Footnotes

"Of them all, the Ace was the truest sports car: it could be used for daily commuting or for high-speed long-distance touring, but it could also be driven to a race meeting, campaigned with distinction, and driven home again - even if that race was the Le Mans 24 Hours." - AC Heritage, Simon Taylor & Peter Burn.

The success of Cliff Davis's Tojeiro sports racer prompted AC Cars to put the design into production in 1954 as the Ace. The Davis car's pretty Ferrari 166-inspired barchetta bodywork was retained, as was John Tojeiro's twin-tube ladder frame chassis and Cooper-influenced all-independent suspension, but the power unit was AC's own venerable, 2.0-litre, long-stroke six. This overhead-camshaft engine originated in 1919 and with a modest 80bhp (later 100bhp) on tap, endowed the Ace with respectable, if not outstanding, performance.

In 1955 AC added a hardtop version - the fastback-styled Aceca - and both models became available from '56 with the more-powerful (up to 130bhp) Bristol six-cylinder engine. The 1,971cc Bristol six was based on that of the pre-war BMW 328, which featured an ingenious cylinder head, designed by Rudolf Schleicher, incorporating hemispherical combustion chambers and inclined valves without recourse to overhead, or twin, camshafts. Instead, the earlier BMW Type 319 engine's single block-mounted camshaft and pushrod valve actuation were retained, thus avoiding an expensive redesign. Two rocker shafts were employed, one situated above each bank of valves, giving the engine an external appearance almost indistinguishable from that of a twin-overhead-cam design. Downdraft inlet ports contributed to the motor's deep breathing, and its tune-ability made it a popular choice for British racing car constructors, most notably Cooper, during the 1950s. Externally, Bristol's clone of the BMW motor differed little from the German original, the most obvious difference being the adoption of SU, rather than Solex, carburettors part way through production. The most significant changes made by the Bristol designers were metallurgical, their utilisation of the highest quality materials contributing to greatly increased engine life.

The combination of a fine-handling chassis and a decent power-to-weight ratio - in Bristol-engined form the car could touch 120mph - helped the Ace to numerous successes in production sports car racing, arguably its finest achievement being a first-in-class and seventh overall finish at Le Mans in 1959. Indeed, its basic soundness and versatility were reflected in the fact that relatively few major changes were found necessary when the Ace was endowed with Ford V8 power to create the legendary Cobra.
Towards the end of production the Ace was also available with the 2.6-litre overhead-valve Ford Zephyr engine installed. Only 223 cars were delivered with the 2.0-litre AC engine compared with 463 Bristol-engined cars and a further 37 Ford-powered examples.

The sixth Bristol-engined competition Ace built, chassis number 'BEX135' was ordered by Jacques Swaters, founder of the famous Écurie Francorchamps, and delivered to Garage Francorchamps in Brussels on 29th March 1956. 'BEX135' left the Thames Ditton factory finished in Mist Green Metaline with green leather interior and black hood and tonneau. Its original engine was number '100C2/3290'; the current unit, '100D/767', was fitted when the car was recalled to the Bristol factory early in its life.

AC's Belgian importer at the time, Swaters entered the Ace under the Équipe Nationale Belge banner in that year's Reims 12-hour race where it was driven by Ringoir/Scheid, finishing 11th overall. The race was won by the Jaguar D-Type of Hamilton/Bueb. Swaters then sold 'BEX135' to Michel Ringoir, who continued to race it through 1956. Ringoir then sold the car back to Swaters in 1957 and purchased a Ferrari 250 Tour de France, transferring the Ace's Belgian registration, '928 RO', to his new Ferrari.

The Blaton brothers then acquired the Ace, racing it at Spa and Chimay among other venues. In June 1959 the Ace was entered in the Le Mans 24-hour race by Équipe Nationale Belge/AC Cars Ltd for Armand Blaton/André Pilette, but although driven by Blaton during testing, did not start the race as Blaton had to leave on an urgent business trip to the United States.

A subsequent owner, Jean Gorjat, bought the car from Oxford-based motor dealer Malcolm Elder in 1994. Apparently, the Ace had not been licensed for road use until 1963 and not used after 1966 apart from on the then owner's estate. Further research had proved impossible as the preceding owner had since died (see letter on file). Mr Gorjat registered the AC in the UK as 'LFF 762' and obtained a FIVA identity card.

Next owner Colin Pearcy purchased the Ace from Phillipe Rosy in Brussels in 2004 and had it repainted in its original colour. Amounting to tens of thousands of pounds, numerous bills on file testify to the fact that both Colin Pearcy and the car's next owner, Fred Wakefield, adopted a 'no expense spared' approach to its upkeep with specialists Roger Dowson Engineering, Stanton Motorsports, and Blakeney Motorsport, including a full engine rebuild by the latter in 2011. All bills together with correspondence relating to the car's provenance are contained within the substantial history file (close inspection recommended). Fred Wakefield owned the Ace from January 2008 to April 2012 when it was sold to a new owner in Luxembourg.

A classic of sports car design in its most desirable form, with the Bristol engine, this extensively campaigned and well-documented AC Ace is worthy of the closest inspection.