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 an auction in the early '70's a young couple were looking for a
neat little sports car for a then fiancee to drive back and forth
to college. Story has it, some bidding went on with a Gull Wing
Mercedes, but when it ran up to a whopping $15,000, the couple
thought it too expensive and dropped out. They settled on the now
for consignment AC Aceca coupe, which was a daily driver for at
least 10 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 cross flow inline 6 cylinder, we now have a small block
Ford 289ci V8 topped with a holly 4 barrel carburetor, and chromed
open air cleaner. The system has changed to 12 Volt, and a 4 speed
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.
Drive-Ability
Starts fine, runs fantastically, and has a comfy interior. Handles
nicely and goes like the wind!
Back in the early 1970's these cars were a dime a dozen, 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
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, recovered seats, and door panels
remains original and shows the passage of time, and certainly not
the degradation of a gorgeous rare example of an Ace of design in
the Aceca! Bloody well-done mate.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.