1929 AC Acedes-Magna Tourer

The last model produced under S.F. Edge's visionary leadership was the Acedes-Magna which employed the famous overhead-cam six-cylinder engine that had first been developed by AC Cofounder John Weller. The company would use this engine in various forms for 40 years. It was a swift and sporting tourer that had very attractive modern bodywork and it competed readily with such legends as the Bentley 3-Liter for space in the garages of gentleman sportsmen.

John Moir acquired this Acedes-Magna in the United Kingdom. At the time it was finished in the AC racing colors of the period with the body in bare polished aluminum and fenders finished in maroon. During the restoration, it was refinished in classic scarlet with the hood left as bare aluminum.

In 2016 the vehicle suffered a fire and was restored back to its original condition.

The story of AC Cars Ltd. is a play of mainly three acts with the First and Second World Wars serving as the intermissions. The first act would consist of small touring and three-wheeler autocars. The third act would culminate with small two-door sportscars, the most notable being a fire-breathing Anglo-American partnership. The second act, however, would be an interesting amalgamation that would provide a unique twist in the AC plot.

In the period between the First and Second World Wars, AC Cars would move up from smaller Autocars and would begin to produce some luxury tourers. In the 1920s AC would produce a number of strong, streamlined automobiles that would take part in such events as the Brighton Speed Trials and races at Brooklands and Montlhery. Their cars would be solid performers breaking racing records often, and their cars would often compete with the likes of Bentley for popularity. However, a finely-appointed luxury automobile was still something for which AC was not readily known.

AC Cars would undergo a good deal of upheaval throughout its lifetime and this would give birth to the numerous phases through which the company would tread. Nonetheless, AC would produce some very fine automobiles, one of them being the Acedes-Magna Tourer.

This particular example would be built in 1929. Complete with maroon-colored fenders and a polished aluminum body, the car would leave the factory in the racing colors of the day. However, there would be such fine touches as the nickeled instruments and dashboard and leather upholstery that would take the car from racer to tourer.

Sporting a bare aluminum engine cowling, the 1929 Acedes-Magna Tourer would be purchased by John Moir and would be restored by David Steinman of Waitsfield, Vermont. Steinman's restoration efforts would not just include the beautiful interior and exterior. The finish of the car itself would be changed from its original bare polished aluminum. Instead, the whole car would be finished in a deep red while the aluminum engine cowling would remind all of its original look from just before the 1930s.

Restoration completed around twenty years ago now, the AC Acedes-Magna Tourer remains a head-turner at any event or show and is a fine CCCA Full Classic representative.

Offered from the John Moir collection, the 1929 AC Acedes-Magna Tourer would be made available for sale at the 2014 RM Auctions Hershey event in the middle of October. The handsome British tourer would draw pre-auction estimates ranging from $100,000 to $150,000.

Sources:
'Lot 136: 1929 AC Acedes-Magna Tourer', (http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1070535). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1070535. Retrieved 8 October 2014.

Wikipedia contributors, 'AC Cars', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 21 September 2014, 15:35 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AC_Cars&oldid=626488667 accessed 9 October 2014

By Jeremy McMullen