1955 AC Aceca Fastback Coupe

The AC Ace was introduced in 1953 at the London Motor Show and was followed by the AC Aceca in October of 1954. The AC Ace was a roadster while the AC Aceca was the coupe version which shared the John Tojeiro-designed tube frame covered with ash and aluminum fastback bodywork. It had Girling brakes with Alfin drums, knock-off wire wheels, and a four-speed gearbox. The enclosed bodywork added just 155 pounds over its Roadster counterpart. The base powerplant was a 2-liter overhead-cam six-cylinder unit that offered 90 horsepower. It had five main bearings, triple carburetors, and an 8:1 compression ratio. Zero-to-sixty was accomplished in just 13.4 seconds on its way to its top speed of just over 100 mph. In total, just 151 Acecas were built with the 2.0-liter engine.

After the Shelby Cobra was introduced in 1963, the Bristol engine was no longer available. The 260 cubic-inch lightweight Ford V8 offered an impressive 260 brake-horsepower, a zero-to-sixty time of just 5.2 seconds, and a top speed of 136 mph. The Aceca was ultimately discontinued at the end of 1963.

This particular Aceca is one of the rare, 151 examples powered by a 2-liter engine. The early history is not known; it did suffer a mild fender-bender in 1970. It was later dismantled and prepared for restoration. New front fenders were made for it by the AC factory in Thames Ditton and fitted in 1976 when the car was placed in storage. It remained in storage for a long time, only recently emerging from its dormant state.

It was given a restoration in Arizona in 2012 and finished in Sterling Metallic Gray with a black Connolly leather interior. The suspension and knock-off wire wheels were also restored.

This left-hand drive example has spent much of its life on the West Coast. The car is currently fitted with a 260 CID Ford OHV V8 engine with a Holley four-barrel carburetor and mated to a four-speed manual transmission.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2016