Vehicle Description
-Vineyard Green with Black leather interior, Black carpeting, Black
convertible top and weather equipment as well as an unrestored
factory hard top, 4-Speed Manual, Original LHD and United States
delivery, Recent mechanical restoration.
One of ACs most prominent post-war sports cars, the athletic and
sleek Ace was first presented in 1953 and was purportedly the most
photographed car of the 1953 London Motor Show. The thoughtfully
engineered and lightweight tubular chassis with four-wheel,
independent suspension, and a spartan aluminum two-seat roadster
body was an immediate hit. Initially powered by AC's 80 horsepower
two-liter straight-six, Ken Rudd, owner of the tuning shop
Ruddspeed of Worthing, UK, convinced the AC factory to install the
significantly larger, more powerful 120 hp Bristol engine beginning
in 1957. These new Bristol engines were easily tuned, producing
more power for both the road and the track. The new Bristol-powered
Aces ran successfully at Le Mans between 1957 and 1962, with a
2.0-liter class victory in 1959 at the hands of Ted Whiteaway and
John Turner. Approximately 680 AC Aces and Ace Bristols were
produced prior to being used as the platform for the famed Ford
V8-powered Shelby Cobra, hence earning the AC Ace its well-deserved
nickname of the Cobra's "older brother."
This AC Bristol left the factory on 21 November 1957, delivered to
Precision Autos of Houston, Texas. Original finished in AC's Bright
Blue, with a light Beige interior, and a Blue top. Further history
shows 1965-66 correspondence between AC Cars and early owner, Mr.
E. Arthur McClish of Palo Alto, California. A 1980 registration
card records Mr. Walter A Feldmann, Hillsborough, California as a
subsequent owner. It is thought that the AC was later sold to Mr.
David Maron, France and sent back across the Atlantic, reportedly
in need of engine repair. Under Maron's ownership, the original
damaged engine, 100D 734 was replaced with 100D2 941. This engine
which remains in this car to date. In 1989, well-known and
respected collector and vintage racer Tom Mittler, Mishawaka,
Indiana acquired this AC Bristol. It was returned to the United
States, has remained an exceptional example, straight and proper
throughout being one of only 463 Ace Bristol engine cars
produced.
During 2016, the car was sent to Abingdon West Ltd. Of Fallbrook,
CA where it was subject to a thorough mechanical review. It
received attention to its drivetrain and electrical components. A
few years later in 2019, the car received a further restoration by
Fast Cars Ltd. of Redondo Beach, CA, over the course of two months
addressing all major systems of the vehicle. In total,
approximately $50,000 was spent.
In its most recently ownership, a well-known collector and
collection from Southern, California, this Ace-Bristol is offered
with a factory instruction handbook, records, documentation,
tonneau cover, side curtains, convertible top, as well as its
unrestored factory hardtop. It is turn-key and ready and eligible
to be used on some of the worlds best motoring events.
