ONE OF THE few independent British manufacturers left in business, AC Cars Ltd was originally a Company formed for the manufacture of a three-wheeled delivery van, the 'Auto-Carrier’ - hence the enterprise's initials. The original Company was formed in 1904, and until the outbreak of WW1 the tricyles were built as "motorised rickshaws" for Far Eastern markets, as military vehicles, and also as the two-seater "AC Sociable" for private motoring.
The power-unit was a 5.6 hp air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke (bore and stroke 90 x 102 mm), and the designer of the complete tricycle was John Weller, an automotive genius who was backed by a well-off master butcher, John Portwine, who loved cars, and was happy to put his money at the disposal of such a clever man as Weller - inventor of the Weller chain tensioner, still to be found in cars and other products to this day. In 1913, a year before production of the three-wheeler production came to an end, Weller unveiled his first four-wheeled car, but the Great War prevented it getting into production.
In 1919, a year after hostilities ceased, the new AC hit the market place, quickly achieving a reputation for good looks and engineering excellence. It was powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder water-cooled side-valve engine (a popular proprietary motor being used by Frazer-Nash, Horstmann, and other light car manufacturers of the time), and by 1920, with its long tapering bonnet and bullnose radiator, it was one of the best-looking light cars in existence. Weller was an inventor, and the AC had its three-speed gearbox incorporated in the live rear axle where there was also a transmission brake.
The Anzani models stayed in production for no less than nine years by which time Weller also had the evergreen "Light Six" in manufacture. He had had a prototype of his very advanced two-litre running about since 1919, and it featured such way-out novelties as light-alloy block with removable steel cylinder liners, overhead camshaft, and its weight (with starter and dynamo) of 1 58 kg was quite remarkable. The overhead camshaft was chain-driven but it made too much noise for the fussy Weller, and he evolved a spring-backed tensioner which has been known as the "Weller Tensioner" ever since.
The light-alloy 'six' stayed in production until
1961 when it was still an optional power-unit for the good-looing two-lite AC Ace two-seater sports. Development had continued over the years, and such was its advanced design that by 1961 it was developing 103 bhp (76.80 kW) at 4500 rpm. Famous racing driver and record-breaker (mostly with Napiers) S. F. Edge, joined AC in 1922, but he and Weller didn't hit it off, so the designer left the Company. Australian-born Edge was a great publicist and he soon had AC's breaking records and taking part in publicity-grabbing stunts.
In 1923 a Light Six broke a string of records at Brooklands. during which time it averaged 91 mph (146.41 km/h) for 50 miles (80.45 km). Two years later Gillet averaged 82.58 mph 132. 87 km/h) for 24 hours, trouncing Edge's own 18-year-old record with a giant Nap's'. Another great achievement for AC was an outright win in the 1926 Monte Carlo Rally by the Hon Victor and Mrs Bruce, the first victory ever for a British car in the famous classic. In spite of the achievements by AC Cars, the firm hit very hard times, and went into voluntary liquidation in 1929.
That same year the Hurlock brothers came upon the scene. It was their intention to buy the bankrupt business to take-over the little river-side works at Thames Ditton (near Kingston-upon-Thames), and dispose of war surplus from that site. War surplus was then on the market in huge quantities, and vast amounts of money were being made from the handling of such materials. The Hurlock Bros were somewhat taken aback on seeing the works however, as the shops were full of engines, chassis frames, and whatever, and they thought they would give it a go as a motor manufacturer - at least to assemble what was there.
Also see: The History of AC Cars |
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