1940 AC cars??

[Bill K.]

Hello, all:
   
   I am a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, and am researching the production, deliveries, and new registrations of cars during the World War 2 period, for every make of car in the world. I don't own an AC at this time.
   
   I understand that the last "prewar" AC was actually delivered in Summer 1940. Is this correct? Would this have been the short-lived model introduced at about the outbreak of war, with the new chassis? Would any of the other models prior to this still have been built or sold off in 1940?
   
   Thanks very much for any help anyone can give.
   
   Bill Kreiner

[administrator]

Hello Bill
   
   The last "pre-war" AC was delivered in June 1940.  It was a 4 door saloon and from the chassis number, had probably been built in late 1938 and retained by the works for development work.  It is possible that it was the first AC built on the Flying Standard overslung chassis.  Most of these cars have an 'F' suffix to the chassis number.  This one apparently doesn't, but it is described as a 1939-1940 model.
   
   Two other cars are listed as delivered in 1940, one in March and one in April, and two others after the declaration of war, in November and December 1939.  They were probably bult earlier and sold off as and when customers appeared.  Just 17 cars are listed with the 'F' suffix and two are known to survive. The first was sold in August 1938 and was a saloon.
   
   It is known that almost no private car work was carried out during the war.  There is a record of AC selling one of their prototype aluminium cylinder heads unmachined and being unable to offer a machining service.  They fitted the replacement engine to my PVT in November 1942 but that's the last record of any car work until after the war.
   
   Bryan

[Robin A Woolmer]

Several years ago i looked at a 16/80 owned by John Guyat which was registered after the war & claiming to be a 1939 car, i believe it was built from parts in stock but not assembled & sold untill post war.
   Unfortunately i do not have details but i am sure John could assist, it was a sloping back type but i dont remember it having a blower which would have made it a 16/90.

[Bill K.]

quote:Originally posted by Robin A Woolmer
   
Several years ago i looked at a 16/80 owned by John Guyat which was registered after the war & claiming to be a 1939 car, i believe it was built from parts in stock but not assembled & sold untill post war.
   Unfortunately i do not have details but i am sure John could assist, it was a sloping back type but i dont remember it having a blower which would have made it a 16/90.
   

   
   Thank you for this information, Robin. I'd be interested in knowing if it indeed was assembled after the war.

[Bill K.]

quote:Originally posted by administrator
   
Hello Bill
   
   The last "pre-war" AC was delivered in June 1940.  It was a 4 door saloon and from the chassis number, had probably been built in late 1938 and retained by the works for development work.  It is possible that it was the first AC built on the Flying Standard overslung chassis.  Most of these cars have an 'F' suffix to the chassis number.  This one apparently doesn't, but it is described as a 1939-1940 model.
   
   Two other cars are listed as delivered in 1940, one in March and one in April, and two others after the declaration of war, in November and December 1939.  They were probably bult earlier and sold off as and when customers appeared.  Just 17 cars are listed with the 'F' suffix and two are known to survive. The first was sold in August 1938 and was a saloon.
   
   It is known that almost no private car work was carried out during the war.  There is a record of AC selling one of their prototype aluminium cylinder heads unmachined and being unable to offer a machining service.  They fitted the replacement engine to my PVT in November 1942 but that's the last record of any car work until after the war.
   
   Bryan
   
   

   
   This is just the information I have been looking for, Bryan. Thanks very much.
   
   I wasn't aware that the last prewar model (with Standard chassis) was already out in 1938. I thought it was launched at the outbreak of war. I may have gotten this incorrect info from McLellan's book.
   
   So, there were 5 cars delivered after the outbreak of war: 2 in late 1939, and 3 in 1940. The last one didn't have an F suffix, but did the other 4?
   
   Interesting about the replacement engine fitted in 1942.
   
   Also, the very first postwar chassis, as I understand, was built in 1945, and bodied in 1946. Is this correct? After this one car in 1946, I think I remember seeing 16 listed for 1947, and significantly more for 1948.

[administrator]

What I presume is the 1938 model year catalogue shows the underslung range from 1937 with the exception of the saloon, which is the 'Flying Standard' overslung model, suggesting that the new type of saloon was introduced a while (6 months? a year?) before the rest of the range changed over to the overslung chassis.  The first one (or at least the first one with an 'F' suffix) was registered in August 1938.  The absence of the 'F' suffix on the last car sold may be an omission from the records, as there are a few other apparent errors (for example, two apparently original sports tourers listed as DHCs) as well as a few gaps.  On the other hand, if it was the first overslung car they might not have decided to use 'F' at that stage.
   
   The 2 seater Robin refers to is listed as 1939/46 but no definitive date is known.
   
   The first post-war prototype was registered in 1946, with a few (16 may be the correct number) in 1947 and a lot more in 1948.

[Bill K.]

quote:Originally posted by administrator
   
What I presume is the 1938 model year catalogue shows the underslung range from 1937 with the exception of the saloon, which is the 'Flying Standard' overslung model, suggesting that the new type of saloon was introduced a while (6 months? a year?) before the rest of the range changed over to the overslung chassis.  The first one (or at least the first one with an 'F' suffix) was registered in August 1938.  The absence of the 'F' suffix on the last car sold may be an omission from the records, as there are a few other apparent errors (for example, two apparently original sports tourers listed as DHCs) as well as a few gaps.  On the other hand, if it was the first overslung car they might not have decided to use 'F' at that stage.
   
   The 2 seater Robin refers to is listed as 1939/46 but no definitive date is known.
   
   The first post-war prototype was registered in 1946, with a few (16 may be the correct number) in 1947 and a lot more in 1948.
   
   

   
   Oh, I see -- so the entire range did change over to the overslung chassis before production came to a halt. I wasn't sure if this was just experimental or if it had actually gone into production, supplanting the underslung one. McLellan describes the overslung model as "the 1940 AC" and doesn't seem too fond of it.
   
   Thanks for all the valuable information.