March A.C. doodlings

I suppose it is not often that you get overtaken on the motorway by a car that has a racing history

dating back to the nineteen fifties and probably less often that you recognise it.   It is probably true to say that I am not the greatest fan of the AC Cobra but I prefer the earlier AC Aces to some of the beefed up Shelby Cobras of later years.  Yesterday I was having a good day car spotting and having been followed for a few miles by an Aston Martin Vanquish and then having been passed by a rather nice Triumph TR6 it made by morning to see a fifties AC Ace Bristol.  I believe this car raced in the late fifties and early sixties in the north west of America driven by Jim Parsons and has been racing in historic events in the UK in more recent years.

Amazing to think that this car was racing in the year that Mike Hawthorn won the F1 championship and is still being driven on the road to this day. Probably, won't be true that we will be seeing today's track cars on the road in fifty seven years time!

A.C. is one of the oldest British marques and Auto Carriers, as they were known then, started making three wheeled delivery vans in 1904 and three wheeled passenger cars from 1907.  Based in Thames Ditton, Surrey, they made their first four wheeled car in 1913 and their first sports car in 1918.  A 1,500cc A.C. set a half mile record at 105.41mph in 1921.  Their cars were relatively familiar at Brooklands prior to the war and after the war they started producing a range of relatively reasonably priced sports cars that eventually evolved into the famous AC Cobra.

Another LHD A.C. at Dunsfold 2010

1n September 1961 an AC Ace Bristol would have cost you £1,550 before Purchase Tax.  This meant that it was slightly more expensive than a Jaguar E-type at £1,480 but cheaper than a Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider at £2,108 or a Frazer Nash Sebring at £2,300 or a Ferrari 250GT Cabriolet at £4,675.

A.C. Cobra racing at the Goodwood Revival meeting 2010

The AC Ace had independent suspension to all wheels which was still relatively rare in the UK at the time and had a reputation for good finish and workmanship.  It had a 6 cylinder Bristol D2 engine of 1,971cc that produced 128 b.h.p.   Top speed was slightly shy of 120mph and it had good acceleration for the time.   There were disc brakes on the front and drums on the back.  Weight was about 15 c.w.t.   Its wheelbase was 7ft 6 ins and it has a height of 4ft 1 inch with its hood up. (Source - my excellent old book "Sports Cars Today" by Rodney Walkerley published in1962 a great little period reference work).

An AC Ace Bristol won the 2 litre GT class at Le Mans in 1961.   The same year, Bristol stopped producing their 6 cylinder engine and Carroll Shelby introduced Ford to A.C and the Cobra was born.

A.C. Cobra at the Magny Cours Classic Days 2014