1960 AC Greyhound

When the last 2-litre saloon left the Thames Ditton factory in 1958, AC were left without a car that offered more than two seats. In response to what was perceived as customer demand, as well as encouragement from Hubert Patthey, the racing driver and Swiss AC importer, work began under the direction of AC’s Chief Engineer, Alan Turner, on a 4-seat GT Coupé, the Greyhound. The first prototype was given an airing, as well as its competition debut, at an AC and Lagonda Owners Club Sprint at Brand Hatch, which was quickly followed by the first production car making its appearance at the London Motor Show in October 1959. Sitting 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 decent sized boot, the Greyhound was clothed in an attractive alloy body not dissimilar to Aston Martin’s recently introduced DB4. The interior of the car was well appointed, with leather seats front and back, full carpeting throughout, ample instrumentation, and good headroom for all occupants.

Most cars in the late 1950s still relied on live rear axles, leaf springs, and four-wheel drum brakes, however, the Greyhound offered a more modern approach with fully independent front and rear suspension on coil springs, rack and pinion steering and disc brakes on the front. In common with the Ace and Aceca, Greyhound customers were offered a choice of four engines and the all straight-six line-up included AC’s own 1,991cc 75bhp unit; the BMW-derived Bristol OHV engine in 125bhp 1,971cc and 2,216cc 105bhp form; and the 2,553cc Ford Zephyr engine which was capable of producing up to 170bhp when tuned by Ruddspeed. Whilst the Zephyr engine was the most powerful, purists rightful preference was always the smooth and 'revvy' Bristol powerplants as the noise, balance and feel was perfect for the Greyhound’s GT aspirations when combined with a four-speed manual gearbox and the optional overdrive.

This remarkable, matching-numbers, 2.0-litre straight-six, Bristol-engined Greyhound has a lovely back story having been discovered and uncovered in our vendor’s late father-in-law’s garage under 45 year’s 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 under an increasing quantity of boxes etc. until dug out by our vendor prior to commencing a sympathetic restoration. He planned to carry out most of the restoration himself using as many original parts as possible and given that the car was less than 18 years old and had covered just over 43,000 miles when it was put into storage, much of it was in sound condition. Invoices within the history file include one for c.£21,000 with historic racing engine specialist Ian Nuttall (IN Racing) for a full engine rebuild including modifying the engine to run on unleaded fuel.

150 SPF was originally finished in AC ‘Rosso Chiarro’, however, small volume manufacturers used paint from wherever source they could find at the time and the exact code was not available so the car has been finished as close as possible to the original shade and now benefits from several coats of Red which retains a deep shine and looks fabulous. There are photos with the car covering various aspects of the restoration. The original bumpers have been re-chromed and are ready to be fitted but are currently off as to our vendor prefers the smoother bumperless styling. Pleasingly, much of the interior appears to have been refitted and the seating, headlining, dashboard, steering wheel and gear lever display a light patination from use by 150 SPF’s long-term owner, however, the red carpets are new. It’s the perfect combination for a sporting classic, a gleaming exterior and smart engine bay with a few little areas that show that the AC has lived a life.

Happily, the car has a full history including old tax discs, old invoices (which help support the indicated mileage of 43,625), its original tool kit in the spare wheel well, original owners handbooks and manuals from when it was bought new until it was parked up in 1978. The restoration was completed in early 2022 and we understand from our vendor that “the engine is running well and the car is a delight to drive". This has got to be one of, if not the finest example of a Greyhound to come to market recently and 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% of the performance, 10 times rarer, yet only 20% of the cost, it looks remarkable value at today’s guide price.