Description
This car is Lot 120 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale on 6 February, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available Tuesday 4 February from 08:00 until 18:00 and Wednesday 5 February from 9 AM - 6 PM, at The Grand Palais Historique, Paris.
Lot 120
1957 AC Ace Bristol Roadster
Registration no.
Chassis no. BEX 281
Restored circa 2007/ 2008
Mille Miglia eligible
2008 Argentinian 1000 Millas participant
2014 Mille Miglia participant
Spanish registration document
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.
An influential and widely imitated design, the AC Ace (and its Cobra derivative) could trace its origins back to a one-off sports-racer built by chassis engineer John Tojeiro for Cliff Davis in 1952. The success of Davis' Tojeiro sports-racer prompted AC Cars to acquire the rights to the design, which was put into production in 1954 as the Ace. The Davis car's pretty Ferrari 166-inspired barchetta bodywork was retained, as was Tojeiro's twin-tube ladder frame chassis and Cooper-influenced all-independent suspension, while the power unit was AC's own venerable, 2. 0-litre, long-stroke six. Designed by AC co-founder John Weller, this overhead-camshaft engine had originated in 1919, and with a modest 80bhp (later 100bhp) on tap, endowed the Ace with respectable, if not outstanding, performance. Nevertheless, in tuned form the Ace enjoyed great success in production sports car racing, winning its class at the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in 1959.
In 1955 AC added a hardtop version - the fastback-styled Aceca - and both models later became available with the more powerful Bristol engine before production ceased in 1963. Towards the end of production the Ace was also available with the 2. 6-litre overhead-valve Ford Zephyr engine installed.
The l, 971cc Bristol six was based on that of the pre-war BMW 328, which featured an ingenious cylinder head, designed by Rudolf Schleicher, incorporating hemispherical combustion chambers and inclined valves without recourse to overhead, or twin, camshafts. Instead, the earlier BMW Type 319 engine's single block-mounted camshaft and pushrod valve actuation were retained, thus avoiding an expensive redesign. Two rocker shafts were employed, one situated above each bank of valves, giving the engine an external appearance almost indistinguishable from that of a twin-overhead-cam design. Downdraft inlet ports contributed to the motor's deep breathing, and its tune-ability made it a popular choice for British racing car constructors, most notably Cooper, during the 1950s.
Externally, Bristol's clone of the BMW motor differed little from the German original, the most obvious difference being the adoption of SU, rather than Solex, carburettors part way through production. The most significant changes made by the Bristol designers were metallurgical; their use of the highest quality materials contributing to greatly increased engine life.
Up to 130bhp was available from the Bristol unit in road trim, in which form the Ace could touch 120mph (195km/ h), while around 150bhp could be wrung from it for racing. The combination of a fine-handling chassis and a decent power-to-weight ratio helped the Ace to numerous successes in production sports car racing, arguably its finest achievement being a 1st-in-class and 7th overall finish at Le Mans in 1959. Indeed, its basic soundness and versatility were reflected in the fact that relatively few major changes were found necessary when the Ace was endowed with Ford V8 power to create the legendary Cobra.
According to a letter from the AC Owners Club, this left-hand drive Ace left the works on 1st May 1957 and was delivered new to AC Imports in Virginia, USA. Ken Jackson is known to have owned the car in 1964, and he was followed by Rodney Smith in 1981. Sold at auction in 1986, the AC passed via Chris Drake to a Mr Rasmussen in Denmark, who participated in the 1990 Mille Miglia. It is believed that the car was then sold to Eduardo Roca in Spain, who sold it on to well respected UK-based classic car broker Martin Chisholm circa 2007. He in turn kept the car for a couple of years and had further work done by Stanton Motorsports (invoices on file). During his ownership the car participated in the Scottish Ecurie Ecosse Tour (UK-registered as '201 XUM').
The AC was subsequently sold to Nathalie Sielecki in Argentina and it is believed that she participated in the 2008 Argentinian 1000 Millas event, finishing 54th. In 2010 the car was offered by respected London based dealer Peter Bradfield, and in 2014 participated with the previous (German) owner in the Mille Miglia in Italy. The car is currently registered in Spain. Most of the aforementioned information has been obtained from documents contained within the substantial history file. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to this car's provenance prior to bidding.
The AC Owners' Club has also kindly confirmed that the car is now back in its original colour combination and it should be noted that the engine currently fitted, although not original to 'BEX 281', is of the correct AC Bristol type.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams|Cars website for all pertinent auction information.
