News of any AC discovery is always exciting, but a rare Ford-engined Ace 2.6 is a particularly special find. The Ace first appeared in 1953, with an AC straight-six that was a bit long in the tooth even then. AC then turned to Bristol as its engine supplier, before switching in 1959 to the Ford Zephyr ʻsixʼ, which was available in various stages of tune. Only 37 of these final cars were made, before the arrival of the Cobra.
One of the Ford-engined cars was shown on the stand of agent Hubert Patthey of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, at the 1962 Geneva Salon. Later he sold it to George Schneider, who had been a world skiing champion at Aspen in 1950 and was then the coach of the Swiss team. In 1963 Schneider was killed in a shooting accident, and after that the carʼs history becomes a little blurred. The AC was involved in a road accident and subsequently acquired by former Swiss motocross champion Jacques Langet. He discovered that the bodywork was seriously damaged but the chassis and engine appeared to be sound. Rather than replicate the original AC coachwork, Langet decided to build his own, but he had no metal-forming skills so the new body was all flat surfaces. He created his ʻknife-edgeʼ style with great care, spending thousands of hours and using a huge number of screws. He used the car on the road and in competition, but eventually a piston failed, which in turn damaged the Raymond Mays cylinder head, and the car was sidelined as a result.
The Ace remained unknown to the AC Ownersʼ Club until famed Ferrari historian and long-serving editor of Automobiles Classiques Antoine Prunet heard about the car and bought it. Prunet was a keen member of the French AC Club and researched the history of this slightly strange car. Just before he died in April this year, he sold the AC to present owner Jean-Patrick Flande.
“The car will be restored back to its Geneva show condition,” says Patrick. “The new bodywork will be undertaken by Nick Finburgh and the engine will be rebuilt with its original Raymond Mays head and triple Webers. I canʼt wait to have a drive!”
LANCIA BACK ON THE ROAD
Dr Robert Hodgson from Tiverton is the fifth owner of a Lancia Fulvia Coupé Rallye 1.6HF, registered
