1957 AC Ace Bristol

BEX389 was part of a three-car shipment from the AC factory in December 1957 and was built as a SCCA race car together with BEX387 (the Pierre Mion SCCA Class E championship winner) and BEX388. It incorporated items such as a supplemental electric fuel pump, front disc brakes, side exhaust and oil temperature gauge. Stored for over 40 years, she presents today in totally original condition, having never been repainted or otherwise restored and/or modified. In April 2025, she successfully completed the California Mille event, covering more miles in 5 days than in the preceding 56 years. Any work carried on the car has been done in accordance with the Turin Charter, the decision being was made to return the car to the state which a careful owner would have enjoyed in period, defined as between its shipping date and the date when the second owner put her in storage. As such, when items were found to have been replaced, the original equipment was either reinstated, replaced by sourced NOS items, or recreated as closely as possible to original whilst non-original items were eliminated entirely. In recognition of that work, she was awarded a FIVA Identity Card (114FRN622) in October 2025.

At the time of the acquisition by the third owner, she exhibited 33,532 miles, as verified with Mr. Curtin’s son Michael who was lent the car for his freshman semester at Lehigh University. She was put away in 1970 for no other reason than the owner wanting to “clean the carburetors” although it did not happen until after his passing in 2010. She was acquired by Mr. James W. Taylor of Gloversville, NY, a well-known owner of unrestored cars, including the “cobra in the barn,” in 2012, and sold by him to her next custodian with 33, 827 miles in 2022. She was acquired by us at the 2024 RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction as we had been looking for an original, unrestored car for many years.