A.C. 

GB, 1908 to date

(1) Autocars and Accessories Ltd, West Norwood, London S.E. 1908-1911

(2) Autocarriers (1911) Ltd, Thames Ditton, Surrey 1911-1922

(3) A.C. Cars Ltd, Thames Ditton, Surrey 1922 to date

This make succeeded the Weller and was a John Weller design developed from a commercial 3-wheeler, the AutoCarrier (hence the initials) with a single-cylinder rear-mounted moiv engine, 2-speed epicyclic gear and tiller steering. These side-by-side two-seater A.C. Sociables were made up to World War 1 and sold for less than £100, but in 1913 the company brought out a 10hp 4-cylinder light car with a 3-speed gearbox in the rear axle; the engine was a 1.100cc Fivet. A modernized version with electrics and a disc transmission brake appeared with the 1½-litre side valve Anzani engine in 1919, the giving way to A.C.’s own power unit in 1925 – the fours were dropped at the end of 1928. Also at the 1919 London show was Weller’s famous 1.991cc single ohc wet-liner six, an advanced power unit for its day. It did not get into production unitl 1922, but it remained in the catalogue until 1963, by which time output had gone up from around 35bhp to 103bhp. Under the aegis of S.F. Edge, the company’s director from 1921 to 1929, A.C.’s were raced, through their main interest was long-distance record work. A 4-cylinder car took 57 records at Brooklands Track in 1921; J.A. Joyce’s 16-valve ohc 1500cc single-seater covered 100 miles in the hour from a standing start in 1922; and Gillet broke the World’s 24-hour Record at Monthlhéry in 1925 on a 2-litre six. The 6-cylinder car of the Hon. Victore Bruce and W.J. Brunell became the first British entry to win the Monte Carlo Rally in 1926. In 1925 4-cylinder cars sold from £300, the cheapest six being £90 dearer, 4-wheel brakes were an optional extra, being standard on the 2-litre by 1927. All these cars retained the rear-axle gearbox, though the disc transmission brake did not last long.

Financial difficulties supervened in 1929, and virtually no cars were made for a couple of seasons, though the 1930 Magna series boasted hydraulic brakes. Th Hurlock brothers bought the company in 1930, and the 2-litre emerges in 1933 as a sporting machine with mechanical brakes and a conventionally-mounted 4-speed gearbox, in 56bhp and 66bhp versions. These cars were made on a bespoke basis, prices starting at around £435. Pre-selector boxes were available from 1934 and standard 1935 versions had synchromesh, while cars sold in 1936 had engines of 60 and 70bhp with an 80bhp sports engine available in a special short-chassis two-seater model. A 90bhp super-charged engine was listed in 1939.

A.C. resumed car production in 1947 with a saloon in the modern idiom. This had a 74bhp engine, and hydro-mechanical (full hydraulic from 1950) brakes, but retained its semi-elliptical springing up to the end of production in 1957. Some 3-wheeled monocars for invalids were made with 250cc B.S.A. motor cycle engines, and in 1953 came the Petite, a 3-wheeler roll-top convertible with rear-mounted 350cc Villiers power unit; despite a price of under £400, this never really became popular and was dropped in 1958. 1954 saw the advent of the Ace sports two-seater, a tubular-framed machine with all-independent suspension designed by John Tojeiro. With an 85bhp A.C. engine it could top the 199mph mark, and was later made also with 2-litre and 2.2-litre Bristol and 2.6-litre Dagenham Ford engines. Front disc brakes were standardized in 1960. In 1963 this car was developed into the Cobra (inspired by the American Carroll Shelby) with disc brakes all round and a 4.7-litre oversquare American Ford V8 engine developing 330bhp.

