A.C. Cars Ltd. is the oldest British car manufacturer with continuous production since 1901. The marque has enormous prestige and an extraordinary history – seemingly more fiction than fact.
It all started in 1901 when John Weller set up a small engineering workshop in south London to build motorcars. He was backed by a wealthy tradesman named John Portwine. By 1903 John Weller had designed and built his first cars. There were two engine options a twin cylinder 10hp and a 4 cylinder 20hp. These were displayed at the 1903 British Motor Show.
For the first time in 1915 the abbreviation AC was used and in November of that year a new company was formed, Auto Carriers Limited. This business acquired Autocar & Accessories with Weller and Portwine as directors. In 1918 full production of the two-seater four cylinder commenced and the car was sold for around $1,020.00. These new AC’s were immediately successful in competition, particularly in hill climbs.
During the 1914-18 War, the Ferry Works factory produced shells and fuses, although at least one vehicle was designed and built for the War Office. At the end of the First World War, AC Cars started making motor vehicles again, designing and building many successful cars at Ferry Works. In 1922 the name changed again to A.C. Cars Ltd.
AC attacked long-distance records in 1925, when Gillett undertook a solo drive at Monthery, France, to take the World 24-Hours Record on a 2-litre at 82.58 mph. In 1926 the Bruce and Brunell 2-litre became the first British car to win the Monte Carlo Rally.
Early post-ward AC’s were fast tourers, but at the 1953 Earls Court Show the company exhibited a new and advanced Ace, consisting of the faithful old 2-litre engine, now developing 85 bhp, in an all-independently sprung ladder-type frame designed by John Tojeiro.
By 1956 this model could be had with the 1,971cc, 105 bhp Bristol unit, and was doing well in club racing in the hands of Ken Rudd and others. There were victories at Brunton, Goodwood, Mallory Park and Brighton in 1957, when AC’s also ran in the Reims 12-Hours Race and the Mille Miglia, took the 2-litre honours at Le Mans.
The cars were still prominent in minor events in 1958, but more important were a 2nd place in class at Pau, and 8th and 9th place at Le Mans, but by this time the A. C. and Bristol engines were no longer competitive. A.C. Cars (AutoCarrier) of Thames Ditton, England, lost the source of the six cylinder Bristol engine for its two-seat roadster in September 1961.
Nothing much changed with AC until in 1961, when Carroll Hall Shelby entered into negotiations with Charles Hurlock, owner of AC Cars. Backed by the Ford Motor Company, he proposed the installation of a large Ford V8 in the current lightweight AC Ace. Built by AC Cars, the combination resulted in the AC Cobra, one of the fastest and most brutal sport cars of all time.
