Showing posts with label Ace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ace. Show all posts
Saturday, 19 July 2014
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Simple Joys - Morgan 3 Wheeler
Last November when I visited the Morgan factory there was much debate about a rumoured revival by Morgan of their fabled 3 wheel concept, which was abandoned when the last Morgan F-4 left the factory in 1953, with an updated design powered by a Harley Davidson motor.
The truth that emerged was a little more complex, when earlier this year Morgan launched their 3 Wheeler at the Geneva motor show, with this particular vehicle on their stand.
Self taught engineer, Pete Larsen from Seattle is the man responsible for putting the Morgan name back on three wheel vehicles. A couple of years ago Pete developed a Harley Davidson powered space frame Morgan tribute 3 wheeler which was marketed under the Liberty Ace brand.
After reading a UK newspaper report on this vehicle Morgan executives visited Pete's workshop and ended up buying the business. Pete now makes the HD powered Liberty Ace under license from Morgan while Morgan have re engineered Pete's design to take a 115hp S&S 'X-Wedge' V twin manufactured in Wisconsin.
The reengineered Morgan comes with a detachable steering wheel, to ease access, that is connected to a Quaife steering rack, in place of the Mustang modified rack used in the original Liberty Ace, the transmission on both vehicles is a Mazda 5 speed which drives the rear wheel.
The Matt Humphries designed aluminium bodywork is manufactured by Premier Sheet Metal in Coventry.
After the initial production run a special Superdry Edition has already been planned complete with bespoke Superdry branded tyres !
High profile car enthusiast, owner and fan of old Morgan 3 wheelers Jay Leno was one of the first 500 customers to order one of the cycle cars which tip the scales at just over 1000 lbs / 500 kgs and can reach 60 mph in under 5 seconds.
I have never driven a Morgan or 3 Wheeler of any description but watching Jay drive the car I have to believe that 'there is nothing quite like driving a 3 wheeler, it just makes you smile', rather like reading my favourite 'Simple Joys' blog written by another Morgan 3 wheeler fan Chief 187, who's birthday happens to be today.
Happy Birthday Chief 187, this one is just for you !
Thanks for joining me on today's three wheel edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres', I hope you will join me again tomorrow ! Don't forget to come back now !
The truth that emerged was a little more complex, when earlier this year Morgan launched their 3 Wheeler at the Geneva motor show, with this particular vehicle on their stand.
Self taught engineer, Pete Larsen from Seattle is the man responsible for putting the Morgan name back on three wheel vehicles. A couple of years ago Pete developed a Harley Davidson powered space frame Morgan tribute 3 wheeler which was marketed under the Liberty Ace brand.
After reading a UK newspaper report on this vehicle Morgan executives visited Pete's workshop and ended up buying the business. Pete now makes the HD powered Liberty Ace under license from Morgan while Morgan have re engineered Pete's design to take a 115hp S&S 'X-Wedge' V twin manufactured in Wisconsin.
The reengineered Morgan comes with a detachable steering wheel, to ease access, that is connected to a Quaife steering rack, in place of the Mustang modified rack used in the original Liberty Ace, the transmission on both vehicles is a Mazda 5 speed which drives the rear wheel.
The Matt Humphries designed aluminium bodywork is manufactured by Premier Sheet Metal in Coventry.
After the initial production run a special Superdry Edition has already been planned complete with bespoke Superdry branded tyres !
High profile car enthusiast, owner and fan of old Morgan 3 wheelers Jay Leno was one of the first 500 customers to order one of the cycle cars which tip the scales at just over 1000 lbs / 500 kgs and can reach 60 mph in under 5 seconds.
I have never driven a Morgan or 3 Wheeler of any description but watching Jay drive the car I have to believe that 'there is nothing quite like driving a 3 wheeler, it just makes you smile', rather like reading my favourite 'Simple Joys' blog written by another Morgan 3 wheeler fan Chief 187, who's birthday happens to be today.
Happy Birthday Chief 187, this one is just for you !
Thanks for joining me on today's three wheel edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres', I hope you will join me again tomorrow ! Don't forget to come back now !
Monday, 25 October 2010
Much in common with the NASCAR COT - AC Ace
Much in common with the NASCAR COT - AC Ace
The AC Ace was originally designed by John Tojeiro who produced a Weller engined Toj and in 1953 sold the design to AC.
AC first put straight six Cylinder Bristol engines into their Ace and later Ford Zephyr Straight 6's before Carroll Shelby introduced Ford 289 - 427 V8's and branded them Cobra's in 1962.
The car features a ladder chassis and space frame around which the body in manufactured, the body like the body on the NASCAR COT is shaped using an English wheeling machine.
As has been noted in an earlier post there is a remarkable resemblance between the AC Ace and the 1948 Williams and Pritchard Fraser Nash BMW 315/1.
