1937 AC 16/70 Two-Seater Drophead Coupe
No Reserve

Registration No: YAS 233
Chassis No: L541
MOT: Exempt

• Current family ownership since 1990
• Understood to be 1 of just 99 Two-Seater Drophead Coupes produced by AC between 1933 and 1940 (of which only a comparative few were 16/70 models)
• Supplied new by George Hopkins & Sons of Ledbury to E.H. Gunter-Jones of nearby Dingwood Park and subsequently restored for Dr Delbert Tesar during the early 1970s before being shipped to his Florida home
• Treated to a bare metal respray during the early 2000s and a partial engine overhaul thereafter
• A rare and desirable Post Vintage Thoroughbred

AC succumbed to receivership in 1930 only to be rescued by the Hurlock brothers who recommenced production two years later. Having secured 1st, 4th and 6th places on the 1933 RAC Rally not to mention winning the event’s Concours d’Elegance, the Hurlocks were soon promoting the marque as ‘the Saville Row of Motordom’. Rare and stylish in equal measure, just 99 Two-Seater Drophead Coupes are thought to have been made from 1933-39.

According to information on file, chassis L541 was delivered to George Hopkins & Sons of Ledbury on March 25^th, 1937 and subsequently sold to E.H. Gunter-Jones Esq. of nearby Dingwood Park. Initially registered as ‘VJ 9962’, the AC was bought by robotics pioneer Dr Delbert Tesar some thirty-five years later. Entrusted to F.R. Bleaze of Birkenhead for an extensive restoration (with supplementary work being carried out by Cleobury Garages Ltd), the 16/70 was shipped to Dr Tesar’s Florida home in 1974. Repatriated by Philip S. Lewsley Esq of Leeds fifteen years later, the 2+2-seater entered the current family ownership during 1990. Treated to a second refurbishment during the early 2000s including a bare metal repaint, retrim and refinished brightwork etc, the Drophead Coupe developed engine trouble in 2005. The 1970s restoration had seen the factory-fitted unit ‘UMB 495’ augmented with components from ‘UMB 556’ but the first company asked to tackle the 2-litre straight-six made little progress. The Coventry Boring & Metalling Co Ltd were tasked with crack testing the crankshaft and regrinding its journals as well as re-metalling the main bearings and conrods during 2008. However, the engine has not been reinstalled and as such may well require further work. The Red paintwork remains presentable, but the soft-top needs replacing. Overall, the car requires a lot of recommissioning / re-restoration work. Although, once completed it should be a singularly elegant and capable Post Vintage Thoroughbred. Offered for sale with V5C Registration Document and history file.

PLEASE NOTE: The engine for this lot is disassembled and may not be complete. The lot comes with an additional AC 2 litre engine (number UMB 1940)