History That Made The AC Cobra Part 1 From How To Restore Classic Cars
Reputed to be the Oldest of the British Motorcar Manufacturers’, the AC Motor Company started life a far cry from the legendary Cobra.
It was around 1901 when John Weller, a talented young engineer, formed the Autocar & Accessories Car Company, with financial backing coming from John Portwine, a successful, wealthy London Butcher.
The design and development went on until 1904, when they introduced their first vehicle known as the ‘Autocarrier’, A 3 wheeled. 5.6hp air cooled single cylinder engined, delivery vehicle. Their range increased in 1907 with the introduction of a passenger carrying vehicle, the ‘Sociable’. The passenger sat alongside the driver, instead of the normal tandem arrangement, common at that time. This was produced until 1915.
With a move to a new factory in Thames Ditton, and the renaming of the company to Autocarriers Limited, this was the first time they had used the AC name. 1913 saw the introduction of a new 4 wheeled Motor Car.
Many Companies and Department Stores had at least one ‘Autocarrier’ and the company became very successful. The ‘Sociables’ were also being used, with modifications, by the British Army as Machine Gun Carriers.
During the First World War, AC continued manufacturing motor cars, but also turned their factory over to producing Shells and Fuses.
After the ending of hostilities of World War One, AC produced a number of new cars fitted with 10 & 12hp engines and these where superseded by a more powerful 16hp, 6 cylinder engine. The three wheel vehicles didn’t return to production until 1953 as AC where pushing their four wheeled cars. After the war an Australian Businessman and World Class Racing Driver by the name of S F Edge, was quietly building up a substantial shareholding in Autocarriers Limited and in 1922 finally took overall control. This resulted in Autocarriers Limited being renamed AC Cars Limited, around this time Edge was also Managing Director of William Cubitt & Co., and under the Cubitt logo made cars, but by 1925, sadly they went out of business.
AC engine suppliers where Anzani, and Cubitt also produced a very near copy of this engine. Edge was on the board of all three of these companies and instructed AC to use and purchase the Cubitt copy. Edge paid 135,000 to gain outright control of AC Cars Limited in 1927, but because of the company being close to bankruptcy by 1929, sold out to the Haulage Business brothers, William & Charles Hurlock. The Hurlock brothers continued with AC Cars Limited, building a small run of hand built cars. An AC Car won the RAC Rally in 1933 with Kitty Brunel driving, this added to AC’s many successes in Racing and Rallying during the 1930′s.
The low volume manufacturing of AC’s continued delivering the last car in May or June 1940. Because of the Second World War, AC’s factory turned it’s attention to the war effort.
In 1947 AC went back into producing the 2 litre Sports Car and at the same time started to manufacture a three wheeled Invalid Carriage for the British Government – This was fitted with a Fiberglass Body and powered by a Single Cylinder Engine from a BSA Motorcycle. The Invalid Carriage continued in production until 1975/6.
AC introduced a new Micro Car in 1953 priced at a very reasonable 400.00. This three wheeled car called the ‘Petite’ was fitted with a 346cc 2 Stoke Engine supplied by Villiers and had an Aluminum Body. It didn’t catch on with the buying public, so production was abandoned in 1958.
AC deviated from car production and manufactured 4 Trains, namely 4 Coaches and 3 Powered Cars, for the Southend Pier Railway in Essex. These Trains were still running up until 1976.
1953 saw John Tojeiro redesigning a lightweight chassis for the ACE Sports Car, powered by John Weller’s Six Cylinder 2 litre Engine. The Bristol 135bhp Engine was also tried out in this car and it achieved success at the races of 1957 & 1958 in Le Mans
Want to find out more about How to Restore Classic Cars, then visit Rooster Reno’s site and view the article AC Motor Company Part 2 for the rest of this fascinating story.
Dec132010
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