Off topic Congrats to Kevin Harvick on finishing ahead of Jimmy Johnson at Martinsville yesterday, 62 points is a far from insurmountable advantage with four races to go :-)
Wishing everyone a happy Monday, don't forget to come back now !
The AC Ace was originally designed by John Tojeiro who produced a Weller engined Toj and in 1953 sold the design to AC.
AC first put straight six Cylinder Bristol engines into their Ace and later Ford Zephyr Straight 6's before Carroll Shelby introduced Ford 289 - 427 V8's and branded them Cobra's in 1962.
The car features a ladder chassis and space frame around which the body in manufactured, the body like the body on the NASCAR COT is shaped using an English wheeling machine.
As has been noted in an earlier post there is a remarkable resemblance between the AC Ace and the 1948 Williams and Pritchard Fraser Nash BMW 315/1.
Off topic Congrats to Kevin Harvick on finishing ahead of Jimmy Johnson at Martinsville yesterday, 62 points is a far from insurmountable advantage with four races to go :-)
Wishing everyone a happy Monday, don't forget to come back now !
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Was one of these Fraser Nash BMW's an antecedent of the AC Cobra ?
At the August VSCC Prescott meeting one of the things that stood out was that the car park was almost as interesting as the Paddock.
For example pictured here in the car park is what I believe to be a Fraser Nash (UK BMW importer and assemblers amongst many other things for those not in the know) BMW 315/1.
Amazingly the car above is also a Fraser Nash BMW 315/1, dating from 1935 according to the VSCC programme, but the bodywork stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the traditional VSCC fare in the paddock at Prescott.
My first thought was that it might be a Tojerio body or AC Ace body, or at least a copy of either of those two vehicles dating back to 1952 and 1953 respectively, I also wondered how this car could possibly qualify to run in a VSCC event which generally caters for pre WW2 vehicles.
Thanks to Tim Murray at the TNF Forum I found out what the story behind the aluminium (English pronunciation please) bodied BMW 315/1 special, though there are many question marks around this vehicle, not least who actually commissioned it in the first place ?
It turns out this vehicle was originally supplied with body work by Abbots of Farnham and then after the War turned up, sans body, in the hands of a chemist who took it to Williams & Pritchard of London, a small sub contracting bodywork shop before WW2, a Spitfire fuselage workshop during WW2 which returned to doing repairs and bodywork after WW2.
The owner of the chassis took with him a pile of motoring magazines and sat down with Williams & Pritchard and pointed out all the features he wanted incorporated into the new bodywork for his old BMW.
When did this happen you may well ask ? 1965 ? 1960 ? 1955 ? after the Tojerio and AC Ace had been around ? 1950 ? none of the above amazingly the aluminium body work dates back to 1948 four years before the Tojerio which famously morphed into the AC Ace !
The Fraser Nash BMW 315/1 is allowed to compete in VSCC events because the body sits on a prewar chassis.
More information on Williams & Pritchard and the story of this car can be found here.
Hope you enjoyed today's blog and will join me again tomorrow.
For example pictured here in the car park is what I believe to be a Fraser Nash (UK BMW importer and assemblers amongst many other things for those not in the know) BMW 315/1.
Amazingly the car above is also a Fraser Nash BMW 315/1, dating from 1935 according to the VSCC programme, but the bodywork stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the traditional VSCC fare in the paddock at Prescott.
My first thought was that it might be a Tojerio body or AC Ace body, or at least a copy of either of those two vehicles dating back to 1952 and 1953 respectively, I also wondered how this car could possibly qualify to run in a VSCC event which generally caters for pre WW2 vehicles.
Thanks to Tim Murray at the TNF Forum I found out what the story behind the aluminium (English pronunciation please) bodied BMW 315/1 special, though there are many question marks around this vehicle, not least who actually commissioned it in the first place ?
It turns out this vehicle was originally supplied with body work by Abbots of Farnham and then after the War turned up, sans body, in the hands of a chemist who took it to Williams & Pritchard of London, a small sub contracting bodywork shop before WW2, a Spitfire fuselage workshop during WW2 which returned to doing repairs and bodywork after WW2.
The owner of the chassis took with him a pile of motoring magazines and sat down with Williams & Pritchard and pointed out all the features he wanted incorporated into the new bodywork for his old BMW.
When did this happen you may well ask ? 1965 ? 1960 ? 1955 ? after the Tojerio and AC Ace had been around ? 1950 ? none of the above amazingly the aluminium body work dates back to 1948 four years before the Tojerio which famously morphed into the AC Ace !
The Fraser Nash BMW 315/1 is allowed to compete in VSCC events because the body sits on a prewar chassis.
More information on Williams & Pritchard and the story of this car can be found here.
Hope you enjoyed today's blog and will join me again tomorrow.
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