"We are delighted to have secured this long term contract with Lotus, which like AC has a proud heritage as a British company known across the world for its high performance sports cars".
The Lotus V8 will give the AC Ace Ferrari-beating potential with acceleration in the true supercar league. The Ace has long been admired for its distinctive and seductive body styling and the option of an engine offering the ultimate in performance provides the final touch to an already comprehensive specification list. Meanwhile, AC's first luxury coupe for many years, the AC Aceca - which made its debut as a prototype last year - will also enjoy an greater pan-Continental cruising competence thanks to the Lotus power unit.
In both the Ace and Aceca the new Lotus engine is complemented with the choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic. Larger wheels and tyres are specified on both cars to cope with the greater power. Both models remain available with the 305 bhp Ford 4.6 V8 'Quad Cam' engine introduced last year.
"The characteristics of the Lotus V8 are ideally suited to the needs of the driver seeking the ultimate in performance, driveability and exclusivity", says John Owen, AC Car Group Ltd's new Chief Engineer. And he should know since, while he worked for Lotus, John Owen was responsible for the design and development of the Lotus V8.
