This is one of 463 Ace Bristol cars made, but one of only 14 like it from 1960.
The Ace Bristol was unveiled by Ace at the London Motor Show back in October of 1953. They billed the car as being based on the sports racing platform from legendary engineer John Tojeiro. It was made with a lightweight stature, using a ladder style tubular frame, independent transverse leaf spring suspension, and two-seater alloy body. The Ace Bristol was only available for model years 1954 through 1963, so they were not produced in the numbers of other cars in the exclusive class. Examples like this 1960 AC Ace Bristol from RM Sotheby’s are rare finds.
After 1956, Ace offered a Bristol engine option that was an uprated option for the cars. The engine was designed as a straight six that was very similar to the pre-war BMW engine used in the 328. As sourced for the Bristol cars, the Bristol engines made 125 horsepower, while the standard produced 90 horsepower. The engine added $1000 to the original price tag of the car when it was produced, bringing the cost of the car to $5400 for the total price.
When the first owner bought this 1960 AC Ace Bristol and kept it for 38 years. After it left the original owner, it actually only had one other owner, so despite its age, this is a two owner car. This might have contributed to the fact that it’s well documented with work invoices going back to 1965. It received a restoration in 2002 and has been regularly serviced since. You can see it here.
