Originally built with AC's own 2.0-litre straight-six engine, AE88 has a substantial history of competition use, with numerous period photographs and invoices dating back to the early 1970s in the particularly comprehensive history file. MoT records survive from 1973, alongside a 1972 service invoice, while a letter from 2004 refers to the installation of a Ford Zephyr engine, costing £5,000.
When purchased by the vendor in 2016, the car was advertised as having been extensively rallied in period and having remained within the same family ownership for 47 years. At that time, it was powered by a full-race spec Ford Zephyr 2.6-litre engine. Previous owner Charles Fripp undertook an extensive programme of work between 2011 and 2016, with the aim of recreating the long-lost California Sage works Le Mans car. The result is a particularly striking Ace, retaining as many original body panels as possible and featuring the distinctive nose and other details associated with the Le Mans specification.
Since 2016, invoices document £72,407 in expenditure at Nick Finburgh, including extensive mechanical work and the installation of the Bristol engine and gearbox. This is in addition to more than £17,000 spent there in 2011 and 2012, with further historic invoices providing evidence of the car's long-term maintenance. The Bristol 100D2 engine, numbered CL2175W, was built new in 2018 to a high-performance specification, featuring a block bored to 67mm, a ported cylinder head, Solex 32PBI carburettors, a high-torque camshaft, DLC-coated followers, Cosworth pistons, steel connecting rods, a billet steel crankshaft, a steel flywheel and enlarged valves. With 10.5:1 compression and a high-flow oil pump, it is reported to produce 166bhp at 5,800rpm and 162lb-ft of torque at 4,500rpm. The installation is complemented by a Bristol BWCR12 gearbox with fixed first gear and a limited-slip differential with 3.9:1 final drive.
Accompanied by its buff logbook, extensive invoices, historic photographs and competition records, this is a beautifully presented and evocative AC Ace, combining an established period history with a carefully developed Le Mans-inspired specification. Consigned by Fraser Smith
Lot details
Year: 1955
Make: AC
Model: Ace to Bristol Le Mans Specification
Registration: PLU 303
Chassis No: AE88
Odometer: 17,287
* Beautifully built and developed to replicate the 1957 Le Mans works car, AE205
* Over £72,000 spent at Nick Finburgh since 2016
* Bristol 100D2 engine producing a reported 166bhp, with BWCR12 gearbox and LSD
* Comprehensive history file dating back to the early 70's
- Fuel
- Body Types
- Transmission
- Exterior Colour
- Number of doors
