AC Brooklands Ace

Who's a sad fish? You’re a sad fish, aren't you, Ace?

I'd be sad also if I’d been saddled with bodywork styled to look like a second-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata born into middle age. A roadster, indeed: after a few kids, a divorce, substance binging, cosmetic freshening, and hand finishing. 

Here’s the rub: the Brooklands Ace is to AC Cobra…as the Shelby Series 1 is to the Shelby Cobra.

It’s a rethought version of the original, with roughly the same performance as the originals but more safety, features, and niceties. It's described as a "relaxed long distance tourer" with fewer features than you’d find in an entry-level Kia…apart from the Brooklands Ace’s multi-disc CD changer, naturally.

Launched in 1993 and taken out of production in 2000, there were only 58 made across two model names, and seven years, owing their differences to the company's ownership: the earlier AC Brooklands Ace and later AC Ace. Mostly similar, with later cars significantly upgraded and faster — only 12 of these improved models were made from 1997-2000. 

Engines varied (after all, this is an AC we're taking about), but mostly consisted of Ford 5.0-litre V8s in various stages of tune, from standard to supercharged. 

However, there was an upgrade option.