AC Cars

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Logo of the automobile manufacturer AC with letters in Art Nouveau style as it has been used - with minor changes - since 1907
An early car carrier : The abbreviation, initially as A.-C. , resulted in the new brand name, its technology forms the basis for the Cyclecar AC Sociable
AC 2-liter from approx. 1955. 1991 cc, 6 cylinders
AC Ace (1958)
AC Ace Bristol
AC 428 from 1973
AC 3000ME from approx. 1979/80

AC Cars Ltd. is a car brand based in Thames Ditton , Great Britain from 1911 to 1984 , which produced its first four-wheeled automobile in small series in 1913 .

history

The company began in 1904, initially under the name Autocars and Accessories , Ltd. based in London , with the production of three-wheeled vehicles, which were intended as a car carrier for the transport of loads and from 1907 as the AC Sociable for passenger transport. The name Auto-Carrier , as the abbreviation AC, gave the company its name, which it kept even after these motorized rickshaws were no longer built. AC is therefore one of the oldest still existing automobile manufacturers. The first “real” automobile was built in 1913, but it wasn't until 1920 that the international breakthrough came with a six-cylinder model with a displacement of 2 liters and 35 hp. The extraordinary thing about the vehicle was the overhead camshaft, a construction that was used exclusively in racing at the time. This engine was to be built for 40 years with minor modifications.

After the Second World War , AC continued vehicle production in 1947 with the new AC 2-liter model . The engine and chassis largely corresponded to the technology of the 1930s, but the body - mostly a two-door saloon - was new. Starting in 1953, based on a design by independent designer John Tojeiro , the AC Ace open sports car , the first English series sports car with independent front and rear suspension, was created. From 1956, the Ace , like the AC Aceca coupé derived from it , could optionally be ordered with the 2.0-liter six-cylinder from Bristol , which had further developed the engine of the BMW 328 . As AC Ace Bristol , he achieved a number of motorsport successes. In the years 1957 to 1962 there were even outings in the 24-hour race of Le Mans , including a class win in 1959 for GT vehicles with a displacement of up to two liters. From 1959, AC produced the four-seater Gran Turismo AC Greyhound in small numbers as the third model series, alongside the Ace open-top sports car and the two-seater coupé Aceca .

Towards the end of the 1950s, the market for manufacturers of small series became very tight. The design and manufacture of your own motor has long only paid off in large-scale production. So the company was able to keep afloat for some time with the tried and tested old six-cylinder, but in 1963 the engine construction was over.

After Bristol had ceased engine production, the Ace and Aceca models were equipped with the engine of the Ford Zephyr until 1962/63 . More and more American customers were enjoying the performance of the light vehicle, and this is how an American racing driver named Carroll Shelby found himself , who immediately started producing the successor model: the AC 289 was powered by the 4.7 liter V8 engine from Ford equipped, at the same time the production moved to Santa Fe in the USA . Later models with the model number 427 then brought it to a displacement of 7.0 liters under the name Shelby-Cobra, which helped the comparatively light vehicle to achieve sensational performance. At the same time, this crazy constellation cemented the AC Cobra's reputation as a cult vehicle.

The company disappeared from the scene in the mid-1970s. Later attempts to revive the brand were made around 1980 and 1996. The first attempt was made to gain a foothold with the AC 3000ME . This vehicle had a plastic body and drive technology from Ford. The shape had nothing to do with the legendary AC vehicles. In the second attempt, AC Cobra vehicles are still being offered with interruptions in various power levels, some of which have a more powerful drive system from various, mostly US manufacturers. The body shape of the Cobra is hardly changed. Various attempts to revive the AC Ace with a modern body failed.

In September 2006, a British group called Project Kimber announced that they wanted to revive the Smart Roadster , the production of which was discontinued by DaimlerChrysler , as the AC Ace in a modified version. In 2005, Project Kimber tried in vain to take over the insolvent MG Rover Group . The projected start of sales at the end of 2007 was not adhered to.

The car brand is best known today for the classic AC Cobra , a heavily motorized open sports car that was produced from 1962 to 1966 together with Carroll Shelby and with support from Ford and is still built today as a replica in numerous variants. The development of the brand has been confusing since 1984: the owners and the company headquarters changed several times , first in modern production halls on the site of the former Brooklands race track and then in 2001 to Frimley in Surrey / England. In the 2000s there was initially AC Cars Limited in Malta and currently AC Automotive in Straubenhardt in Germany .

