Description
Introduced at the 1954 London Motor Show, the Aceca was developed as a fixed-roof counterpart to the AC Ace roadster that made its debut a year earlier. The Aceca shared the Ace’s tube-frame chassis along with its ash wood and aluminum body construction but with closed coachwork featuring a hatchback rear door and touring-oriented appointments. Initially offered only with an AC engine, both variants gained the option of a Bristol powerplant in 1957.
This example’s bodywork was unpainted…
Introduced at the 1954 London Motor Show, the Aceca was developed as a fixed-roof counterpart to the AC Ace roadster that made its debut a year earlier. The Aceca shared the Ace’s tube-frame chassis along with its ash wood and aluminum body construction but with closed coachwork featuring a hatchback rear door and touring-oriented appointments. Initially offered only with an AC engine, both variants gained the option of a Bristol powerplant in 1957.
This example’s bodywork was unpainted when purchased by the seller and was subsequently finished in red. Features include tubular front and rear bumpers with bumperettes, a front-hinged hood with rearward louvers, tailfins, an external fuel-filler cap, a high-mounted driver-side mirror, and a roof-mounted antenna.
Silver-painted wire wheels are secured by two-eared knock-offs and are mounted with 5.50R16 Michelin X tires, as is a matching spare housed in the rear compartment. Disc brakes were installed up front in lieu of the original drum setup under previous ownership, while drums are retained at the rear.
The right-hand-drive cabin was re-trimmed during refurbishment work under current ownership and features fixed-back bucket seats upholstered in gray leather with black piping. An area of wear is exhibited on the piping at the outer edge of the driver’s seat. Additional features include color-keyed door panels, black carpeting, wood door caps, roll-up windows, front and rear quarter vent windows, a lockable glovebox with a wood door, black inertia-reel shoulder belts, and AC-branded pedals.
The banjo-spoke steering wheel sits ahead of a wood panel housing Smiths instrumentation including a 220-km/h speedometer, a 6k-rpm tachometer, and a coolant temperature gauge. The five-digit odometer shows 8k kilometers (~5k miles), approximately 3k of which have been added under current ownership. True mileage is unknown. Gauges to the driver’s left monitor fuel level, amperage, and oil pressure.
An evolution of Bristol’s version of the pre-war BMW M328 engine, the 1,971cc 100B2 inline-six was installed in the 1980s in place of the original AC powerplant and was reportedly rebuilt to 100D2 specification. The aluminum cylinder head features hemispherical combustion chambers and two rows of inclined valves operated via pushrods driven by a single in-block camshaft, while induction is through triple Solex carburetors. An oil change and a tuneup were performed in March 2023.
The Bristol four-speed manual transmission is said to have been installed along with the engine and features a fixed first gear and overdrive. Independent suspension incorporates transverse leaf springs and tubular shock absorbers at front and rear.
The car is shown above in bare aluminum prior to the completion of the refurbishment under current ownership. A collection of records and notes from previous ownership are included in the sale, including a list of work performed by the car’s owner from 1985 to 2011.
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