AC Ace

AC Cars Group Ltd was originally formed by John Weller as Autocarriers Limited in 1901, it is believed to be  the oldest car manufacturer in the UK.  They produced their first vehicle in 1904, it was a three wheeled delivery vehicle known as the Autocarrier, fitted with a one cylinder 5.5hp air cooled engine.  In 1907, AC introduced a passenger version called ‘The Sociable’, production of the sociable continued for eight years and finished in 1915. The name ‘AC’ was introduced during this period.

1935 AC

By 1928 there were 7 different car models on offer, but the global recession of the late twenties hit them hard and they went into voluntary liquidation the following year.  Brothers William & Charles Hurlock purchased the right to use the AC Car Company name in 1930.  A first ‘test car’ was made for William Hurlock which he liked so much, it fuelled his decision to restart production, mainly using components left over from previous models and by 1932 a new range of cars was launched.  Small scale production continued at just 2 cars per week until 1939, production ceased during the second world war and was restarted in 1947 with the 2-Litre.  Around the same time period the company managed to land a large government contract to produce those little turquoise blue fiberglass-bodied single seat invalid carriages, they had  BSA engines and handlebars where the steering wheel should have been.  The invalid carriages continued to be built until 1976 and helped to keep the company solvent. They also built an aluminum-bodied three-wheeled microcar, the Petite.

1955 AC 2 Litre

The firm began production of the AC Ace in 1953, with a lightweight chassis designed by John Tojeiro and a 2 litre engine designed by weller.  Things began to get interesting when racing driver Ken Rudd fitted his own competition AC Ace with a BMW/Bristol  135 bhp six-cylinder engine.  The resulting car became the AC Ace-Bristol and production began in 1957.

AC Ace 2 Seater

In 1961, AC ran into engine supply problems when bristol ceased production of those engines, resulting in the hasty shift to using a 6 cylinder engine from the Ford Zephyr.  these new engines were performance tuned to produce 170 bhp and around125 mph top speed.  The resulting AC Ace 2.6 is now a rare collectors car, with only 37 of them ever built.   By 1953 the AC Ace, an open top 2 seat sports car had gained notoriety as a weekend racer.

AC Aceca Panamericana

In 1954, a slightly faster all aluminum coupe called the AC Aceca was introduced,  of which only 328 were ever produced, later came a larger four-seat car, called the Greyhound, it was built on a stretched Ace chassis and used a 2.2-litre Bristol engine.

The inspiration for the AC Cobra came in 1962 from Carroll Shelby, a texan racing driver, whom with a little help from Ford, installed Ford V8 engines in to the light weight chassis of the AC Ace,  the resulting car became the AC Cobra.  Shelby needed a car that could compete with the Chevrolet Corvette in US sports car racing and his ideas produced a race winning combination.

AC Greyhound

After some initial success, the end of the 1964 racing season was filled with disappointment, the Cobra was outclassed in many ways and needed some serious improvements.  Shelby’s solution was to fit a bigger Ford V8 engine and to re-design the chassis, this became the MK111.   They eventually settled on the Ford 427 ‘Side-Oiler’ V8, a beast of an engine that developed 385 bhp in its mildest form, it went on to win races throughout the 1970s.  The AC 427 Cobra, has now become a highly desirable enthusiast/collectors car.  AC produced in two versions, a street version and a  competition version with a more powerful engine and a few competition style extras.

Shelby sold the Cobra name to Ford in 1965 and went on to develop the famed racing Ford GT40.  Meanwhile, AC went on producing a milder version of the 427 MK III Cobra for the European market fitted with the small block Ford motor. The car was called the AC 289 and 27 were produced.

AC Frua Roadster

The AC Frua was first shown at the 1965 Turin Motor Show, a few early models were fitted with the 427 engine and then AC introduced the long stroke 428 engine.  The Frua was heavier than the Cobra at around 1450kg, it was made from steel rather than aluminium to add strength to its extra long wheelbase.  Production ceased in 1973 after only 80 cars were built (29 convertibles and 51 coupes).

AC Cobra

In 1982 Brian Angliss of Autokraft, a Cobra restoration specialist and replica builder, acquired some of the original tooling and created the MKIV, Angliss modernised the interior and made it slighter roomier.  About 480 cars in total were produced in his factory in Brooklands.  Early cars were known as the Autokraft MKIV but later they became officially AC Branded after Angliss acquired the rights to use the AC name from owner Derek Hurlock.

