CF44. Reg. Number: 1 ALD. Original : EHJ 440H
Status: Active

Coys Auctions
Royal Horticultural Halls, London
Tuesday 1st December 2009 at 13:00
Lot 455
Estimate: £70000 - £85000

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http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-page.php/carno/78254

                              

"The AC Frua competed with Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati models and was built over a stretched AC Cobra 427 chassis; the car had immense performance with the big-block Ford FE engine having larger capacity, more torque and more power than other Italian cars but with similar weight.

                               

John McLellan said in his book "Classic ACs, Auto Carrier to Cobra", 'I like the 428 because it fits my image of a true GT Car'. He also quoted the magazine Autocar which said the following about the AC 428: 'Like anything exclusive, especially from craftsmen, it costs a lot of money. For this you get one of the fastest cars on the road, guaranteed to make an impression anywhere, and backed by a small company that cares. This AC joins that select company of very fast, very luxurious touring automobiles which moved effortlessly from current model to collector's piece'.

                                

Unexpectedly, they are extremely reliable and maintenance is easy and relatively inexpensive compared to other exotics of the period partially because of the Ford power train and also the AC Cobra suspension and chassis. A few of the coupes have been destroyed in the past and converted back into Cobra replicas but as the Fruas pricing has been rising steadily in recent years, this practice has all but stopped.

                                

This quite superb example has been restored by Cobra specialists, Uniclip. These respected market leaders were responsible, in their day, for many of the well known Cobra road and race cars around today with their attention to quality evident with this car reaching first place in the AC owners concourse competition in 2009. With just two recorded owners from new and a number of sympathetic upgrades including Spax shock absorbers, an unleaded cylinder head and an electric fuel pump to replace the standard item, this, 4,000 miles from restoration, example is extremely well presented and is widely regarded as possessing some of the most stunning lines ever penned."

                                 

                                            With grateful acknowledgements