Lot 325A
1958 AC Aceca Coupe
Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia Auction|11 October 2020, 13:00 EDT|Philadelphia, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
1958 AC Aceca Coupe
Chassis no. AEX659
Chassis no. AEX659
289ci Ford OHV V8 Engine (see text)
Signal 4 Barrel Holly Carburetors
300bhp at 4,500rpm
4-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Independent Suspension with Transverse Leaf Springs
4-Wheel Drum Brakes
*One of 321 produced.
*Rare and desirable Sports Coupe with Alloy bodywork
*Long term ownership from 1971 till 2020
*Excellent car for high speed events.
THE AC ACECA
"Of them all, the Ace was the truest sports car: It could be used for daily commuting or for high-speed long-distance touring, but it could also be driven to a race meeting, campaigned with distinction, and driven home again - even if that race was the Le Mans 24 Hours." -AC Heritage, Simon Taylor & Peter Burn.
The success of Cliff Davis's Tojeiro sports racer prompted AC Cars to put the design into production in 1954 as the Ace. The Davis car's pretty Ferrari 166-inspired Barchetta bodywork was retained, as was John Tojeiro's twin-tube ladder frame chassis and Cooper-influenced all-independent suspension, but the power unit was AC's own venerable, 2-liter, long-stroke six. This single-overhead-camshaft engine originated in 1919 and with a modest 80bhp (later 100bhp plus) on tap, endowed the Ace with respectable, if not outstanding, performance. A hardtop version - the fastback-styled Aceca - debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1954.
The Aceca's hatchback body was constructed in hand-formed aluminum over a tubular steel framework, while the tubular chassis was more substantially built than the Ace's. To reduce noise levels within the cabin, AC mounted all major components on rubber bushes. The result was a well-engineered, light weight and extremely pretty GT car in the best AC tradition. The Aceca is also notable as being, along with the Aston Martin DB2/4, one of the first hatchback designs.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
The earliest history of this particular AC Aceca is not documented. Its known history begins in 1973 when the car appeared in Philadelphia, PA entered in a Kirk F White Auction. At the time, the car was already fitted with a 289 small block Ford V8, the same engine that Carroll Shelby used in the legendary Cobra. This was a common period modification to AC Acecas, among other European sportscars.
A young man in attendance at the auction was looking for a vintage sports car for his fiancée to use to commute back and forth to college. He ended up buying the car, and his fiancée regularly exercised her AC. The couple used the car as daily transport for the next 10 years and it would remain in their care until earlier this year.
Today this particular AC Aceca is in good condition. It appears that the car is very much the way it was when purchased at auction in 1970s. It represents an excellent opportunity for someone to develop a superb rally car that would be ideal for the Copperstate 1000, or other high speed events.
Signal 4 Barrel Holly Carburetors
300bhp at 4,500rpm
4-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Independent Suspension with Transverse Leaf Springs
4-Wheel Drum Brakes
*One of 321 produced.
*Rare and desirable Sports Coupe with Alloy bodywork
*Long term ownership from 1971 till 2020
*Excellent car for high speed events.
THE AC ACECA
"Of them all, the Ace was the truest sports car: It could be used for daily commuting or for high-speed long-distance touring, but it could also be driven to a race meeting, campaigned with distinction, and driven home again - even if that race was the Le Mans 24 Hours." -AC Heritage, Simon Taylor & Peter Burn.
The success of Cliff Davis's Tojeiro sports racer prompted AC Cars to put the design into production in 1954 as the Ace. The Davis car's pretty Ferrari 166-inspired Barchetta bodywork was retained, as was John Tojeiro's twin-tube ladder frame chassis and Cooper-influenced all-independent suspension, but the power unit was AC's own venerable, 2-liter, long-stroke six. This single-overhead-camshaft engine originated in 1919 and with a modest 80bhp (later 100bhp plus) on tap, endowed the Ace with respectable, if not outstanding, performance. A hardtop version - the fastback-styled Aceca - debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1954.
The Aceca's hatchback body was constructed in hand-formed aluminum over a tubular steel framework, while the tubular chassis was more substantially built than the Ace's. To reduce noise levels within the cabin, AC mounted all major components on rubber bushes. The result was a well-engineered, light weight and extremely pretty GT car in the best AC tradition. The Aceca is also notable as being, along with the Aston Martin DB2/4, one of the first hatchback designs.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
The earliest history of this particular AC Aceca is not documented. Its known history begins in 1973 when the car appeared in Philadelphia, PA entered in a Kirk F White Auction. At the time, the car was already fitted with a 289 small block Ford V8, the same engine that Carroll Shelby used in the legendary Cobra. This was a common period modification to AC Acecas, among other European sportscars.
A young man in attendance at the auction was looking for a vintage sports car for his fiancée to use to commute back and forth to college. He ended up buying the car, and his fiancée regularly exercised her AC. The couple used the car as daily transport for the next 10 years and it would remain in their care until earlier this year.
Today this particular AC Aceca is in good condition. It appears that the car is very much the way it was when purchased at auction in 1970s. It represents an excellent opportunity for someone to develop a superb rally car that would be ideal for the Copperstate 1000, or other high speed events.
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