Vehicle Description
1958 AC Aceca Coupe
The base of the Shelby Cobra was a small roadster from England
called the AC Ace. Before the fender flares and the big V8 the Ace
was an attractive narrow body car that didn't have a gigantic V8.
Alongside the Ace, AC made about 100 Coupes called the Aceca. The
Aceca is a delicate coupe, and one of the first hatchbacks ever. It
is painfully gorgeous, and only until very recently
appreciated.
At the Kirk F White Auction in Philadelphia in 1973, a young couple
were looking for a neat little sports car for a then fiancee to
drive back and forth to college. They had their eyes on a Gullwing
Mercedes (which there were 5 at the sale!), but the price those
were bringing ($15,000) was a little over their budget. They
settled on the now for consignment AC Aceca coupe, which was a
daily driver for at least 10 years and under single ownership for
46 years.
Exterior
Hand built in AC's Thames Ditton workshop, this car has an aluminum
body work hand formed utilizing wooden "bucks" as the molds, the
body presents in very nice condition. Minor denting can be noted at
the rear just below the "hatchback", but otherwise very straight
and true. Red paint adorns this restored "al-uminnum" body. A
plastic rear hatch window is seen, and the front bumper is just the
push bars, (which was an option when ordering), that conjoin with
the chromed trim of the egg crate grille, and the rear is the 2
tube chrome with the push bars. All chrome is in good
condition.
Interior
Considering this car has spent the last several years of its life
in a garage, a 98% restoration on hold, we see plenty of patina
surfaces and dust prevails. All is not lost though as a thorough
cleaning with the correct substances will bring this interior back
very close to original. Within the time worn dash are 3 separate
wood veneered islands, if you will, the first houses original
Smiths gauges, and warning lights, and sit behind the left hand
driven original steering wheel. The second is the ignition and
AMP/Temp/Fuel gauge cluster with the wiper and dash light dimmer
knobs. 2 holes prevail and it is unknown what was mounted within
them. A chromed ashtray sits above this panel and the small
rear-view mirror is mounted on the top of the dash in this centered
location. The third panel is the glovebox. As noted, all three
panels sit with a black leather squared off simple dash. New black
carpeting floods the floor under the tuck and roll stitched
buckets. The rear cargo area is in good condition.
Drivetrain
Here's where we deviate from the beaten path just a bit, and upon a
flip of the bonnet, we are met with a surprise! No longer the
original crossflow inline 6 cylinder, we now have a small block
Ford 289ci V8 topped with a Holley 4-barrel carburetor, and chromed
air cleaner. The electrical system was changed to 12-volt, and a
4-speed manual transmission was put in to withstand the more
powerful forces of the V8. An interesting fully documented
handwritten book details all the operations that were performed on
the power plant upgrade, as well as voluminous repairs and redux
for the entire car.
Undercarriage
A sturdy large tube frame is seen underneath and is totally
restored with no rust or structural issues. An undercoating has
been applied, and it is unknown what's underneath that, however any
typical invasive rust one can view through this coating, and on
this car, we see none. Floor pans, toe kicks, and rockers appear
sturdy and rust free. In the interest of full disclosure, there is
an area near the underside boot, that was cut out, possibly for a
new fuel tank? but is worth noting as there is some bent metal,
that otherwise seems unremarkable. Front disc brakes and rear drums
are now on this beautiful British hand-built automobile.
Back in the early 1970's these cars were inexpensive drivers, and
people who owned them, just enjoyed them, and used them. In no way
were they even thought to be collectible. With the rise of the
Cobra, and all the" fluff "that accompanied it, this car's sister
the "ACE" was the inspiration for the aforementioned. This car
remains an original, excepting the engine change. Some people like
their cars to show the passage of time, even including rust. This
car has been remediated of any of that and has an engine which
others have certainly fantasized about, but action was only taken
on this ONE! The interior, with new carpet, remains original and
shows the passage of time, and certainly not the degradation of a
gorgeous rare example an Ace of design in the Aceca! Bloody
well-done mate.