Lot Ended
Description
1961 AC Greyhound
One of only 83 made; three
owners from new, the current since 1985; recently restored by AC
Heritage at a cost of over £90,000; rebuilt Bristol 110 engine with
Cosworth race pistons and uprated camshaft; wonderful condition throughout
One of the
most intriguing British motor manufacturers, AC can trace its roots right back
to the dawn of the motoring age and has produced an inspiringly wide range of
vehicles from humble invalid carriages and delivery trucks to catwalk beauties
like the AC 428 Frua.
However, the real glory
days of the firm arrived in the mid-1950s when the fabulous John
Tojeiro-designed Ace entered production. With race-derived suspension, a
lightweight tubular chassis and aluminium coachwork, it became one of the finest
sportscars of its era, winning its class in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in 1959 and
ultimately evolving into the world-beating Cobra.
In 1955 AC introduced a closed coupe version of the Ace,
the Aceca, and in 1959 they followed it up with a 2+2 coupe, the Greyhound. Very
similar to the smaller Ace and Aceca models, the alloy-bodied Greyhound was 10”
longer in the wheelbase and bore a striking resemblance to Aston Martin’s
recently introduced DB4.
It shared many
components with the sporting Ace, including the same engine options. Most cars
used the 2.0 and 2.2 Bristol engines, although the original 2.0 AC in-house
design was also available as was a 2.6 Ford Zephyr unit. All had brisk
acceleration and all were capable of cracking 100mph with ease but purists
rightly prefer the smooth and lively Bristol powerplants as the noise, balance
and feel is perfect for the Greyhound’s sporting GT nature.
A true four-seater with decent luggage space, the Greyhound
benefited from a slick four-speed manual gearbox with optional overdrive,
disc/drum brakes with separate master cylinders front and rear,
rack-and-pinion steering and sophisticated all-round independent coil-sprung
suspension which was derived from the Ace Bristol (LM5000) that came 8th at Le
Mans in 1958. Essentially hand-built, production lasted until 1963, by which
time only 83 cars had left the Thames Ditton factory.
First registered in Surrey in November 1961, this gorgeous
Greyhound has been in the current ownership for 37 years. The V5C records one
former keeper but in fact it has had two, the first lady owner keeping it until
1977 when it was acquired by a Maurice Knight of Launceston who kept it until
1985. It then appeared for sale at Thornfalcon Classics of Taunton from whom our
vendor acquired it, driving it from Somerset back to London and enjoying every
mile.
When it left the factory, 150 WPE was
originally fitted with a 2.2-litre Bristol 110 engine (no. 5194) but this got
replaced fairly early in its life by an Austin Westminster six-cylinder engine.
However, Mr Knight also owned an AC Ace so he thoughtfully removed the Bristol
100D engine from that car and dropped it into the Greyhound, putting a Rover 3.5
V8 into his Ace instead – they did things like that in those
days!
Our vendor used the Greyhound regularly,
including doing various gentle RAC road rallies during the 1980s and ‘90s, but
by 2014 it was starting to feel a little tired so he sent it to AC Heritage of
Brooklands for a tidy up. As is the way with these things, one thing soon led to
another and before he knew it, our vendor was committed to a full-on restoration
which ultimately took four years to complete and cost well over £90,000.
The body was stripped to bare metal and
repaired as necessary, the curvaceous front end being completely remade in
aluminium as it was found to be full of filler. Although AC Heritage owned
the original AC Thames Ditton bucks and tooling, they did not have the buck for
the front of the Greyhound but our vendor managed to track it down to a barn in
Sussex and succeeded in buying it. This made the job considerably easier but it
still took countless hours to get the complex curves perfect. A new fuel tank
was also made and fitted and the whole car was expertly repainted in Aston
Martin Silver Birch.
The front seats were
retrimmed in black leather, the door cards were refurbished and a new set of
carpets and a new headlining were fitted. The perspex rear screen was renewed
and the front windscreen was also replaced as the original unfortunately cracked
while it was being removed. All the usual mechanical aspects were also attended
to: brakes/steering/suspension/electrics etc.
AC Heritage managed to source a 2.2-litre Bristol 110
engine (no. 5081) so, in the interests of originality, the decision was taken to
put this into the Greyhound in place of the 100D unit so nobly sacrificed by Mr
Wright’s Ace. Before being fitted to the car, it was fully rebuilt with new
Cosworth racing pistons, new liners, new main and big end bearings, balanced
crank and rods etc. An uprated sports camshaft was also fitted, supplied by
Newman Cams of Farnborough, and the head was rebuilt with hardened valve seats
to make it suitable for unleaded fuel.
Since
the restoration was completed in December 2017, 150 WPE has only covered around
500 fine weather miles and, as you can see in the photos, it remains
in wonderful condition today. In September 2019 it was invited to the
Hampton Court Concours d'Elegance as part of a display of fine AC cars where it
was much admired.
Prices of the Ace and Aceca
have soared in recent years and we can’t help feeling that the Greyhound is
somewhat undervalued by comparison. With all the looks of an Aston Martin DB4,
75% of the performance, 15 times more rare, yet a quarter of the cost, this
expertly restored Greyhound looks mighty tempting at the guide price
suggested.
For more information contact
James on 07970 309907 or email [email protected]
* All charges are subject to VAT