Tag Archives: Ace

All Wheel Drive Ace – AC Ace Prototype

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In 1986 the Hurlock Family ended their 56 year controlling interest in AC Cars by selling their share to Autocraft and Ford.

AC Ace Prototype, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Under the new management today’s prototype AC Ace known as the Ace of Spades was developed styled by Ford’s own design studio and built by Autokraft in time for the 1986 Birmingham Motor Show.

AC Ace Prototype, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

The Ace of Spades was built around a steel monocoque and featured all wheel drive and a V6 motor from the Ford XR4x4 / Ford Scorpio parts bin. It was estimated the car would reach 60 mph from rest in less than seven seconds and that the top speed would be of the order of 140 mph.

AC Ace Prototype, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

For unspecified reasons Ford dropped their interest in pushing the Ace of Spades into production and eventually sold their interest Ford to Autocraft. In 2000 AC enthusiast Mr Stevens bought the car with 20 miles on after AC Car Group Ltd had gone into receivership in 1996.

AC Ace Prototype, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Mr Stevens turned the show car into a more practical road going proposition which included commissioning the Leiter Motor Company of Semley to devise a roof and electrically operated window’s. When the car was seen here at Classics at the Castle in Sherborne the Ace of Spades prototype had clocked up 6,000 miles.

Shortly after this the car was sold by Mr Stevens family at auction where it fetched £15,000. Classics at the Castle will be held again tomorrow and if time permit’s I look forward to attending.

Thanks for joining me on this All Wheel Drive Ace edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Simple Joys – Morgan 3 Wheeler

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Last November when I visited the Morgan factory there was much debate about a rumoured revival by Morgan of their fabled 3 wheel concept, which was abandoned when the last Morgan F-4 left the factory in 1953, with an updated design powered by a Harley Davidson motor.

Morgan 3 Wheeler, Morgan Cars

The truth that emerged was a little more complex, when earlier this year Morgan launched their 3 Wheeler at the Geneva motor show, with this particular vehicle on their stand.

Morgan 3 Wheeler, Morgan Cars

Self taught engineer, Pete Larsen from Seattle is the man responsible for putting the Morgan name back on three wheel vehicles. A couple of years ago Pete developed a Harley Davidson powered space frame Morgan tribute 3 wheeler which was marketed under the Liberty Ace brand.

Morgan 3 Wheeler, Silverstone

After reading a UK newspaper report on this vehicle Morgan executives visited Pete’s workshop and ended up buying the business. Pete now makes the HD powered Liberty Ace under license from Morgan while Morgan have re engineered Pete’s design to take a 115hp S&S; ‘X-Wedge’ V twin manufactured in Wisconsin.

Morgan 3 Wheeler, Silverstone

The reengineered Morgan comes with a detachable steering wheel, to ease access, that is connected to a Quaife steering rack, in place of the Mustang modified rack used in the original Liberty Ace, the transmission on both vehicles is a Mazda 5 speed which drives the rear wheel.

Morgan 3 Wheeler, Silverstone

The Matt Humphries designed aluminium bodywork is manufactured by Premier Sheet Metal in Coventry.

Morgan 3 Wheeler, Silverstone

After the initial production run a special Superdry Edition has already been planned complete with bespoke Superdry branded tyres !

Morgan 3 Wheeler, Silverstone

High profile car enthusiast, owner and fan of old Morgan 3 wheelers Jay Leno was one of the first 500 customers to order one of the cycle cars which tip the scales at just over 1000 lbs / 500 kgs and can reach 60 mph in under 5 seconds.

Morgan 3 Wheeler, Morgan Cars

I have never driven a Morgan or 3 Wheeler of any description but watching Jay drive the car I have to believe that ‘there is nothing quite like driving a 3 wheeler, it just makes you smile’, rather like reading my favourite ‘Simple Joys‘ blog written by another Morgan 3 wheeler fan Chief 187, who’s birthday happens to be today.

Happy Birthday Chief 187, this one is just for you !

Thanks for joining me on today’s three wheel edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow ! Don’t forget to come back now !

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Much in common with the NASCAR COT – AC Ace

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Much in common with the NASCAR COT – AC Ace

The AC Ace was originally designed by John Tojeiro who produced a Weller engined Toj and in 1953 sold the design to AC.

AC first put straight six Cylinder Bristol engines into their Ace and later Ford Zephyr Straight 6’s before Carroll Shelby introduced Ford 289 – 427 V8’s and branded them Cobra’s in 1962.

The car features a ladder chassis and space frame around which the body in manufactured, the body like the body on the NASCAR COT is shaped using an English wheeling machine.

As has been noted in an earlier post there is a remarkable resemblance between the AC Ace and the 1948 Williams and Pritchard Fraser Nash BMW 315/1.

Off topic Congrats to Kevin Harvick on finishing ahead of Jimmy Johnson at Martinsville yesterday, 62 points is a far from insurmountable advantage with four races to go 🙂

Wishing everyone a happy Monday, don’t forget to come back now !

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Was one of these Fraser Nash BMW’s an antecedent of the AC Cobra ?

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At the August VSCC Prescott meeting one of the things that stood out was that the car park was almost as interesting as the Paddock.

For example pictured here in the car park is what I believe to be a Fraser Nash (UK BMW importer and assemblers amongst many other things for those not in the know) BMW 315/1.

Amazingly the car above is also a Fraser Nash BMW 315/1, dating from 1935 according to the VSCC programme, but the bodywork stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the traditional VSCC fare in the paddock at Prescott.

My first thought was that it might be a Tojerio body or AC Ace body, or at least a copy of either of those two vehicles dating back to 1952 and 1953 respectively, I also wondered how this car could possibly qualify to run in a VSCC event which generally caters for pre WW2 vehicles.

Thanks to Tim Murray at the TNF Forum I found out what the story behind the aluminium (English pronunciation please) bodied BMW 315/1 special, though there are many question marks around this vehicle, not least who actually commissioned it in the first place ?

It turns out this vehicle was originally supplied with body work by Abbots of Farnham and then after the War turned up, sans body, in the hands of a chemist who took it to Williams & Pritchard of London, a small sub contracting bodywork shop before WW2, a Spitfire fuselage workshop during WW2 which returned to doing repairs and bodywork after WW2.

The owner of the chassis took with him a pile of motoring magazines and sat down with Williams & Pritchard and pointed out all the features he wanted incorporated into the new bodywork for his old BMW.

When did this happen you may well ask ? 1965 ? 1960 ? 1955 ? after the Tojerio and AC Ace had been around ? 1950 ? none of the above amazingly the aluminium body work dates back to 1948 four years before the Tojerio which famously morphed into the AC Ace !

The Fraser Nash BMW 315/1 is allowed to compete in VSCC events because the body sits on a prewar chassis.

More information on Williams & Pritchard and the story of this car can be found here.

Hope you enjoyed today’s blog and will join me again tomorrow.

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