Forever developing his interests, Angliss introduced a new vehicle to complement the range and he called it the AC Ace, but it was an expensive car to develop and build.  The spiralling development costs forced Angliss to sell most of his assets to cover the bills, it eventually led to bankruptcy in 1996 when no more than 50 of the new cars had been completed.  The company was then sold to Pride Automotive in December 1996, who continued car production in Surrey in the name of AC Car Group Ltd, this new ownership ended in bankruptcy soon after.

In 2003, Carroll Shelby International and AC Motor Holdings, Ltd. restarted production of the cobra, this would be known as the Shelby AC Cobra, with the completed vehicles arriving at dealers in July 2004.  AC Motor Holdings Ltd, failed to perform under the terms of its license agreement with Carroll Shelby, and a lawsuit was filed in May 2006 by Shelby against AC Motor Holdings Ltd and its owner, Alan Lubinsky.

In 2005,  the owner of AC Motors, Alan Lubinsky relocated the business to Malta, he intended to produce the carbon fibre bodied AC MkV.  In March 2008 Lubinsky closed the factory and left Malta amidst rumours instigated by maltese newspapers, of leaving behind huge debts to suppliers and unpaid tax bills and law suits filed by Mr Lubinsky against the previous maltese factory owners.  AC Heritage in Weybridge, Surrey, has confirmed plans to resume production in the UK.

The car industry in 2009

With the car industry apparently set to become a major casualty of the global recession in 2009, it’s time for car makers to have a major rethink.  While it’s nice to occasionally drool over V8 sports cars and italian supercars, for car manufacturers to continue to produce innefficient gas guzzling family cars, is really not serving the best interests of the people or the planet.  For 2009, we must ask ourselves these questions:

1) What use is a 155 mph car, when the speed limit is 70 mph?

2) How much more efficient would family cars be, if they were built to a maximum design speed of 70 mph?

Giving a man a high performance car is like handing him a loaded weapon, then telling him not to fire it, and fining him obscene amounts of money when he does.  What is the sense in all of that?  I’m not suggesting for one moment that we fill the world with one box blandmobiles,  just that we rethink our wants and needs and learn the difference between them.

Currently in the US market there are a few types of people looking for small, fuel efficient cars. Traditionally, those people have been the types to wait in long lines for Smart ForTwo tests drives and Prius ownership: the treehuggers (of which I am a part, so I say it with love). With gas prices skyrocketing and the threat of global recession looming on everyone’s mind a new buyer has sprung up: the frugal new car buyer.

As gas gets more and more expensive, fuel economy will become more important to the cost of total ownership. These days, it’s not hard to make the case for buying a Civic Hybrid in terms of payback and fuel costs, especially with gas prices expected to rise in the next few years. However, not everyone wants a Prius, needs a Prius, or can afford the upfront cost expecting to be paid back in several years.

This leaves a large segment of people who wish to save money on both gas and the initial cost of the vehicle. Traditionally, these people have bought things like the Civic and Corolla, but with those cars getting bigger and more expensive over the years, people have been looking for other options. Currently, there aren’t many besides the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. They’re definitely both good cars, but consumers are still want for more variety and selection.

That’s why I was so surprised when I read this today:

“The Mazda2 is a very good product, and we’ve received very strong requests from dealers. But it is still under study,” said Mazda president Hisakazu Imaki in a report about the possibility of the small car’s North American debut.

“One of the biggest factors (for why) the decision hasn’t been made is that the Mazda3 is still enjoying strong sales,” Imaki said.

This is the story we hear from automakers time and time again. They’re selling cheaper, more fuel efficient cars in other markets, but because of the lower profit margins aren’t selling them in the US. Especially since that would take some of that frugal, efficiency-minded market away from the small cars currently for sale.

But what’s the solution? Well, like other countries have done, we could institute tougher fuel economy regulations. The automakers sure whined about the new CAFE regulations the last time around, but if they’re not in a rush to bring more fuel efficient cars to market in the US, the regulations obviously aren’t that strict. While more regulation might seem onerous, I posit that the burden will be primarily in marketing existing vehicles in North America, and not in a complete technical revolution of any sort.