AC Ace Brooklands
| AC | |
|---|---|
 AC Ace Brooklands, 1st series
|
|
| Ace | |
| Production period: | 1993-2000 |
| Class : | Sports car |
| Body versions : | Cabriolet |
| Engines: |
Gasoline engines : 3.5-5.0 liters |
| Length: | 4420 mm |
| Width: | 1870 mm |
| Height: | 1300 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2472 mm |
| Empty weight : | 1176-1440 kg |
| Previous model | AC 3000ME |
The AC Ace Brooklands (alternatively: AC Brooklands Ace ) is an open-top British sports car that was sold under the AC Cars brand in the 1990s . The car was created in two different versions one after the other. The vehicle that was prepared in a long development period was not a success. Only about 60 copies were made in eight years.
History of origin
AC Cars was one of the UK's oldest automobile manufacturers. The company is best known for its Cobra sports cars , which are still manufactured in a technically modified form by a successor company. In addition to these roadsters, which can be traced back to the AC Ace presented in 1953, AC also had contemporary sports cars in its range, such as the 428 with Frua body (1967–1973) and the mid-engine coupé 3000ME (1979–1985).
In 1986, AC, which at the time was part of the Ford group, began developing a successor to the economically unsuccessful 3000ME. The first prototype at the Birmingham Motor Show , referring to the traditional model name Ace as a 1986 Ace of Spades (German: Ace of Spades ) was introduced, used many technical components of Ford So as the drive was a 2.9 liter big six-cylinder engine of. German Ford subsidiary, which had been revised by the racing engine manufacturer Cosworth (also belonging to Ford) . The Ace of Spades also used four-wheel drive, which was conceptually borrowed from that of the Ford Sierra . The body was designed as a notchback coupé with a removable roof section. The Ace of Spades remained a one-off. In the following years, AC continued to develop the model, with significant delays due to financial constraints. After Ford had given up the majority stake in AC, another prototype, known only as Ace, appeared in 1991. It was a convertible with pop-up headlights and a smooth body. An American Ford six-cylinder engine that had been redesigned by Yamaha served as the drive . This concept did not go into series production either. Since Great Britain was in a recession at the beginning of the 1990s, AC saw the sales opportunities for an expensive, exclusively motorized car as slim and developed the model further with a view to reducing costs. This also included the adaptation to an inexpensive large-scale production engine.
It was not until 1993 that series production of the model, still known as AC Ace, began. The production was taken over by the AC Car Group, an indirect successor to the traditional automobile manufacturer AC. The cars were assembled in a factory on the site of the British Brooklands circuit . In order to distinguish the new Ace from its predecessors, the Brooklands appendix was later unofficially added to the model name. In this version, the vehicle remained on offer until 1996. Due to low demand and high production costs, which could not be covered by the sales prices, AC Cars went bankrupt in 1996. After a change of ownership, AC Cars continued production in 1998. The second series differed technically and stylistically from the original version of the Ace. The new owner, Alan Lubinsky, had the Ace redesigned in 1997 with a focus on simplifying the manufacturing process. After two years, in which only a dozen vehicles had been built, production of the Ace ended.
A modification of the Ace was the Aceca, a two-door hatchback coupé with the technology of the second series, of which only two or three copies were made in 1998.
First series
Technology and body
The Ace was a two-seater convertible with a fabric top . The aluminum body was designed by the British design studio International Automotive Design (IAD) . In its basic layout it followed the shape of the Mazda MX-5 , but was larger and heavier overall. On the bonnet there was a clearly visible increase above the engine (referred to as a powerbulge in English ). The bonnet was hung at the front and, in the style of classic British roadsters, included the front fenders, so that when opened, almost the entire front panel of the car swiveled forward. The front headlights weren't covered; they were set back in narrow openings in the front panel. In the exact design, the individual specimens differed considerably from one another: Usually, they were round double headlights; in some cases horizontally arranged broadband floodlights were also used. AC implemented individual customer requests here. The taillights were four round units.
The chassis was made of stainless steel , the individual parts of which were welded together. The front and rear wheels were suspended from double wishbones with coil springs and gas dampers . All wheels decelerated with ABS -supported disc brakes .
A 5.0 liter eight-cylinder engine, which was taken from the contemporary Ford Mustang , served as drive . The standard output was 260 hp, but many vehicles were delivered with revised, more powerful engines at the customer's request. The power transmission took place alternatively via a five-speed manual transmission or an automatic transmission with four forward gears.
According to the factory, the total weight of the car was 1440 kg, which was evenly distributed between the front and rear axles. The top speed was specified as 230 km / h (= 140 mph), and the car needed 5.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 96 km / h.
production
The first version of the Ace was produced from 1993 to 1996. During this time, 46 series vehicles were built, which were added to the two prototypes from 1991 and 1992. Most of the cars were sold in the UK, with few entering foreign markets. The Sultan of Brunei bought five vehicles, which differed significantly from the production models in appearance and technology , two copies went to Australia, and one each was sold in Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Thailand.
In addition to the high price, the main reason for the lack of success of the car was seen as the fact that the car was poorly constructed in many details. This affected, among other things, the convertible top mechanism, the air conditioning and ventilation as well as the window lifters.
Second series
Technology and body
After the bankruptcy in March 1996, the second series of the Ace was launched in 1997. It differed technically and externally in a few points from the first series. The new owner of AC, the South African Alan Lubinsky, had the entire design of the Ace redesigned with a view to simplifying the production process. The work was carried out under the direction of the former Volvo engineer Jan-Erik Jansson. Among other things, the front section has been redesigned. In contrast to the first series model, the new Ace had fixed front fenders and integrated broadband headlights from the Mazda 323 (BA series) . The hood was significantly smaller and no longer had a powerbulge . Like the bumpers, it was made of plastic. The chassis has been redesigned so that the number of welding points has been halved. In addition, the weight of the vehicle was reduced by 264 kg.
In contrast to the first series model, three different engines were available. These were
- the 5.0 liter eight-cylinder Ford (240 hp) engine that has been in use since 1993,
- a Ford eight-cylinder engine with a displacement of 4.6 liters with a power boost thanks to a turbocharger (320 hp) and
- a 3.5 liter eight-cylinder engine with two turbochargers (320 hp); this engine was obtained from Lotus and was designed for use in the Esprit .
Another source also cites a supercharged version of the 5.0-liter eight-cylinder. The maximum speed with the more powerful engines was 250 km / h (155 mph) according to the factory specifications.
production
The chassis and essential body components of the second Ace Brooklands were produced in South Africa. The final assembly took place in a workshop in Coventry . Until 2000, only between 10 and 12 complete vehicles were built. The construction of individual vehicles was started but not completed.
Some collectors bought these unfinished specimens after production stopped and finished them privately.
Web links
- Sales brochure of the AC Ace from 1994 with description and technical data
- Sales prospectus of AC Aceca from 1998 (incorrectly dated 2001 on the website)
Individual evidence
- ^ Auto Catalog No. 32 (1988/89), p. 97.
- ^ Image of the AC Ace of Spades (accessed June 5, 2014).
- ↑ a b c d e model history of the AC Ace Brooklands on the website www.brooklandsace.co.uk (accessed June 5, 2014).
- ↑ For the technical information see the presentation on the website www.brooklandsace.co.uk (accessed on July 5, 2014).
- ↑ a b c d Description of the AC Ace Brooklands (2nd series) on the website www.topspeed.com (accessed on June 5, 2014).
- ↑ The second series of Ace Brookslands on the website www.brooklandsace.co.uk ( Memento of the original from June 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed June 5, 2014).
