Ac · 1954–1963

AC Aceca

The Aceca (UK: ) is a fixed head coupé built by AC Cars from 1954 until 1963. Three variations of the car were offered: the original Aceca, with an engine from AC; the Aceca-Bristol, with an engine from Bristol Cars; and the Aceca 2.6, with a tuned Ford engine.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Overview

The Aceca is a hand-built grand tourer in the British tradition, with ash wood and steel tubing used in its construction. One notable feature is the hatchback at the rear, making the Aceca only the second car, after the 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4, to incorporate this element. The styling of the AC Ace, on which the Aceca is based, is generally believed to have been inspired by, or a direct copy of, the Ferrari 166 MM barchetta. The car is relatively light, owing to its tubular ladder frame and aluminium body panels. Large 16" spoked road wheels and near 50/50 weight distribution allowed exceptional handling on substandard road surfaces. Later Acecas feature front-wheel disc brakes (optional in 1957, standard from 1958 on), while all share transverse leaf spring independent front and rear suspensions, articulated rear half-axles, worm-gear steering, an optional overdrive on second, third and fourth gears, curved windscreen, and leather-covered bucket seats. The differential has a rubber mounting, and additional fibreglass panels were installed between the interior bulkheads to reduce noise in the cabin.

Models

The main difference between the Aceca, the Aceca-Bristol, and the Aceca 2.6 are their engines. All three use straight-six engines, but from different manufacturers. Original Aceca. When launched in 1954, the only engine available in the Aceca was AC's own Light Six straight six engine. This 2.0 L (1,991 cc; 121.5 cu in) engine was first produced in 1919 by John Weller, who was one of the original founders of AC. The engine has an aluminium cylinder block and cast iron head. Often called a single overhead camshaft design, the engine has a single cam-in-head, which operates the valves through rocker arms. Power outputs ranged from 85 to 105 bhp (63 to 78 kW) during production, which ended in 1961. Aceca-Bristol. Beginning in 1956 and lasting until 1963, AC offered an Aceca powered by an engine from Bristol Cars. The straight-six Bristol engine is based on the BMW M328 engine of 1936, with a cylinder block of cast chromium-steel alloy with dry liners of Brivadium austenitic steel and an aluminium cylinder head. It has a single camshaft in the block, with pushrods running vertically to a rocker shaft for the intake valves, and an additional six pushrods in tubes running horizontally from the intake rocker shaft across the top of the head to operate the exhaust rockers. The two inclined rocker covers give the engine an appearance similar to that of an overhead camshaft arrangement. Three inline Solex downdraught carburettors were bolted directly to the cylinder head casting using small adaptor plates. This 2.0 L (1,971 cc; 120.3 cu in) engine was offered in different stages of tune. The base Type 100B engine produces 105 hp (78 kW), while the Type 100D makes 125 hp (93 kW). In the UK, the basic car cost £1722. Aceca 2.6. The Aceca 2.6 debuted in 1961, and was offered until t

Chassis numbers and production

As with the Ace, AC used chassis numbers beginning with AE for cars with the AC Light Six, BE for Bristol-powered cars, and RS for those equipped with the Ruddspeed-tuned Ford unit. An "X" following the first two letters indicated an export model with left-hand drive. 151 Acecas, 169 Aceca-Bristols and 8 Aceca 2.6es had been built when production halted in 1963.

Specials and modified cars

=== AC Aceca 'Bluebird' VPL 441 === In 1954 the AC Aceca was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show in London. The car displayed on the stand is the prototype Aceca, later registered as VPL 441. As the first Aceca, there were differences between VPL 441 and the production models. At the motor show, the car was shod with white-wall tyres, and the Aceca name in chrome metal badging was affixed to the wings and tailgate. The windscreen is flat, rather than curved glass as in production Acecas. It also has overriders rather than the production tubular bumpers. From 1954 to 1956 VPL 441 was used by water- and land-speed record holder Donald Campbell as his personal vehicle. Campbell had the car painted with the leftover ultramarine "Bluebird Blue" used on his K7 hydroplane. During the time that Campbell was using the car, its original AC Light Six engine was upgraded to a Bristol 100B. Campbell returned the car to AC at the end of the three-year period. VPL 441 then passed through a series of owners, and eventually was left abandoned in a farmyard. After this, it was bought by a couple named Nickless, who restored the car and campaigned it in sprint races and hill-climbs. After another round of ownership changes, Kevin Shilling acquired the car in 2014 and began an extensive restoration that was completed in 2018. The car was loaned to the Lakeland Motor Museum. AC Aceca-Aigle. Hubert Patthey was the importer of AC Cars for Switzerland. He created or influenced the creation of more than one AC model. Patthey had three Aceca-Bristols customised by the carrozzeria Ghia-Aigle, which had been a subsidiary of Carrozzeria Ghia until 1953. The revised body had a lower tapering nose, with headlamps recessed into the front wings with transparent covers. By 2016, of the three cars bui

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Specifications

name: Aceca
Manufacturer: AC Cars
Production: 1954–1963
Class: Grand tourer
Engine: 2.0 or 2.6 L I6
Wheelbase: 90 in
Length: 153.5 in
Width: 61 in
Kerb weight: 2120 lb
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Related: AC Ace, AC Greyhound

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2352975CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_AcecaCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1329242030 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AC_Aceca.jpgCC BY 2.5 · Photo: Smenzel at English Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.