Car models

model engine Production numbers Construction year Brief description
Car carrier 631 cm³ single cylinder air-cooled in front of the rear wheel 1904-1914 open three-wheeler transporter with single wheel at the rear; Load space between the front wheels, driver's seat behind. Chain drive to the rear wheel; 2-speed planetary gear .
AC Sociable 631/724 cm³ single cylinder air-cooled around 1800 1907-1914 open three-wheeled passenger car based on the Auto-Carrier; initially two-seater in tandem arrangement (driver at the rear), also three-seater with driver at the rear and from 1909 driver and front passenger side by side (entry at the front)
AC 10 hp 1094/1327 cm³ four-cylinder water-cooled about 100 1913-1916 1918 four-wheeled cycle car ; Fivet (France) engine behind front axle; Transaxle design with cardan shaft and 3-speed gearbox on the rear axle. Two-seater with a fold - out mother -in -law seat or a pure two-seater sports car. 1918: 1327 cm³ engine series, before that optional.
AC 12 hp 1496 cm³ four-cylinder water-cooled about 850 (including AC 16 hp until 1929) 1920-1927 Engine from British Anzani and later Cubitt ; Transaxle construction with cardan shaft and 3-speed gearbox on the rear axle. Mostly open two and four-seater, also closed special bodies.
AC Six (16/35, 16/40, 16/56 and 16/66) 1478/1991 cm³ six-cylinder water-cooled about 850 (including AC 12 hp) up to 1929 plus approx. 50 from remaining parts 1930–33 1920-1929 Motor designed and produced by AC itself, two-liter version from 1922, cylinder block made of light metal cast, cylinder head made of gray cast iron, OHC valve control ; 16/66 with three SU carburetors . Transaxle construction with cardan shaft and 3-speed gearbox on the rear axle. Mostly open two and four-seater, also closed special bodies.
AC Six (16/60, 16/70, 16/80 and 16/90) 1991 cc cm³ six-cylinder water-cooled 618 1932-1940 Engine s. O.; 16/90 with Arnott compressor. Gearbox now interlocked with motor, synchronized 4-speed gearbox from Moss or preselector gearbox from Wilson. Chassis with different wheelbases and track widths, overall larger than the previous model, open and closed two-door models with 2 or 4 seats, also closed four-door models.
AC 2 liter 1991 cc cm³ six-cylinder water-cooled 1284 1947-1958 AC motor. Two- and (later) four-door sedans (saloons), two-door convertibles (drophead coupé) and sporty open-top touring “Buckland”.
AC Petite 350 cm³ single-cylinder two-stroke air-cooled about 4000 1952-1958 three-wheeled microcar with a single front wheel; two to three seats; Villiers Ltd engine in the rear, 3-speed steering wheel gearshift.
AC Ace 1991/1971/2553 cm³ six-cylinder water-cooled 689 1953-1963 Motor from AC or from 1956 alternatively Bristol or from 1961 mainly (usually with increased performance) from the Ford Zephyr . Open two-seater with aluminum body.
AC Aceca 1991/1971/2553 cm³ six-cylinder water-cooled 357 1954-1963 Motor from AC or from 1956 alternatively Bristol or from 1961 mainly (usually with increased performance) from the Ford Zephyr . Two-seater coupe with tailgate; Aluminum body.
AC Greyhound 1991/1971/2216/2553 cm³ six-cylinder water-cooled 83 1959-1963 Motor mostly from Bristol (2.0 or 2.2 liter version), new complex rear axle. Four-seater coupé body (Gran Turismo) with aluminum body.
AC Cobra 260 / Cobra 289 / AC 289 sports 4261/4727 cm³ Ford V8 75/571/27 1962-1968 Ford small-block V8 engine. Independent suspension with transverse leaf springs at the front and rear; Disc brakes on all four wheels as standard; Cobra 260 and Cobra 289 models in collaboration with Caroll Shelby; Model 289 sports with coil-sprung chassis and wide fenders of the Cobra 427; open two-seater aluminum body; legendary sports car with numerous successes in racing.
AC Cobra 427/428 6997/7016 cc Ford V8 306 1964-1966 Mk III series. Reinforced ladder frame with tubular space and independent suspension on double wishbones with coil springs; Ford FE 427 "Sideoiler" engine from the NASCAR series or tamer 428 FE "Police Interceptor" engine; 350–480 hp depending on the tuning level; open two-seater aluminum body; legendary sports car with numerous successes in racing.
AC 428 (Frua) 7016 cc Ford V8. 81 (53 Fastback Coupés and 28 Convertibles) 1965-1973 Frua body built on a Cobra 427 chassis that has been extended by 6 inches (152 mm); i. d. R. Ford FE 428 engine with 350 PS (345 bhp / 257 kW); 4 disc brakes; 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmission; two-seater convertible or fastback coupé version, steel bodies manufactured and assembled in Italy.
AC 3000ME 2994 cc Ford Essex V6 104 (plus prototypes) 1979-1985 two-seater mid-engine coupé with plastic body; Engine installed transversely, self-designed and built 5-speed manual transmission, connected to engine / clutch via triple roller chain; Steel monocoque platform frame with front and rear subframes.
AC Ace 4601/4942 cm³ Ford V8. 1996-1999 two-seater convertible with front engine and rear wheel drive; Engine and transmission from Ford / USA; manually shifted 4942 cm³ version also with turbo-charging or 4.6 l four-valve engine, otherwise automatic transmission
AC Aceca 4601/4942 cm³ Ford V8. 1998-1999 2 + 2-seater coupé with front engine and rear-wheel drive based on the Ace; Engine and transmission from Ford / USA; manual 4942 cm³ version also with turbo charging or 4.6 l four-valve engine, otherwise automatic transmission; Chassis made in South Africa, body made in England.

literature

  • GN Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. (Two-volume, hardcover) . Stationery Office Books, London 2000, ISBN 0-11-702319-1 (English).
  • John McLellan: Classic ACs . Sutton Publishing Ltd., Stroud, Gloucestershire 2000, ISBN 0-7509-2042-4 (English).
  • Peter Hingston: The Enthusiast's Guide to Buying a Classic British Sports Car . Hingston Publishing Co., Eaton Bishop, Hereford 2008, ISBN 978-0-906555-25-5 (English).
  • Mike Lawrence: A to Z of Sports Cars, 1945-1990 . Bay View Books Ltd., Bideford, Devon 1996, ISBN 1-870979-81-8 (English).

Web links

Commons : AC Cars  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Announcement about the revival of the Smart Roadster as AC Ace ( memento from February 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive )