1960 AC Ace - Ruddspeed ‘Replica’
What do we mean by a replica car? This would cover cars not built by Ken Rudd and his team, nor built as an official continuation car. Vehicles like the one below are recreations/copies of an original car and not one of the genuine 37 Ruddspeed conversions. These may be very detailed and accurate copies, or have a period 2.6 Ruddspeed engine installed, but they should be listed as a Ruddspeed ‘Replica’.
The vehicle was sold by RM Sotheby’s in London 2014 for £179,200 (including commission). The following is taken from their website (link below):
“This very attractive Ace, chassis AEX 1174, was originally fitted with an AC engine and finished in black over red trim. It was delivered on 15 August 1960 and then shipped to its first owner, a Mr Betts of New York. By 1981, the car had joined the collection of well-known British car collector and AC enthusiast Dean Versaw, of Fountain Hills, Arizona. A copy of an article from the Arizona Republic described him as “well known in the Valley’s thriving British car community for his unflagging enthusiasm and participation in scores of rallies and events. And Versaw has the mechanical skills to care for his cars, knowing each one of them from bumper to bumper. ‘I’ve had every one of these cars apart…I’ve had my hands in all of them’”.
Versaw owned three other ACs of various vintages, and he was an area representative for the AC Owners Club. During the course of a full restoration, Mr Versaw had the opportunity to purchase and install one of the original AC Ruddspeed-modified Ford-Zephyr engines. The engine was a Stage 4 unit topped with a Raymond Mays alloy 12-port cylinder head and triple SU carburettors. The Mays conversion is appropriately announced with the correct Rubery Owen and Company Ltd. data plate that came with the transplanted motor. With its light weight (less than 770 kilograms), its Girling front disc and large rear drum brakes are very effective in hauling the car down from speed.
AEX 1174 was totally restored and used extensively by Versaw on AC Club gatherings and rallies across the U.S. and in Europe. It is currently presented in Navy blue over a light blue interior, and beneath the bonnet is a lovely polished Ruddspeed valve cover that tops the Zephyr inline six, with its row of three large SUs attesting to its potency. This example is fitted with chrome-plated knock-on wire wheels, and it is supplied with Plexiglas sliding side curtains. The dark blue tonneau cover and removable soft-top with its frame are in good condition. Accompanying the car is a correct spare wire wheel and tyre, as well as a substantial file of paperwork pertaining to the rebuild, a sundry of other documents, and the aforementioned copy of the period Autosport road test.”
https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/LF14/London/lots/r165-1960-ac-ace-26-ruddspeed/181298
Click on the images below to view at a larger size.
