Road & Track magazine was excited to get their hands on the AC Aceca-Bristol Coupe; they knew it was going to have similar positive traits as seen on the AC Ace Roadster, in particular the car’s handling qualities and performance. They did not expect the AC Aceca to provide any surprises, but the test crew was happily proven wrong. The surprise came from the cars “totally unexpected smoothness, quietness and general all-around tractability.” They extolled its virtues by declaring that “Grand Turismo is spelled the same way in England….it is a most pleasant machine, suitable for everyday driving yet particularly designed for fast cruising over long distances.”

The 1954 London Motor Show saw AC debut the Aceca, an attractive closed variant of their popular Ace Roadster. As would be expected from a coupe, the new model had a greater degree of refinement and sophistication, and passenger comfort was made a design priority. The chassis-mounted rear differential utilized rubber bushings, which reduced the amount of noise, vibration, and harshness transferred from the road to the car’s interior. In addition, the hand-built aluminum bodywork now included a bulkhead of sound-absorbing fiberglass between the engine and the passenger compartment. Nonetheless, this was no “softie,” and with fully independent suspension and a six-cylinder engine, the Aceca provided remarkable handling and spirited performance.

This was never truer than in the Aceca-Bristol, a new special model that was made available beginning in 1956. The Aceca-Bristol was powered by a 1,971 cubic centimeter, six-cylinder Bristol engine, which was based on the famous pre-war BMW 328 unit that had hemispherical combustion chambers and an inclined valve train. Its greater performance unlocked the true potential of the chassis beneath, and the Aceca-Bristol would be a powerhouse in competition, as well as a favorite of period road tests, many of which noted that most amateur drivers would run out of skill before approaching the Aceca-Bristol’s own limits.

The rare original left-hand-drive Aceca-Bristol was imported to Los Angeles in 1960 by Worldwide Automotive Imports, having been ordered by its first owner to the specifications of the SCCA E/Production class-winning Ace-Bristol, including the desirable higher-performance Bristol D2 engine, Laycock de Normanville overdrive (adding two additional gears to the already satisfying four-speed transmission), a racing-quality oil cooler for reliability, and front disc brakes to enhance the car’s handling. Other notable features are seen with the impressive three-carburetor engine arrangement, foglights, Moto-Lita wood-rimmed steering wheel and Smiths instrumentation.

Chassis number BEX 766 was completely restored, including a full engine rebuild, in 2002–2003 by Classic European Restorations in Oceanside, California, including being repainted in its original tone of finish with gray leather upholstery and wool carpets. Between 2006 and 2009, Kevin Kay Restorations replaced the interior wood veneers and sorted various finish and accessory details, including completion of the toolkit which is discreetly housed with the spare. Receipts since that time indicate detail work and servicing to maintain the car in top driving condition. Appropriately, the car has center-lock AC-style 15-inch chromed wire wheels that set off the subtle gray finish.

One of the advantages of AC’s being from a specialist firm was their ability to make continuous changes and improvements. With only 10 to 12 Bristol-Coupes produced per month, they were able to immediately respond to areas of concern expressed by owners. This resulted in a desirable coupe that was able to please its core of owners for many years; both in style and behavior. The pleasure of ownership of this marque continues to this day.

As presented here, this Bristol D2-engined Aceca is ready to be driven for enjoyment on organized long-distance tours or presented for inspection at invitational concours d’elegance, wherever the unique style of this high-performance AC is appreciated.