AC return to USA

[ACECA]

Press release from AC Motor Holdings

31 March 2003

AC back in the USA – a motoring icon returns!

One of the most illustrious names in the global lexicon of the motor industry – AC Cars – is back in the USA. And the move marks the return to UK production of one of the world’s most legendary automotive brands.

After a gap of several decades, AC cars are once again being sold directly to American sports car buyers. A new company, AC Cars USA, Inc., has been created to exclusively distribute the U.K. handmade aluminum AC models in the US and will soon be additionally offering the carbon-fibre AC 351 CRS, which will be exclusive to this market.

Two high performance models, the AC 289 MK11 and AC 427 MK111, were unveiled to US buyers at the 8th Annual Concours d’Elegance at Amelia Island, Florida, held earlier this month.

Many replicas have been made of these classics, but now original cars, carrying chassis numbers continued from the original series in the 1960’s are once again available in the US. AC Cars USA, the US distributor will appoint a number of North American dealers, and will open an exclusive showroom in the Palm Beach area of Florida.

“It is an incredible honour for me to bring this British heritage back to the US”, said Gabriel Diaz, president and founder of AC Cars USA. “The beauty of these cars is their versatility. An owner can race and rally at the weekend and still drive it to work every day of the week”.

All genuine AC cars are manufactured on the original jigs, bucks and tooling used by the AC factory since the ‘60’s. The two US-only models are:

AC 289 MK11 Original – The first of a limited edition, numbered COX 2610, is a direct continuation of the few cars built in the 1960’s. The car is manufactured in both FIA Competition specification and original Roadster body types with close attention to detail. The FIA model is available in race-trim with single bucket seat and untrimmed aluminum cockpit or fully trimmed as a two-seater Roadster.

AC 427 MK111 Original – handcrafted with the same attention to detail as the 289 MK11, the 427 MK111 is available in both Street Competition and Roadster models. It is the ultimate king of muscle cars, typically powered by a 7.0-litre (427 cu in) US V8 capable of unleashing from 400 to in excess of 500 hp.

AC expects to produce around 40 aluminum cars a year for US customers at its UK factory in Frimley, Surrey. Customers will have engines and transmissions mounted in the US, providing them with complete freedom of choice.

AC also plans to launch, initially for sale in the US - other markets may follow, a composite version of the original AC Ace – the car which inspired the legendary AC Cobra. The new model, to be called the AC Ace Classic, is currently being developed. It is envisaged that this model will be available for sale in the USA in the mid $40,000 price range.

The history of AC, Britain's oldest surviving car maker, can be traced back for more than a century. AC moved to its new factory in Frimley in 2001, its Centenary year.

Chairman of AC Motor Holdings Ltd, Alan Lubinsky, joined Diaz at the Florida event. “We are very proud to be in the USA launching the ‘Real Thing’, the 289 MK11 Original and the 427 MK111 Original, at this exquisite show in our 102nd year of crafting beautiful automobiles in England,” said Lubinsky.

Plans to restore AC sales in the UK are well advanced, following an enforced interruption after the move of its manufacturing base. Plans to launch a new version of the popular AC CRS carbon-fibre bodied car are being developed, together with its long awaited fixed-head stablemate the AC Mamba. Both of these models will be ultimately produced in a new AC factory in Malta that is currently being commissioned