Quentin wilson smart buy : AC428

[French Frie]

Impressive !
   
   

[shep]

About 15 years ago, Quentin featured 2 AC 428s in his TV program. Could it have been when he was  working on Top Gear? During the filming he inadvertently reversed our car over a 2 foot diameter stone ball which marked the drive at Clandon Park. Unfortunately it popped out the spare wheel well, and became trapped like a caster. As he moved the car forward or backwards, so the ball rolled with him! We had to jack the car high enough to roll the ball out, and amazingly the damage was minimal. I have a lovely signed photo from Quentin and Vicky Butler-Henderson, which is inscribed "Sorry Andy!" I know at the time he loved the 428 Fruas, and has written about them since. Obviously a man of great taste.

[3.5 Pints at the Bar]

Back in the 1980s classic car boom, the 428 seemed to lag behind in the values, before surging later. I recall that they were selling for about £7k in the mid '80s when Cobras had swept passed £40k. I thought the Frua a bargain at that time, but I was a humble student, otherwise I would have been tempted. As for riding 2 foot stones - that is certainly a testiment to the strength of the separate chassis. Nowadays, many cars are written off ("totalled") after a collision with a hedgehog!