Lot 518: 1959 AC Ace-Bristol Roadster

�Of them all, the Ace was the truest sports car: it could be used for daily commuting or for high-speed long-distance touring, but it could also be driven to a race meeting, campaigned with distinction, and driven home again - even if that race was the Le Mans 24 Hours.� - AC Heritage, Simon Taylor & Peter Burn.

The success of Cliff Davis's Tojeiro sports racer prompted AC Cars to put the design into production in 1954 as the Ace. The Davis car's pretty Ferrari 166-inspired barchetta bodywork was retained, as was John Tojeiro's twin-tube ladder frame chassis and Cooper-influenced all-independent suspension, but the power unit was AC's own venerable, 2-litre, long-stroke six. This single-overhead-camshaft engine originated in 1919 and with a modest 80bhp (later 100bhp) on tap, endowed the Ace with respectable, if not outstanding, performance.

In 1955 AC added a hardtop version - the fastback-styled Aceca - and from 1956 onwards both models became available with the more powerful Bristol 2-litre, six-cylinder engine with its ingeniously arranged, pushrod-operated inclined valves. Although taller and heavier than AC's own engine, the BMW-based Bristol was considerably more powerful thanks to its superior cylinder head design and down-draught carburettors. Up to 130bhp was available from the Bristol unit in road trim, in which form the Ace could touch 120mph (195km/h), while around 150bhp could be wrung from it for racing. The combination of a fine-handling chassis and a decent power-to-weight ratio helped the Ace to numerous successes in production sports car racing; arguably its finest achievement being a first-in-class and seventh overall finish at Le Mans in 1959.

The Bristol-engined Ace was not only more powerful, it was also considerably more expensive, costing �2,011 in 1957, an increase of 22% over the price of the AC-engined version. For that you could buy two MGAs, and even Jaguar's XK140 was cheaper than the Ace Bristol. Nevertheless, by the time Ace production ceased in 1963, more than half the 723 cars built had left the factory fitted with Bristol engines. And of those, only a few were endowed with the most desirable 100 D2 spec such as the car we offer today.

Supplied new to one Ian Mann in Maidenhead, this Bristol-engined Ace was acquired by its late owner, racing driver Peter Taylor, from a Mr John Mackinnon, of Dalkeith, Scotland on 1st April 1996. The car comes with a box file of history, including much correspondence with previous owners and bills for servicing, some of which date back to the late 1960s and relate to work carried out by AC themselves. The most recent major work was carried out by Solent Vintage Engineering of Lymington in 1996 shortly after purchase. We are advised that the engine is believed to have been overhauled a few years ago by a firm in Aylesbury and converted to run on unleaded fuel. Higher lift, �fast road� camshafts are fitted and the car has always been well maintained mechanically as Peter Taylor used it for the less demanding forms of motor sport. A wonderful example of its type, the Ace featured in the BBC 2 television series �Clarkson�s Car Years� � �Why do people like British Sports Cars?� broadcast in 2000. Condition is that of a car that has aged a little since past restoration and in recent years - when Mr Taylor's eyesight was beginning to fail - a couple of parking bumps have appeared fore and aft.

Finished in dark blue metallic with red leather upholstery, the car has the desirable (factory fitted) overdrive gearbox and comes complete with hood, tonneau, (copy) original old style logbook, continuation logbook and a workshop manual for the Bristol 2-litre engine. A fresh MoT will have been obtained immediately prior to sale. Last taxed for the road until May 2008, �BYE 536� represents an exciting opportunity to acquire the most sought after Bristol D2-engined version of this classic British sports car, eligible for just about every historic event. If you want an Ace, this example ticks all the boxes.