2009 Hawk AC Ace

First registered on the 18th of June 2009, this wonderful Hawk Ace has been in the care of the vendor since 2016. Supplied to him by marque experts Total Headturners, Alex there remembers it well and confirms that it’s a good example of a very rare car.

Built by a talented aircraft engineer who had built up more than 30 years of experience restoring a variety of British sports cars prior to embarking on this project, the Ace is finished in British Racing Green. Fitted with a rebuilt 2.5-litre Triumph TR6 engine too, and mated to a Triumph GT6 four-speed gearbox with overdrive, features that ensure this car's specification and power closely matches that of the car it emulates.

The rest of the vehicle’s mechanical specification balances the engine’s performance so it drives brilliantly. It looks terrific too, with its wire wheels, high-profile tyres, rollover hoop, and black tonneau cover.

Still having covered fewer than 1,000 miles since being completed in 2009, it’s still much like new and in need of nothing other than a sympathetic owner who is prepared to thrash the pants off it on a regular basis.

As with the interior, there isn’t a lot to the Ace’s bodywork – but what there is looks bloomin’ lovely. As we hinted at in the ‘Background’ section, the quality of AC-inspired replicas varies tremendously and no-one does it better than Hawk.

Of course, being built by an experienced aircraft engineer helps and he clearly took an inordinate amount of time getting everything this neatly aligned. British Racing Green is an iconic colour for a car like this too, and it’s been well applied and has weathered the intervening years impressively well. Mind you, given it’s only covered a little over 800 miles in those 11 years, the fact that it sports only the odd stonechip shouldn’t come as any surprise.

The tonneau cover fits very well covering both the steering wheel and rollover hoop very neatly. The rear view shows both slim hips and twin exhaust pipes, the latter peering shyly from under the rear in a very attractive fashion. (We’re fans of twin exhausts, but then aren’t we all?)

The limited chromework is very good, and the black wire wheels – and it’s always good to see them painted rather than chromed, something you’d expect an aircraft engineer to appreciate – are still all but pristine. They’re shod with 185/80R15 Hankook Centum K702 tyres too, whose high sidewalls make a lovely contrast to the low-profile ‘rubber band’-type ones we’re more used to seeing. They’ve also got plenty of tread left on ‘em.

And, as we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

That said, the tyres are dated from 2007, so are age-expired if you’re going to be using the Ace as it was designed to be driven. Other problems are limited to the inevitable stonechip and minor mark that even the most carefully curated car will collect over the years.

Oh, and the Union flags you can see on the front wings? They’re actually hand-painted, the work having been done by an ex-Rolls-Royce sign writer. Impressive, aren’t they?

The Merlin Motorsport low-backed seats aren’t only exactly the sort of thing we like to see in our classics, but they’re ultra-supportive and still in fabulous condition.

There’s a huge wooden Mota-Lita steering wheel in there too, plus a pair of inertia reel seatbelts. The latter might look a bit clunky but they meet modern IVA/SVA safety standards and we’re very conscious of the fact that if you insist on using period-style safety equipment then you’re going to get period-style accident injuries.

Not a lot else in there though but that’s okay because that’s how they were in period – and nothing weighs less than nothing, does it?

Speaking of which, the boot is purposeful rather than pretty. There’s a plywood wheel spinner tool in there, plus a handy dipstick for the fuel tank. (Bet you wished you tried that out on the test drive, eh boys?) A Facet fuel pump and a spare wheel, too.

We can’t help but think that some carpeting might finish it off, which will at least give you an excuse to hide in the garage for a few evenings while you make a template to send to your favourite car trimmer.

Other work to do? Well, the fuel gauge is a liar near empty but other than that everything seems to work as it should.

Mind you, the dials do look a bit modern and if it were ours we’d be tempted to change them for something more period appropriate, something that should be an easy job as they’re Smiths jobbies. Alex, at Total Headturners, suggests that replacing them would cost around £500.

The 2.5-litre Triumph TR6 engine was fully rebuilt prior to being fitted. Fitted with a gas-flowed, ‘Big Valve’ head and a fast-road camshaft, it is mated to a Triumph GT6 four-speed gearbox that was reconditioned before being installed, this time by Hardy's of Leatherhead. The two are joined with a new clutch and flywheel and supplemented by a working overdrive.

The Hawk also benefits from a '123' electronic ignition system and triple 40 Weber carburettors from Webcom, a high-pressure fuel pump, and Pacet cooling fans. Some of the nicest carburettor linkages we’ve ever seen too, and while this sort of complexity often introduces sloppiness, these have been installed with an unusually high degree of care and skill and are slack-free. But then it was, as we keep mentioning, the car was built by an aircraft engineer, so you’d expect him to get this sort of stuff right, wouldn’t you?

The hydraulic brake and clutch pedals were supplied by Gerry Hawkridge, and they operate uprated brake discs and pads. The engine exhales through stainless-steel TR6 downpipes that lead to a bespoke middle and rear section, both of which have also been made from stainless-steel too.

The rear axle and steering rack are MGB items, so well-proven and readily available. Oh, and whereas most other manufacturers use an MGB chassis as a base, Hawk uses a properly engineered chassis that emulates the original in appearance while being reinforced to be both stiffer and safer.

We took it on an extended test drive (well, you would, wouldn’t you?) and apart from uncovering the fact that the fuel gauge is more misleading than a Donald Trump tweet, we found nothing to worry about. Phrases like “the Ace is fabulous, its engine in particular. It looks fabulous and makes a stunning noise. There is a nice, subdued rumble at low revs and then an addictive hard-edged note at higher revs or under load” were the result of a very pleasant autumnal drive.

Please take the time to listen to the engine on both tickover and being revved. It shows good oil pressure too, and really is a jewel-like thing and one of the nicest engines of 2020 we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know.

The test drive also revealed “good brakes and steering”. In fact, the only issue we found is a slightly high idle. That’s it.

Funnily enough – and you’re ahead of me here, aren’t you? – the engine bay is magnificently clean and beautifully detailed. As is the underside.

The Ace’s MOT certificate, which is valid until July 2021, was gained without a single advisory point, something it’s been doing for a few years now.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus an invoice for an oil and filter change, having the valve clearances set and the exhaust manifold refitted on the 19th of May 2015 and 389 miles by Witley Station Garage Ltd at a cost of £282. We’re told that a lot of the paperwork it was supplied with was lost in a flood a few years ago, so while its maintenance over the years is probably impeccable it can’t be verified.

It still has its original spec sheet, and the V5 registration document.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

AC Cobra kit cars are ubiquitous, something that detracts from their appeal, no matter how well they’re engineered or finished. Not that this is of immediate concern because you, like us, are discerning folk, folk who tend not to run with the herd. Folk who favour delicacy and good engineering over cubic inches and brute force.

So, buying an AC/Hawk Ace instead shows an uncommonly high degree of good taste and mechanical sympathy; the boss, no stranger to the road less travelled and a decent helmsman on the track, is slightly obsessed with this one, raving about the handling, performance, steering - and noise.

Dials aside, everywhere you look speaks of diligent engineering, an obsessive attention to detail, and remarkably good taste. It is possibly the nicest sub-£30k traditional roadster we’ve seen in a very long time – and we’re spoilt for choice here at The Market HQ.

And sub-£30k? Maybe, we estimate it’s only going to sell for somewhere between £20,000 and £30,000, a sum that strikes us as so absurdly small we might just have to take a punt ourselves. However it is being offered by the vendor at No Reserve so is on sale from the first bid, and will genuinely find its own price.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.