Beschreibung:

1,991cc SOHC Inline 6-Cylinder Engine 3 SU Carburetors 102bhp at 5,000rpm 4-Speed Manual Transmission 4-Wheel Independent Suspension 4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes *Superb nut-and-bolt $400K restoration recently performed by Kevin Kay Restorations *Well-documented with excellent provenance and matching numbers engine *Special-order color and highly optioned example from new *Multiple Concours d'Elegance winner eligible for the most discerning events Globally THE AC ACE '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. An influential and widely imitated design, the AC Ace (and its Cobra derivative) could trace its origins back to a one-off sports-racer built by chassis engineer John Tojeiro for Cliff Davis in 1952. The success of Davis' Tojeiro sports-racer prompted AC Cars to acquire the rights to the design, which was put into production in 1954 as the Ace. The Tojeiro's pretty Ferrari 166-inspired Barchetta bodywork was retained, as was its twin-tube ladder frame chassis and Cooper-influenced all-independent suspension. The power unit was AC's own venerable 2.0-liter long-stroke six. Designed by AC co-founder John Weller, this overhead-camshaft engine armed the light and nimble Sports Roadster with brisk performance and excellent torque. In tuned Bristol-engined form the Ace would go on to win its class at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959. THE MOTORCAR OFFERED Bonhams is honored to offer what might very well be the best restored and pedigreed AC Ace Roadster in existence, of the just 266 examples ever produced. Thanks to the outstanding work of the noted AC and Aston Martin specialists at Kevin Kay Restorations (KKR) of Redding, California, this very car has outshined it competition at major Concours d'Elegance events, but this well-documented Ace also boasts excellent provenance and an exciting factory specification from new. Accorrding to the original handwritten AC factory build record for this AC Ace Roadster, chassis no. AEX221 was completed at the Thames Ditton AC Cars Ltd Works finished in a rare, special-order silver metallic color on the lightweight aluminum Roadster bodywork, while the interior was trimmed in dark blue leather, just as it appears today. AEX221 was factory configured with its left-hand drive steering arrangement, and equipped with engine no. CL2334, which it retains to this day. The new AC had been special ordered by an American airman, Captain J. M. Glickstein, and was delivered through Chardonnet, AC's French distributor located in Paris. Captain Glickstein was a pilot with the 492nd Fighter Bomber Squadron based at Chaumont, slightly to the north of the center of France. Captain Glickstein, surely fond of his rare aluminum-bodied sports car, would later bring the car back to the States with his him, as he returned from duty to his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. Oral history tells us the Ace later went from the Captain's custodianship to a Sergeant Tanner from Upstate New York. It is believed that the next owner became Bruce Perry from Bradford, Pennsylvania. Mr. Perry restored the AC Ace and kept it for over 45-years, adding only the current 2,700 and some miles to the odometer, before selling the AC to the current and fourth owner in June 2015, a discerning Texas based collector, with an affection for the absolute best and most accurately restored examples of European post-war sports cars. In March of 2016 the current owner shipped AC Ace no. AEX221 to noted AC marque expert Kevin Kay Restorations (KKR) of Redding, California, to achieve absolute perfection in bringing the aging Roadster back to its former glory. KKR has had the good fortune, and great restorations, to win or place in the most prestigious Concours d'Elegance events in th