AC might be best known for the Cobra, but the British firm was busy making cars way before Carroll Shelby started importing them to the US and fitted them with big V8 engines. In fact, AC Cars, initially known as Auto Carriers Ltd, can trace its roots back as far as 1903. One of its better-known models was the AC Ace from the 1950s, and the boutique carmaker is now bringing it back in updated form.

When we say AC is bringing it back, we should point out that this isn’t the original AC Cars outfit we’re talking about. Almost as is tradition with small British carmakers, the company was renamed or liquidated quite a few times, but always resurrected in some way. This latest corporate structure dates to 2022, and is now adding a renewed Ace next to the current Cobra model.

The all-new Ace nods to the 1953 original with classic styling, but it’s thoroughly modern underneath. A tubular-steel chassis and a carbon-fiber body keep the weight down to a nimble 1,100kg. Under the hood, a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine from the Ford Focus ST delivers over 300hp. Paired with a six-speed manual, the Ace rockets from zero to 100km/h in just 4.6 seconds and should be good fun to drive around corners, too.

Two versions will be offered: the Ace Classic and the Ace Bristol Classic, both paying homage to their predecessors. Pricing starts at a hefty £175,000 (P13,100,000), with deliveries expected in the summer of 2025. Each car will also get its own unique chassis number to honor AC’s heritage, and denote it as a proper product from the long-standing brand.

AC Cars is clearly betting on nostalgia with this revival, but while the performance specs seem decent, it remains to be seen how many people are willing to spend Ferrari money on a Ford-engined two-seater assembled in an industrial unit in Donnington. We hope enough people do to keep the company afloat, as the world would be a more boring place without quirky British firms like this.