Evaluation: Recent restoration | Restored in 2017. Still has gorgeous paint and an excellent interior, with seats that look barely sat in. Very clean underneath with few signs of age. Imperfect panel fit but probably no worse than factory. Not over-restored. A fantastic car in great colors.
Bottom Line: Fantastic looking, but it isn’t matching numbers. The Ace first came with AC’s proprietary 90-hp 2.0-liter six, but from 1956 the optional 2.0-
liter Bristol engine was added to the mix, offering a 50 percent bump in power. A real Ace-Bristol in similar condition could command a lot closer to 400 grand. It isn’t, though, so the bidders offered up a number appropriate to a non-Bristol car in this condition. They did the same at Mecum Monterey last year, bidding the car to a $300,000 no-sale. This is an example of a seller who needs to adjust their expectations to align with the current market value.