ACE ACECA

Wallis & Son in Barton display a fine selection of around 80 used vehicles at any one time. Many are prestige sector cars made by highly respected manufacturers and every now and then they'll have a something rare and rather unusual. One recent acquisition is the unique AC Aceca coupe prototype built in the spring of 1999. Sadly, the manufacturer closed down before being able to bring the car into production, and so this remains the one and only example.

The green AC Aceca was displayed at the 1999 British International Motorshow where its graceful flowing lines attracted a considerable amount of attention. The car was designed in-house by AC's own design team, the brief being to create a sports coupe that could accommodate four people in complete comfort. They achieved their aim as the AC Aceca offered more room than both its intended rivals, the Porsche 911 and Aston Martin DB7 of the late 1990's.

Powered by a big Ford 3.5-litre V8 engine that was originally meant to produce around 350bhp, the Aceca would have been able to offer storming performance with a rest to 60mph time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed limited to around 155 mph.

The AC Aceca was generously equipped with a full leather interior, ABS brakes (not that common at the time), air conditioning, a top-of-the-range Philips stereo system and satellite navigation which was certainly a rarity back in 1999. AC had planned to price the Aceca from around £75,000 and even today it remains a good looking car.

The dusty prototype now in the hands of Wallis & Son was found in a barn belonging to a family friend. Having no use for the AC himself, the owner was keen to hand the vehicle over to the dealership, and so the car was brought back on a trailer to Wallis & Son where the workshop team were keen to begin restoration work.

Elliot Wallis says: "This car is a proper prototype; it even has some 4x2 wood in its floor pan! When we acquired the Aceca it had no keys and no prototype specification from AC. Our workshop team have all the necessary skills to carry out car restoration work and have been very keen to restore the AC. It's taken a year to source new ECU management systems from two suppliers and over the past 15 months we've fitted the car with a plush new cream leather interior and re-sprayed its fibreglass bodywork."

Elliot continues: "American motor racing ace, Caroll Shelby, heard on the grapevine that we have been working on restoring the Aceca and would like to add the AC to his collection. We'll have to see once we've completed the job."

At Wallis & Son Ltd, you can expect an honest, competent and efficient service so why not call into Wallis & Son Ltd, Cavendish House, Cambridge Road in Barton, Cambridge (CB3 7AR). Telephone: 01223 263911 or log on to www.wallisandson.co.uk to find out more.