AC Ace returns as £175k roadster with Ford Focus ST power

AC Cars has revived the Ace, the precursor to the V8-powered Cobra roadster.

The new model is visually inspired by the original Ace of 1953 but underpinned by all-new mechanicals.

It’s based on a new steel tubular frame chassis shod with carbonfibre bodywork, which the company will manufacture itself in the UK.

That helps to contribute to a kerb weight of 1100kg – not far off the 989kg of the Ace road tested by Autocar in November 1958.

Whereas the original Ace was powered by a range of naturally aspirated straight sixes (first a 2.0-litre unit of AC’s design, then a Bristol 2.0 and finally a modified Ford Zephyr 2.6), the new car uses the turbocharged four-cylinder 2.3 from the Ford Focus ST.

It’s fitted with a new exhaust, fuel injectors and engine management system, taking its power output from 276bhp in the hot Focus to more than 300bhp.

Mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, it enables the Ace to dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in a claimed 4.6sec. For reference, AC claims 3.4sec for the new Cobra GT Roadster.

Two versions of the reborn Ace will be offered: the Ace Classic, taking visual inspiration from the late Zephyr-engined Aces, made until 1963; and the Ace Bristol Classic, drawing on the earlier, Bristol-engined car.

Prices start at £175,000 and deliveries are scheduled to begin in summer 2025.

Every new Ace will be granted a chassis number “denoting it as a true AC” and reflecting its forebears, the Donington-based company said.