1993 AC Brooklands Ace Roadster

Registration no. L47 DPE Chassis no. PA017002 Engine no. NF 118721

Footnotes

The acquisition of the rights to the AC name by Autokraft in 1982 led to the development of several prototypes of a next-generation AC to take the place of the venerable Cobra, a process which would, ultimately, lead to the introduction of a new Ace at the 1993 Motor Show. Hand built at AC's Brooklands factory and aimed squarely at the Mercedes-Benz SL market, the new Brooklands Ace was priced accordingly, starting at over £50,000. A thoroughly modern supercar in every way, the Ace featured a stainless-steel chassis and independent suspension all round, and was powered by the latest Ford Mustang 5.0-litre V8 engine producing around 260bhp. The curvaceous aluminium-alloy body rivalled the original Ace's for looks and was supremely well equipped, an electric hood, air conditioning, heated seats, etc, all forming part of this most luxurious package.

Autokraft's demise in 1996 seriously disrupted Ace production, and although the company was acquired by Pride Automotive Group Inc and re-constituted as AC Cars Group Ltd, only a few more Aces were made before production finally ceased in the late 1990s. By then approximately 58 cars had been made, although as so often had been the case with the firm it would turn out to be not quite the end of the story.

The second prototype car produced, (Car no. 01 was lost in the MIRA crash test) the Brooklands Ace offered here was displayed on the AC stand at the 1993 Earls Court Motor Show and featured in Car magazine (December 1993 edition) and World Sports Cars (June 1994). Unique features to this prototype include a manual hood, different rear deck treatment and high performance engine. In a Counterpoint companion piece to Car's main article (penned by the incomparable LJK Setright) Richard Bremner had this to say about the Brooklands Ace: "Best of all is that it's terrifically rigid, an asset closely tailed by the excellent finish of body and interior. It's a thoroughly professional effort."

The current vendor bought the Brooklands Ace directly from AC and is its only private owner. In the course of the last 29 years the car has covered only 28,810 miles. The accompanying history file contains numerous MoTs, sundry invoices, sales brochures, an owner's handbook and a V5C document. The file also contains the chassis plate, which has never been fitted to the car! A unique opportunity for the AC enthusiast to own an important part of the company's history and has been recently serviced.