When people think of AC cars, the Cobra is, of course, the model which springs to mind. Carroll Shelby having requested to fit a V8 in the little AC, and the rest being history.
But in the early 1980s Brian Angliss, who was running Autokraft at the time, acquired the rights to the AC name in a joint venture with Ford. Angliss had caught their eye with a concept car called the Ace of Spades, which used Ford's 2.9-litre V6 and a four-wheel drive system. By the time production started in 1993, though, this had changed somewhat. Now powered by Ford's 5.0-litre V8, the original pop-up headlights were gone, but the aluminium body stayed. Unfortunately for Angliss, the company went into receivership due to the mounting costs of developing what had become the Brooklands Ace.
The company was then sold to Pride Automotive who decided to revamp the car, dropping the Brooklands moniker, adding the option of a supercharger and giving it another significant redesign. Only 12 were sold, but this lucky PHer has one, a car with a 5.0-litre supercharged V8.
Shamea2's particular example had been sat in a garage for 13 years before he took ownership of it. Last year he decided to get rid of the aftermarket flat-bottom steering wheel and change the gear knob and handbrake to brushed aluminium items to match the dashboard. Some new springs and adjustable rear shocks were on the cards too, and, it being a rare car, we'd love to read more about how he's getting on. Now the days are getting longer it is surely time to take it out for a drive.
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