designed, six-cylinder engine. The outdated AC unit eventually made way for the more refined Bristol straight-six, which had evolved from the pre-war BMW 328. The Bristol engine was far more suited to racing, as demonstrated with some success by Cooper, and in its standard form developed 128bhp at 6000rpm. Consequently, it is the Bristol-engined Ace that is most sought after by collectors.

The Ace Bristol enjoyed significant competition success being campaigned by enthusiastic club racers, private owners and most famously by the Ken Rudd team at Le Mans in 1957 and 1958. Bristol-engined Aces were run successfully at Le Mans from 1957 to 1962 by various entrants, however, it was on a domestic club level where Ace Bristols earned their reputation as superb racing machines. In total, only 466 Ace Bristols were manufactured and they are justifiably hot property among