1958 AC Aceca Coupe
In the early 1950s, AC Cars Ltd was looking to spice up their image with a new sports car. It so happened that a talented engineer named John Tojeiro had a small garage down the street from AC's Thames Ditton factory, where he was building beautiful and successful sports racers. One of those cars in particular, the 1952 Tojeiro-Bristol Special, caught the eye of AC Cars bosses.
AC hired Tojeiro, charging him with the design of a new production sports car, using the Bristol Special as inspiration. The beautiful little roadster had hints of Ferrari's sublime 166 Touring Barchetta in its shape, with Bristol's BMW-derived 2-liter inline six under the bonnet. Tojeiro applied his racing experience to the road car, outfitting the twin tube chassis with all-independent suspension a first for a British sports car. The beautiful Ace roadster debuted at the 1953 Earls Court Motor Show, with AC's venerable overhead-cam 1,991-cc inline-six as standard, with the Bristol-sourced 2-liter six coming later as an option.
In 1955 the pretty Ace roadster was joined by the equally lovely two-seat fixed-head Aceca Coupe, which brought such niceties as roll-up windows, improved sound insulation, and a useful boot beneath a novel opening rear hatch. Performance was nearly identical to the open car, and the lovely flowing roof blended seamlessly with the roadster's lines. The 100hp six endowed the Aceca with respectable performance, and drivers then and now recognize it as one of the finest handling road cars of the period.
Originally delivered in right drive to a home-market buyer, 'AE650' is one of just 151 Acecas powered by the venerable 1,991cc AC six. Previously published records reveal this car left the Thames Ditton factory on April 23, 1958, finished in Bright Blue with beige upholstery. Past DVLA registration documents list previous owners Henry Moon of Bedford, and David Still of Chichester, and in 1986, it was offered for sale by the respected UK dealer Nigel Dawes. The Aceca eventually found a new American owner, making its way across the pond to land in Texas. It was subsequently treated to a high-quality, bare-metal refurbishment, refinished in red over beige upholstery, and approximately $100,000 in receipts are on file.
The Aceca eschews fussy detailing, as AE650 so aptly demonstrates with its simple chrome bumperettes and silver painted wire wheels. The vibrant red paint is in outstanding condition, and in recent ownership, the seats have been reupholstered in black leather and black Wilton wool carpets fitted. It also features a stainless steel exhaust system, and grippy, period-style Avon TurboSteel tires. AE650 is very well sorted mechanically and is a veteran of two 1,000-mile rallies while it still looks beautifully crisp and fit for concours display.
AC's fabulous Aceca and Ace are highly regarded by driving enthusiasts, and it is of little surprise that Carrol Shelby chose this as the basis for his iconic Cobra that car's enduring legacy only underscores the brilliance of John Tojeiro's fundamental design. Aceca coupes like AE650 are increasingly sought after for use in exclusive vintage touring events like the Colorado Grand or New England 1000. This presents a wonderful opportunity to add a well-sorted, 'on the button' example of AC's brilliant and beautiful coupe to your collection.
