Bristol Engines/ Donald Campbell.

[rw774]

Anyone know when Bristol supplied a fitted their engine to the Aceca, was Donald Campbell`s association with Bristol ( Orpheus engine for K7) anything to to this the 100D engine being offered to AC? as an alternative?.

[alistair]

AC dealer and enthusiastic competition driver Ken Rudd is generally credited with the idea of fitting the Bristol engine to the AC Ace and the factory had produced more than 20 Ace Bristols before the first Aceca Bristol was made in mid 1956. The Campbell car was in fact the prototype Aceca dating from 1954 but it was originally fitted with an AC engine - the conversion to Bristol power was some time later. Many AC engined Aces and Acecas were converted to Bristol power over the years and it seems likely that Campbell was attracted more by the powerful Bristol engine and superb gearbox rather than by an emotional attachment to Bristol Aero Engines.

[rw774]

thanks for the response.

The problem I have is the Rudd car actually has the original AC engine fitted to VPL 441. So did Ken Rudd fit the Bristol motor to VPL.

No emotional ties between Campbell and the car as its not registered to him and remained the property of AC cars for some 2 years after it was built.

The AC appeared at various motor shows from 1954 to 56 when it was sold to an Ipswich Farmer.

My interest remains around the Bristol engine fitment and the date in which these were first used.

Bristol had after all supplied the Orpheus engine to power K7 and it makes sense that if Campbell had the option, it would have been good publicity for Bristol.

Campbell would have been working on development of K7 at Norris bros not far form Ken Rudds works. Nothing at the archive though.

[penman]

hi
I thought that the Tojiero Bristol LOW77 was regarded as the inspiration for the ACE, so could it not be that AC just followed on from that?

[nikbj68]

Originally Posted by penman

hi
I thought that the Tojiero Bristol LOW77 was regarded as the inspiration for the ACE, so could it not be that AC just followed on from that?

LOW77 was MG-powered, you`re thinking of LOY500, which was built by John Tojeiro for Cliff Davis.
The 1st Tojeiro car that AC actually got hold of had a Lea Francis engine, which was swapped for an AC engine & then put on display at the 1953 Motor Show.