Author: Rinsey Mills
In 1919 the small English firm of AC Cars came out with a new engine which, amazingly, was to power their products for more than 40 years. It was a six-cylinder unit with alloy block, cast-iron wet liners and a single overhead camshaft. By the early 1930s, and fitted with twin or triple SU carburettors, it had been developed to the point where it could provide good performance, and from 1933 to the beginning of the Second World War the company produced sports cars which drew admiration for their extremely pretty bodies as well as for their performance and handling. The body design remained much the same through this period, and cars were built on a more or less bespoke basis. After the War there was a gap until the launch of the famous AC Ace in 1953. This was based on a chassis designed by John Tojeiro, was clothed in a superlatively lithe and well-balanced two-seater alloy body, and was powered by the AC engine, now producing almost twice its output in the early 30s. But this was not quite enough for some customers, and in 1956 the Bristol 2-litre engine was offered as an option, with up to 120bhp. Also available were the Aceca fixed-head coupŠ, and from 1956 the Greyhound, a four-seater grand tourer, all these models ceasing production in 1963. This is the first ever book devoted exclusively to these six-cylinder ACs. The author opens with a review of the companys products prior to the introduction of the 16/66 model in 1933. He goes on to give highly detailed descriptions of all models and variants - 16/70, 16/80, 16/90, and the post-war Ace, Aceca and Greyhound - covering every aspect of the chassis, running gear, engines and transmissions, and discusses the changes made to specifications and equipment during production. The history of the cars in competition is studied, and the author also advises on the practicalities of owning any of these models today, including common problems, parts availability, maintenance and preservation. Seven outstanding cars have
Format: Hardbound
Pages: 192
Length: 8.625w x 10.875h
ISBN-13: 9780954998172
ISBN: 0954998170
Catalog ID: 146633