The AC Aceca-Bristol was the slightly higher-performance version of the Aceca (pronounced “ah-see-ka”) – a model that was essentially a modified coupe-version of the now world famous AC Ace (the car that would later be re-engined by Carroll Shelby and sold as the AC Cobra).
The Bristol-powered version of the Aceca was fitted with the 1971cc D2-specification Bristol 6-cylinder engine capable of 120hp (up from 90hp on the standard Aceca), power was fed to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual gearbox with overdrive, and it rode on independent front and rear suspension with transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs.
The secret to the highly-regarded handling characteristics of the Aceca was the combination of a lightweight aluminium body, a tubular steel frame and the independent front and rear suspension – when combined with the more powerful Bristol engine the car was capable of speeds considerably above the skill level of many drivers.
Due to the fact that each of the cars was painstakingly made by hand, only 151 Acecas, 169 Aceca-Bristols and 8 Ford-engined variants were built by the time production ceased in 1963. This rarity means we don’t often see them come up for sale – in fact I think I’ve only featured one other Aceca in the past 4 years.
The car you see here is the desirable Bristol version, it benefits from a 30 year old restoration that’s left it with a nice worn-in look. It’s estimated that it’s worth about $175,000 to $250,000 USD and it’s to be auctioned on the 9th of October, you can click here to view the listing.
Photo Credits: Darin Schnabel ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions
Articles that Ben 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.
