Classic: AC 3000 ME
Posted on 30-05-2015 to 18:00 by larssb – 25 Comments”
Endless, list beautifully designed but with rather varying degrees of craftsmanship-built traditional English sports cars.
The list of downright successful attempts, and their success is, however, remarkably short. Often not very astonishing, because, in many cases, each other gehobbyd in plattelandsschuurtjes went beyond the manufacture of the well-intentioned amateur level hardly. But sometimes it was also a serious manufacturer almost down and brought up a far from successful and, therefore, unintentionally exclusive model: the AC 3000 ME.
After the resounding success of the moddervet motorized Cobra, and, to a lesser extent, the 428 threw in the early seventies, the oil crisis, the soot in the exquisite food of the family Hurlock. That was since the thirties, the owner of the Acedes-, formerly AutoCarriers factory and built on decades of exclusive sportscars. That was partly made possible by a long-term contract with the government, which AC invalidenautootjes built: the Thundersley Invacar. About twenty years formed plastic driewielertjes an important source of income and made the lucrative deal for continuity. The Invacars were only sold to The Ministry of Health, which they then leased to the disabled. So, there was so thankfully no danger of you accidentally get the wrong model aankruiste on the order form and with such overheidsblauw lump on your tree-lined driveway through the gravel knerpte. Embarrassing.
That was the design of Peter Bohanna and Robin Stables happy by any means. They came in 1972 with the Diablo, as a precursor of the 3000 ME. With clear influences of the Ford GT40 and even a bit inspired by the Lola T70, they built a very attractive, small GT with mid-engine. Motor, actually, because that block came from an Austin Maxi and made therein even though not a lot of sensation or goosebumps with its 74 HP. Here was still some work to be done. In the first instance, rather wavering Derek Hurlock decided finally in 1973 the car is still in production and as the AC 3000 ME. And then it started thundering.
There had to be much more adapted to the design of Bohanna and Stables than initially thought. Adjustments to the frame and subframes, the styling of the double-walled plastic bodywork, customizing a Hewland transmission and the rest of the huge to-do-list cost a huge amount of time and resulted in an almost completely re-designed coupe. When British Leyland also afhaakte and the required motors would not deliver because it was thought the capacity fully to exploit the expected *cough*success *cough*Allegro chose AC for the Ford 3.0 litre V6 Essex. That went a lot faster forward and sounded much better, full throttle toward the unforgiving crashtestmuur. That test took a with a resounding slap still a line by the account and sent the disillusioned team with a negative result of the workshop. Bollocks.
All in all, this has resulted that the sale of the 3000 ME was only in 1978 gently took off and in 1979 the first cars on the continent were shipped to customers that for the same money or less also a Porsche 924 Turbo, TVR Tasmin, or even a Lotus Esprit could buy. Due to the long development process with associated costs and the inflation was the 3000ME three times more expensive than budgeted for in 1973 and suffered, therefore, under this tough competition. Not so much in regards to performance and build quality, the 3000ME was eventually really good in each other, but are rather modest power output of 138 HP made the 3000ME a bit of the boy that always being the last picked, because he is not so hard it could walk. It was also called: 192 km/h was always so quiet and inaudible may whispered as the polo or hockey vrindjes again harassing asked how hard he already was.
Only 76 copies left the factory in Thames Dutton before the Hurlocks in 1984, the means of production and the rights sold to Scottish businessman McDonald. This produced in Glasgow thirty pieces of the 3000 ME and put at the same time, in an improved version, the Mark 2, with a 2.5-liter V6 from Alfa Romeo amidships. This brought the stage of production, however, never because in november 1985, the case is on the bottle and could McDonald burgers go flipping. Likely to have a huge confusion on the payroll there.
With a total produced quantity of 106 pieces is this sturdy two-seater, so with the right exclusive. In the wild you will rarely encounter, with its beautifully vaulted arches, the characteristic Wolfrace wheels and the leather kuipstoeltjes with views on a rally-like and full of dashboard behind that small steering wheel. Cool car. He earned much more than his own turbulent history, it took too long before he finally comfortable in his skin was.
Gallery: AC 3000 ME classic
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