• Year of manufacture 
    1958
  • Mileage 
    79 438 mi / 127 844 km
  • Car type 
    Other
  • Lot number 
    57
  • Reference number 
    317
  • Drive 
    LHD
  • Condition 
    Used
  • Exterior brand colour 
    other
  • Location
    United States
  • Exterior colour 
    Other

Description

Chassis No. BEX385

Engine No. 100D2 941

The post-WWII English automotive scene was a hotbed of simple, lightweight cars constructed for racing in any number of circuit events or hillclimb competitions across the island. Frequently these cars were the brainchild of, and constructed by, a single individual. An innovative design approach was necessary for success and John Tojeiro was one of the new breed. With Tojeiro's first racing designs garnering immediate success he was quickly introduced to the Hurlock family, owners of AC Cars. The result of their first collaboration, the legendary AC Ace, was purportedly the most photographed car of the 1953 London Motor Show. Tojeiro's thoughtfully engineered and lightweight tubular chassis with four-wheel, independent suspension, and a spartan aluminum two-seat roadster body was an immediate hit.

Initially powered by AC's 80 horsepower two-liter straight-six, Ken Rudd, owner of the tuning shop Ruddspeed of Worthing, UK, convinced the AC factory to install the significantly larger, more powerful 120 hp Bristol engine beginning in 1957. These new Bristol engines were easily tuned, producing more power for both the road and the track. The new Bristol-powered Aces ran successfully at Le Mans between 1957 and 1962, with a 2.0-liter class victory in 1959 at the hands of Ted Whiteaway and John Turner. Approximately 680 cars were produced prior to being used as the platform for the famed Ford V8-powered Shelby Cobra, hence earning the AC Ace its well-deserved nickname of the Cobra's older brother.

Based on existing information, this AC Ace Bristol, chassis number BEX385 left the factory on 27 November 1957 in left-hand-drive configuration bound for Precision Autos of Houston, Texas fitted with engine number 100D 734. Its alloy coachwork was finished in AC's Bright Blue Metaline, with a light beige interior, and a blue top. Documentation on file from the 1965-66 period documents correspondence between AC Cars and early owner E. Arthur McClish of Palo Alto, California, while a 1980 registration card records Walter A Feldmann of nearby Hillsborough, California as a subsequent owner. It is thought that the AC was later sent back across the Atlantic, reportedly in need of engine repair, to David Maron of Marseille, France. Under Maron's ownership, it is believed that the engine was replaced with Bristol engine number 100D2 941, which is currently installed in the car. In 1989 the noted sports car collector and vintage racing enthusiast Tom Mittler of Mishawaka, Indiana acquired BEX385, returning it to the United States.

After purchase by the consignor this AC Ace Bristol was shipped to Abingdon West Ltd. of Fallbrook, California in 2016 for a thorough mechanical review. While in for servicing, it received new brake and clutch lines, repairs to the fuel system, new wheel cylinders, and engine electrical maintenance with work totaling in excess of $6,000.

In 2019 the car was dispatched to Fast Cars Ltd. of Redondo Beach, California and was the recipient of a more substantial review and subsequent sympathetic restoration. Initially the transmission was removed for clutch work, with all three carburetors rebuilt, an oil pan reseal, fuel tank drain, with new hoses and belts, along with a full tune-up and road test at a cost of just under $7,000. During this service, numerous other issues were discovered. The decision was made to commit to a complete sympathetic restoration to fix and repair broken, worn, or improperly installed items. Over the next two months, a second 14-page invoice was tabulated. Multiple major systems were inspected with important repair work focused on the fuel tank, fuel pump, and coolant system, with a thorough electrical system fault trace. Special attention was paid to the Ace's suspension requiring a full suspension removal, disassembly and repaint, with new shocks, rewelded suspension pickup points, and new front upright components. Numerous other small items were tended to and copies of all service work since 2016, nearly $40,000 in total, are included in the history file accompanying BEX385.

The benefits of this considerable attention are obvious at first sight. The AC Ace Bristol is equally at home on the road or the track and would be welcome at any number of vintage sports car events worldwide. It is accompanied by a General Instructions handbook, side curtains, and tonneau cover.