[Trevor Legate]

Many thanks to everyone for the kind welcome and comments. Been reading your stuff for some months and I hope I can help in my own small way - I thought it was time I chipped in anyhow!

Hi Tom. Regards to you and your family and all at Klub Kirkham. Re my next book - ah the joys of self-publishing! Yes it is now complete-ish. Design and layouts start next month and if I can dig up a co-publisher (to guarantee some up-front income) we can push the button. It might be quite a big book. Quite glad it got delayed, so I can add include the latest twists to the on-going saga - will it never end? The reason for the delay was due to receiving a commission to write a book about the Corvette. Yes, I know, but I was young, I needed the money.......etc. At least I now know WHY I never liked them! It was a case of learning while I wrote.

Back to the topic......When I spoke to Jimmy he was undecided about which way to jump regarding taking legal action. His lawyers had advised him that he had a very strong case. Under British law, a handshake still constitutes a binding agreement - plus he ran the damn business for two years. It would be correct to assume that its a waste of time winning a case against someone who has the proverbial "empty bank account". We shall see......I think Jimmy is just fed up with fighting court cases. I know that he spent a LOT of money deterring the advances of an American gentleman, so I can sympathise with his predicament (if you'll pardon the expression)

I should also mention that John Owen was in hospital having suffered a heart attack whilst all this was going on. Glad to say that he has recovered and is back in the saddle at the newly re-opened Frimley factory!

I should like to mention that all the guys at Frimley are nice people and believe in the product which made the enforced closure all the more distressing. They are true Cobra enthusiasts and did not want to see the end of either the Cobra or AC. I can only hope they will be allowed to continue in the right direction without too much interference. They always made me welcome when I dropped in for a cuppa.

Off-topic again. Re the Corvace, Tom - not sure if I know the car you are referring to but there will be a chapter in my book about an Ace /Corvette that resides in the UK (purchased from the USA) that had its bodywork modified at Thames Ditton in 1957 and was the only Ace delivered to the USA without an engine. Its owner dropped in a Vette V8 and raced it in SCCA events. The thing is that the rear section is identical to the 289 Cobra and the front is very similar but had to make allowances for the stubby AC Bristol nose. So when the Ace had to be modified in 1962 - no problem, they had already done it! Very interesting car.

Quite a few Aces and even Aceca coupes have been similarly molested over the years, as a trawl through the used car ads in the motoring press of the 70s will reveal.