AC - Ace
John Tojeiro was asked to build a spots car by car dealer and racer driver Cliff Davies, using the 2 litre Bristol engine, based on Tojeiros earlier MG engined car. The design was a twin tubed ladder chassis frame with transverse springs and wishbones at either end, giving independent suspension all round (much as the Fiat Topolino which John Cooper was also using). The bodywork of the car was based on a Ferrari Barchetta. This new Tojeiro was very successful throughout 1953, registered LOY500. Through contacts, AC decided it would be a good idea to make replicas of this sports car, but using their own AC 2 litre engine. The deal between AC and Tojeiro involved Tojeiro selling AC a couple of chassis to get things started, and then being paid £5 royalty for every chassis AC built themselves thereafter to the Tojeiro design, up to a maximum of 100 cars. It didn't seem much, and put in context £5 was a weeks wages for a mechanic back then.
The new AC Ace sports car was available from 1953, with the Italian lines of the bodywork further Anglicised! From 1956 the 120hp Bristol 2 litre engine was available as an option (these cars having a BE chassis prefix) which resulted in an improvement in performance, but remember that by this period the Bristol engine had been around for a while, and the last time Bristol themselves used the 2 litre in a car of their own was in 1958 (although Bristol continued building a variant 2.2 litre until 1961). For 1961 the AC Ace ended up with a much larger capacity 6 cylinder Ford Zephyr engine (these AC Ace models having a RS chassis prefix), with engines tuned by specialist Ruddspeed which producing a much healthier 170bhp that propelled these cars a 130mph top speed. AC Ace production went into 1962.
The AC Ace tyres size was 5.50x16, irrespective of engine fitted (AC Ace, AC Bristol and Ford engined) and Blockley make the perfect 5.50x16 tyre for the AC Ace, far superior to anything else that could be fitted. You will not be disappointed! See full details of this AC Ace 550x16 tyre at the link below.
For interest, there has been some talk of the AC Ace being fitted with 550x16 radial tyres from new - this is not the case. The AC's had 5.50x16 cross ply tyres. Michelin had invented the radial tyre producing a 165R400 tyre (on a 15.7" wheel rim) in the early 1950's and only made that size, so there was no such thing as a radial 5.50x16 in the era of the AC Ace from 1953! All AC Ace to the late 1950's certainly had cross ply tyres. So where the idea that a AC Ace should have radial 550x16 Michelin X is not correct. In any case you will find that the Blockley 550x16 tyre that we make is far superior in every aspect compared to a 165R16 Michelin X. Yet our Blockley tyre is far more reasonably priced, only because we sell direct to the end user without the Classic tyre wholesalers in between. AC Ace owners using our 550x16 tyres have found how these Blockleys have totally transformed the handling of their cars - you wont be disappointed. See link below to the 5.50x16 Blockley tyre:
