1961 AC Ace - RS 5003
This car left the factory on 15 November 1961 registered 659 CGT, coloured AC’s Bright Blue Metaline with a red interior, a hard top, curved screen, second petrol pump, overdrive and a wood rim steering wheel. It used frame number 1200 which was to have become Ace Bristol BE 1200 before being reallocated RS 5003. This cross references with the Ace Bristol Register. The original engine number was S191742E but this was changed to S348100E at a later date as described further on. It was fitted with a Raymond Mays head, three SUs (later also changed) and a Ruddspeed alloy rocker cover. At the London Motor show in October 1961 it was exhibited on the AC stand.
It was then sold to R.A. Montgomery, initially in Switzerland, before returning to the U.K. The second owner was Philip Boulton, the then Competition Secretary of the North Staffs Motor Club who used it in some events. Subsequently he sold it to its third owner, Dr Robert Fellows, in London. When he went to Canada it was sold to its fourth owner, David Emmott. He sold the hardtop. In 1974 via dealer Rod Leach of Nostalgia, it was sold for £3,150 to its fifth owner,Andrew Malim. By then it had extended wheel arches, been repainted green and retrimmed in beige (both poorly done) and was generally tatty. By September 1975 it was again for sale by Stapleton Brothers Ltd in Reece Mews, South Kensington. The sixth owner was Richard Drewett who bought it for £2,500. In 1978 it was back at the AC factory for a complete rebuild and painted a dark green. At the same time Drewitt supplied another engine to be fitted which had been rebuilt by Robin Rew, a specialist in 6 cylinder Ford engines as fitted to the Reliant Scimitar and Sabre 6 models. This engine was numbered S348100E. This change is verified by AC’s invoice which refers to the installing of “customers’s own engine”. Using horizontal fabricated inlet manifolds, he uprated it to triple Webers. The original inlet cast manifolds were then unavailable but have since been remanufactured. In 1981 the car was sold, once again by Nostalgia, to its seventh owner, David Vine. In 1984 it moved on again via Nostalgia to its eighth owner, Peter Kirby, for £10,000. He owned it until 1988 during which time he campaigned it in hill climbs.
The car was featured several timed in Classic motoring journals such as “Practical Classics” in November 1982 and “Classic & Sportscar”. In April 1998 it was acquired by the dealer Nigel Dawes who set about a virtual no expense restoration. This time it emerged in silver paint and a blue leather interior. Some artistic license was taken in putting blue leather “eyebrows” over the instruments. It was later used in photographs by Versace to promote their new “Versace Sports” range in 2002. In 2000, via dealer Johnathan Bradbourne, it was then sold on to its ninth owner, Simon Holding, who owned it until 2007 when it went to its tenth owner, Richard Wright. In 2009 he put it up for auction where it was sold for £211,800 including premiums and VAT.
It is not known who the buyer was but it is believed it went abroad.
We would love to hear from anyone has more information on the car or would like to add to the history please feel free to contact us here at Ruddspeed.
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