Reviving the badge

The new Ace is the latest in a long line of sporty ACs

Auto Express Car Reviews

New company hopes to emulate success of Fifties Ace

14th December 2006

The UK firm can trace its roots as far back as 1904, and the original Ace debuted in 1953. However, the brand is best remembered for the legendary AC Cobra of the Sixties. The supercar featured a Ford V8 engine, and the most powerful models developed more than 400bhp. The late Nineties saw an unsuccessful rebirth of the Ace, this time as an expensive luxury sports car.


	With financial backing by investors from as far afield as Hong Kong, though, the organisation hasn't yet ruled out the possibility of setting up an overseas production facility

Production of the long-awaited replacement is expected to begin in the summer, although the location of the factory has yet to be decided. Project Kimber has been offered a hefty grant by the Welsh Assembly should it decide to start manufacturing in the principality - possibly at the former Panasonic factory in Swansea.

With financial backing by investors from as far afield as Hong Kong, though, the organisation hasn't yet ruled out the possibility of setting up an overseas production facility.

Project Kimber has struck a deal to distribute the cars in the UK and Western Europe, however, and will look to expand into other right-hand-drive markets soon after the Ace's UK launch in the autumn. Company bosses are aiming to sell 7,000 examples during the first 12 months of assembly.