A Cobra finished 4th at Le Mans in 1964, but between 1965 and 1968 Shelby American Inc were responsible for the marketing of the 7-litre type, all Cobra production being abandoned in the latter year. From 1966, however, A.C. offered a luxury convertible or hardtop with Frua bodywork and a 7-litre Ford V8 engine, available with a 4-speed manual or an automatic gearbox. This 428 series was continued into 1973 at a price of £7.010. A.C. also made a special single-seater 3-wheeler for invalids with single-gear automatic transmission, wheel or handlebar steering, and fiberglass coupé body, powered by a 500cc 4-stroke twin engine.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcars. MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Léon Bollee

France, 1895 – 1933

(1) Automobiles Léon Bollée, Le Mans, 1895 – 1924

(2) Morris Motors Ltd, Usines Léon Bollée, Le Mans, 1925 – 1931

(3) Sté Nouvelle Léon Bollée, Le Mans, 1931 – 1933

Leon Bollee was a son of Amédée Bolllée père, the most important pioneer of steam road vehicles in France. Leon Bollee, however, turned to really small petrol Leon Bollee cars. He was the first to do so, and therefore had to invent a new name for his Leon Bollee car of 1895 – he called it a Leon Bollee voiturette. This Leon Bollee car was a tandem two-seater 3-wheeler that was faster than any other petrol-engined vehicle on the road when the Leon Bollee car was working, thanks to a powerful 3hp engine and light weight, but the power unit was unreliable on the Leon Bollee car. The Leon Bollee car had a single air-cooled cylinder of 650cc and used hot-tube ignition. There were 3 forward speeds on the Leon Bollee car, with belt final drive. The frame was tubular. Four years after the Leon Bollee voiturette appeared, Leon Bollee superseded it with a 4-wheeler with independent front suspension by double transverse leaf springs. This Leon Bollee car had a single-cylinder, water-cooled engine. Unlike the Leon Bollee voiturette, this Leon Bollee car made no mark. The design rights were sold to Darracq, and around 1901 the name of Leon Bollee cars vanished. Meanwhile, the term voiturette had been taken up by the trade and public in general as the name for a small light car.

The Leon Bollee car reappeared in 1903 as an entirely normal, full-sized car in the more expensive class, backed by Vanderbilt money and designed for the American market. This Leon Bollee car was made in 28hp (4.6-litres) and 45hp (8-litres) versions, with four cylinders and chain drive, and led on to a 11.9-litre six Leon Bollee car in 1907, in which year the first shaft driven Leon Bollee car appeared. From 1909 there was also a small modern four, the Leon Bollee 10/14hp. The 1910 range embraced 9 Leon Bollee cars, including 2 of over 10-litres capacity. Electric lighting became available on Leon Bollee cars in 1913, but the Leon Bollee grew increasingly old-fashioned after World War 1 despite the introduction of ohv in 1922 on Leon Bollee cars and front wheel brakes in 1923. Late in 1924 Sir William Morris bought the Le Mans Leon Bollee car factory. From making a wide range of conservative French Leon Bollee fours, it turned to thinly-disguised products of Cowley, Oxford, the idea being to breach the French tariff walls from the inside. The first Morris- Leon Bollee had a 12CV 2½-litre 4-cylinder unit-construction engine made by Hotchkiss, the engine manufacturers controlled by Morris, but it had push-rod overhead valves and bore little evidence of its parentage. Not so the 18CV Morris- Leon Bollee car of 1928. This was a 3-litre straight-8 with single overhead camshaft that reflected Morris’ takeover of Wolseley two years earlier. Morris’ own new six of 1928 was mirrored in the 15CV 2.6-litre Le Mans product of 1929. The bodies for the Morris- Leon Bollee car were all made in France and were usually considerably more dashing and attractive than their British counterparts. Chassis of this Morris- Leon Bollee car were made in France, and all cars had a 4-speed gearbox. At one time, 50 12CV Morris- Leon Bollee cars were being turned out each week. However, Morris’ enterprise was not a success, and he discontinued it in the hard times of the Depression. A new syndicate was formed in September 1931 to sell the same range of cars under the name of Leon Bollee cars. This lasted for less than two years and few Leon Bollee cars were made.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com