Rare 1960 AC Greyhound heads to auction
One of just 83 examples of AC’s Bristol-engined 2+2 Greyhound, a car that’s been sympathetically restored and is now ready to enjoy, is set to go on sale with Silverstone Auctions on May 28, estimated at £60,000-£70,000.
The restoration was completed early this year and the car is described by the auction house as “one of, if not the finest example of a Greyhound to come to market recently”.
Harry Fox-Edwards, of Silverstone Auctions, commented: “With prices of the Ace and Aceca having soared in recent years, we can’t help feeling that the Greyhound is somewhat undervalued by comparison. With the striking looks of a DB4, 75 per cent of the performance, 10 times rarer, yet only 20 per cent of the cost, it looks remarkable value at today’s guide price.”
The Greyhound sat on an extended version of the Aceca’s steel ladder frame chassis, allowing space for an additional row of two seats behind the driver and front passenger as well as a useful boot. It featured attractive aluminium bodywork, while the interior was well appointed with leather seats front and back, full carpeting throughout, ample instrumentation and good headroom for all occupants.
The Greyhound was a modern design under the skin, featuring fully independent front and rear suspension on coil springs, rack and pinion steering and disc brakes up front. In common with the Ace and Aceca, Greyhound customers were offered a choice of four straight-six engines, including the 1971cc BMW-derived Bristol OHV unit featured in this particular car.
This survivor is a numbers-matching example that was discovered in the vendor’s late father-in-law’s garage under 40-odd years’ worth of clutter and dust. Purchased new in 1960, the car was used as a daily driver, including visits to UK circuits where its owner used to race Aston Martins at club level. With the arrival of his new car in 1978, the AC was moved to the garage, where it was to remain until its recent discovery and restoration.
Having been taken off the road when it was just 18 years old, and with only 43,000 miles under its wheels, the Greyhound was in good, original condition. Invoices within the extensive history file include one for a full engine rebuild costing around £21,000, with historic racing engine specialist Ian Nuttall.
The AC’s paperwork also includes a selection of old tax discs and invoices (which help support the indicated mileage of 43,625), while the car’s original tool kit, handbooks and manuals are still in place. For more details of the Greyhound and other lots in next month’s sale, visit silverstoneauctions.com.