The AC 3000ME is an oft-forgotten mid-engined sports car that was developed in the 1970s as a more powerful rival to cars like the Lotus Esprit and the earlier Lotus Europa.
With its steel monocoque chassis, lightweight fiberglass body, independent front and rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and eminently-tunable Ford 3.0 liter V6, the AC 3000ME should have been a great success. Despite all of this, just over 100 were made and they’re now much sought after by collectors.
Fast Facts: The AC 3000ME
- The AC 3000ME was a rare British mid-engined sports car developed from the Bohanna-Stables Diablo prototype in the early 1970s. AC re-engineered the design to comply with safety standards, fitted it with Ford’s 3.0bliter Essex V6, and aimed to offer its exotic looks with mainstream mechanical reliability.
- Production delays meant the car only reached customers in 1978, five years after its show debut. It had a steel monocoque chassis with fiberglass body panels, independent four wheel suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and a Hewland-engineered gearbox. Performance figures included 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of just over 120 mph.
- Although praised for its handling balance, the 3000ME faced criticism for heavy low-speed steering, a sometimes awkward gearbox, and a plain interior. Only around 70 cars were built at Thames Ditton before AC ran into financial trouble. The project later moved to Scotland, where fewer than 30 more were produced before folding in 1985.
- The 1984 AC 3000ME highlighted here is a Scottish-built example, finished in metallic gold with a tan interior and showing just over 24,000 miles. It retains its original Essex V6 and 5-speed transaxle, with recent maintenance including carburetor refurbishment, brake servicing, and new tires.
History Speedrun: The AC 3000ME
The story of the AC 3000ME begins not in Thames Ditton but in a small London design office. In the late 1960s, Peter Bohanna and Robin Stables, both of whom were ex-Ford engineers, sketched out a compact mid-engined sports car concept called the Diablo.
The story of the AC 3000ME begins not in Thames Ditton but in a small London design office. In the late 1960s, Peter Bohanna and Robin Stables, both of whom were ex-Ford engineers, sketched out a compact mid-engined sports car concept called the Diablo.
The Diablo was developed around a steel spaceframe chassis and it was intended to accept mass-produced engines and gearboxes for affordability and simplicity of production. The design was shown at the 1972 London Racing Car Show, where it caught the eye of AC Cars executives – a company looking for a new direction after the Shelby Cobra era.
AC licensed the design and set about turning the Diablo into a production road car. They reworked the chassis for compliance with British crash regulations, widened the body, and prepared a car to accept Ford’s familiar 3.0 liter Essex V6. The result was the AC 3000ME, which was unveiled in near-production form at the 1973 London Motor Show.
The 3000ME promised exotic looks and a mid-engined layout with the reliability of a mainstream drivetrain, a formula that seemed well-timed in the wake of the oil crisis and changing consumer tastes.
Bringing the 3000ME to production, however, proved more complex than AC had anticipated. Meeting safety standards required extensive redesign of the original Bohanna-Stables concept, particularly in front-end crash structures. AC also lacked the manufacturing resources of larger firms. The car’s public debut in 1973 generated interest, but it would take another five years before production cars reached customers.
The AC 3000ME: Specifications
When it finally arrived in 1978, the AC 3000ME carried a steel monocoque chassis clothed in fiberglass bodywork. Power came from the Ford Essex 3.0 V6, producing around 138 bhp and 192 lb ft of torque, mounted transversely (sideways) behind the seats. Drive went through a specially developed Hewland-engineered gearbox, adapted to handle the torque of the Essex unit.
On paper, the 3000ME offered a homegrown alternative to cars like the Lotus Esprit and Fiat X1/9. In practice, it struggled to match the refinement and performance of better-funded rivals.
Performance was competitive for the late 1970s with the 0 to 60 mph time taking 8.5 seconds and it had a top speed just over 120 mph. Suspension was independent on all four corners with unequal-length wishbones and coil springs, and disc brakes were fitted all around.
On paper, the 3000ME offered a homegrown alternative to cars like the Lotus Esprit and Fiat X1/9. In practice, it struggled to match the refinement and performance of better-funded rivals. Road testers often praised its balanced handling but criticized the heavy steering at low speeds and the sometimes-inexact gearbox. The interior, while functional, was somewhat plain compared to more refined Continental competitors.
Scottish Production + The End
AC hoped to build the car in modest volumes from their Thames Ditton works, but production was slow. Roughly 70 examples left the factory before financial troubles intervened in 1984. The tooling and rights were sold to a Scottish company, AC (Scotland) plc, which planned to revive the car with minor updates.
Cars built in Scotland had improved trim and detail updates, but quality control remained inconsistent. Fewer than 30 were produced before the project collapsed in 1985.
There were further attempts to prolong the concept. A Mk II version was developed with a turbocharged engine option and more modern styling, but it never progressed beyond prototypes. By the mid-1980s, the sports car landscape had moved on, and small-scale manufacturers found it increasingly difficult to meet tightening emissions and safety regulations.
Power came from the Ford Essex 3.0 V6, producing around 138 bhp and 192 lb ft of torque, mounted transversely (sideways) behind the seats. Drive went through a specially developed Hewland-engineered gearbox, adapted to handle the torque of the Essex unit.
In total, production across both Thames Ditton and Scotland is generally accepted to have amounted to around 110 cars. That makes the 3000ME one of the rarest road-going models in AC’s long history. Survivors are now collector curiosities – valued for their rarity and for their role as an ambitious attempt to create a British mid-engine sports car outside the orbit of Lotus.
The AC 3000ME Shown Here
This 1984 AC 3000ME is one of the handful of cars completed after production moved to Scotland, during AC’s final attempt to sustain production of the model. It’s finished in metallic gold with a tan interior, it carries the familiar Ford Essex 3.0 liter V6 mounted transversely behind the seats, paired with a 5-speed transaxle that was developed for the car.
The car has covered just over 24,000 miles from new, making it a low-use survivor compared to many of its contemporaries, some of which have seen use well into the six digits. The interior remains largely original, retaining its tan upholstery and period fittings, and mechanical attention has focused on keeping the Essex V6 and running gear reliable.
This 1984 AC 3000ME is one of the handful of cars completed after production moved to Scotland, during AC’s final attempt to sustain production of the model.
The carburetor has been refurbished, the braking system serviced, and new tires fitted, to keep it safe and roadworthy. As a Scottish-built example, this 1984 car sits among the rarest 3000MEs, with fewer than 30 completed at the Hillington facility before production ended in 1985.
It’s now being offered for sale out of Yorkshire in the United Kingdom on Car & Classic, and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or place a bid.
Images courtesy of Car & Classic
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
