Wednesday 31st July 2002

AC Cars Limps On

Surely something more radical than another cash injection and another change in premises is needed?

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[Twin Turbo]

Although I'd hate to see AC disappear forever, I don't think I'd invest my own money in them given their past history.

Still, they've limped on for over a hundred years, so you never know what will happen.

[PetrolTed]

Surely they need to do something different in order to survive other than moving production around and pumping more money in. How about selling cars that people want?

[king arthur]

Ah yes, Malta, that well known centre of automotive engineering excellence...

[JohnL]

Where the home market is huge and transport to other markets is easy

[marki]

quote:
Surely they need to do something different in order to survive other than moving production around and pumping more money in. How about selling cars that people want?

Whats the point , they seem to make cars no one wants at prices above what people are prepared to pay , im all for nostalgia and heritage but AC probably deserve to go bump , who in their right mind would buy a car where chances are that the company will go bump and you will end up losing your warrantee and any chance of spares , as for potential investers

[Roadrunner]

Resting on their laurels wont sort out the poor handling. The engines are a tad gay too. What happened to the 7 litre v8's?

[Mark IV]

You don't remember the famous automotive product from Malta? You've never heard of the Matese..........................................................................................FALCON?

One more attempt by the current AC chairman to snooker some more suckers. The move will allow him to form yet another holding company and layer of insulation between himself and the creditors. Currently it take some time to unravel the corporate ownership and "investment" in the various versions of AC. Enron has nothing on Mr. Lubinsky....

[martvr]

Aren't AC Cobra bodies (and perhaps chassis) made in S. Africa? Seem to remember the early Noble M12 shell, chassis, suspension etc. was made in the same factory before a purpose built one was finished next door.

[gnomesmith]

AC effectively died when the Hurlocks were no longer part of the scene anthough Autocraft did a good job of keeping the name afloat.

Best thing now would be to give Gerry Hawkridge the name AC and let him get on with it, his Cobras are true to the tradition and beautifully made.

[tvrdetroit]

AC needs to hire a stylist and come out with a nice looking car!

[gnomesmith]

quote:
AC needs to hire a stylist and come out with a nice looking car!

Find the use of 'stylist' and 'come out' a bit suspect unless they want to rename as AC/DC cars. They could always look to their old models and produce a Gayhound (sic).

Whilst working on an old airfield (Llandow)I found a hangar full of ACs. We managed to fire up three of them and had a great indoor race. Pity they were the old three wheeled invalid cars rather than Cobras.

[grahambell]

Have to disagree about the poor handling Roadrunner. Got that from evo did you?

I tested the original CRS prototype for Speed & Style a few years back including throwing it about a bit on an old runway and it seemed pretty good to me.

I actually had the car the day before Top Gear, who drove it round Goodwood I think it was, and I remember that Tiff Needell - undoubtedly a better driver than me - was fairly impressed too.

[gnomesmith]

I think it was Setright who first branded the Cobra as an evil handling beast and the mud has stuck. So many of the current Cobras are given the Unclip suspension mods that people assume the Cobra is a poor handler, Rod Leech (Nostalgia) even advertises some of his cars as fully sorted.

Graham has driven the beastie and says its okay, if he thinks so I'm happy to take it as fact.

[MikeyT]

quote:
Rod Leech (Nostalgia)

He used to (maybe still does) advertise in C&S and used to have some big 7.2 fire-breathin', sidepiped Cobra with the reg no COB 1 IIRC.

[gnomesmith]

In its latest form COB 1 had become a twin turbo parody of a Cobra, I may be wrong but I don't think it was enlarged above the standard 7 litre (427). Rod seems to have returned to somewhat better taste now.

At one stage Rod Leech adapted and drove a Group 7 Sports car on the road. The old memory is getting a bit clouded now and keeps suggesting a T70 although I suspect it may have been a McLaren. Looked odd as it had headlamps on stalks.

Talking of road going racers Phill Scrag used his Lola T70 on the road although he removed most of the bodywork to make it more suitable for hill climbing and it looked a bit home brewed, which of course it wasn't.

Does anybody remember the Lotus Formula Ford roadster. You were not allowed to show racers for sale at the London Motor Show so they fitted up the FF as a road car complete with flower power stickers. To get around RTA requirements they blanked off reverse and registered it as an invalid carrier. Car magazine used it as a base for a story about the ill fated Hyde Park GP (another story) and managed to spin it in the Park Lane underground car park.( I was not so shy and managed to spin my motor at Hyde Park Corner, not a lot of room to do that now!)

I suppose the AC that clocked 170 mph on the M1 could be classed as a racer on the road, basis for another thread perhaps.