AC Aceca

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The AC Aceca was a sports Coupé grand tourer produced by AC cars between 1954 and 1963. Sharing much with the open top AC Ace which was introduced a year earlier (and went on to form the basis of the famous Cobra), the Aceca was a particularly practical long distance machine with decent storage in the hatchback rear and good weather protection. In 1956 a 125bhp Bristol 2-litre powered version of the car appeared and was produced along side the AC OHC straight six, providing a much needed improvement in performance. This, together with near perfect 50/50 weight distribution and relatively light curb weight equated to a solid drivers car.

The example pictured here is very unusually in that it is fitted with a 289ci (4.7) Ford V8, Borg Warner T10 close-ratio manual gearbox and a Salisbury limited slip differential, effectively making for a closed Cobra and an interesting insight into what could have been. I particularly like this Aceca for its subtle colour combination making for a very under-the-radar vehicle but with performance and a noise to surprise a lot of competition, both contemporary and modern. Oh and bonus points for the Heuer Master Time and Auto Rallye attached to the dashboard.

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