AC Bristol Restoration

Restored to Race

Introduced at the London Motor Show in October 1953, the AC Ace capitalised on the increasing demand for low-cost, enjoyable sports cars after the second world war. Utilising John Tojeiro’s lightweight, ladder-type tubular frame chassis, it was equipped with four-wheel independent leaf spring suspension and an all-alloy body made using the trusty, English wheeling machines. The shape is not dissimilar to that of the Italian Barchettas of the time. Over the course of their life, a range of six-cylinder powerplants were offered, initially in the form of an aging two-litre AC unit that had been around for over ten years. It was far from a sporting engine and the search for a more modern powerplant resulted in that of the Bristol unit; an overhead-cam, six-cylinder of the same displacement. With the new engine though, the 0-60 was cut by 2.5 seconds to around 9 and the top speed leapt up from 103 to 116 mph.

The car’s makeup meant it quickly saw successes on the circuit. Of course, the shape itself, lightweight chassis and innovative engineering would see it become that of an icon, later immortalised through the use of American V8 power, breaking countless records and endless competition successes from period to the present day.

This AC Bristol was first registered in June 1958 to distributor Precision Automotive in Oklahoma, USA, supplied in Princess Blue over red leather. From there it was purchased by Pan-Am pilot Tom Keyes residing in Florida. Whilst there is some evidence to suggest he raced the car, it was not until 1960 when the car was sold to local resident Thomas Kneebone that the car was used extensively in competition. First entering the car at Daytona in 1960, he would subsequently race across the SCCA championship destinations including Meadowvale, Road America and Indianapolis.

In 1963, the car was disassembled and put into storage where it would remain until purchase by the Cottingham family in 2012. Keeping the parts together was no mean feat and the fact it retains all correct numbers on its doors, trunk hinge and engine mount is testament to its long-term owner.

Upon arrival in the UK, the car was stripped bare metal and a comprehensive restoration took place. At this time, the damaged and split aluminium body had to be carefully peeled away and annealed to make it malleable enough to be repaired. Retaining its original and elegant colour combination to this day, the car was completed in 2014 and since then has raced extensively at countless race meetings, including regular attendance at Goodwood Revival, Motor Racing Legends events here and abroad, VSCC meetings and many rounds of the Fifties Sports Car Championship (FISCAR)

Restorations Enquiry

If you are looking to make a restoration enquiry, please use the form below:

First Name

Last Name

Your Email Address

Your Telephone Number

Your address (for sending physical literature / printed brochures) - Optional

Select a country AbkhaziaAfghanistanAlandAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAscensionAshmore and Cartier IslandsAustraliaAustralian Antarctic TerritoryAustriaAzerbaijanBahamas, TheBahrainBaker IslandBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Antarctic TerritoryBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Sovereign Base AreasBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCanary IslandsCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChina, People's Republic ofChina, Republic of (Taiwan)Christmas IslandClipperton IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo (Brazzaville)Cook IslandsCoral Sea IslandsCosta RicaCote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)CroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEnquireEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaEuropeFalkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern and Antarctic LandsGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHowland IslandHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJarvis IslandJerseyJohnston AtollJordanKazakhstanKenyaKingman ReefKiribatiKorea, NorthKorea, SouthKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMidway IslandsMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmar (Burma)Nagorno-KarabakhNamibiaNauruNavassa IslandNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern CyprusNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalmyra AtollPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandsPolandPortugalPridnestrovie (Transnistria)Puerto RicoQatarQueen Maud LandReunionRomaniaRoss DependencyRussiaRwandaSaint BarthelemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSomalilandSouth AfricaSouth Georgia & South Sandwich IslandsSouth OssetiaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbardSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-Leste (East Timor)TogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTristan da CunhaTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Virgin IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWake IslandWallis and FutunaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Restoration Requirements

Join our Newsletter (View our Privacy Policy)

Submit Enquiry