In two weeks (November 6th to be exact), this 1960 AC Ace-Bristol will be heading auction through RM Sotheby's during its London sale with an estimate price of $US 300,000. It's great to see one model produced by the British and independant automobile manufacturer : AC Cars.

Here are all the cars presented in my previous posts with an update of the prices for this 15th annual action in London :

Model	Estimated Price	Post
1952 Jaguar C-Type	£ 4,000,000 – £ 4,500,000	More
1960 Porsche 356 Carrera Zagato Speedster Sanction Lost	£ 400,000 – £ 450,000	More
1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior	£ 190,000 – £ 220,000	More
1958 Triumph TR3A	£ 140,000 – £ 160,000	More

History of AC Ace

First, the history of AC Cars... The company was founded by the Weller Brothers in 1901 in London. They presented their first car, 20 hp touring car, during the Crystal Palace motor show in 1903. In 1911, the company became Auto Carriers with the new round logo.

All began with the engineer and racing car designer, John Tojeiro who designed in 1952 a race car for Cliff Davis, one of the most successful driver in the 50's. AC Cars decided to buy the design's right. And the production of the AC Ace started in 1954. The Ace had great success with the victory in its class at the 1959 Le Mans Race.

After 1956, the model was updated with a new engine, the Bristol, very close of six cylinder engine of the BMW 328. Only 463 Ace Bristol models were produced between 1954 and 1963.

Specification

This AC Ace Bristol had the most powerful engine of the series (BE on his chassis number). Mated with four-speed manual gearbox, this engine was considered fast for its era, it can reach 0 to 60 mph in just over 8 seconds.

This example was 38 years in the hand of its first owner. It was fully restored in 2002 and finished in dark blue over a red leather interior.

This example, which benefits from the more powerful Bristol engine that can be identified thanks to the “BE” suffix of its chassis number, was registered for the road on 10 March 1960 under the registration “400 MTJ” that is retained to this day. Beautiful little beast !

What do you think about this car ?

I like it... Although I don't see myself behind the wheel in the next few months on Canadian roads. Winter is coming. But to go to the beach, it must be a dream. Perfect car, I love the design and the performance are still incredible.