A.C. has a long tradition of building sporting motorcars, dating back to the early 1920s. The company's roots go back to 1908 as Auto Carriers, where they produced motorized vehicles for tradesmen and delivery purposes. In 1921, new management arrived and A.C. Cars Ltd was founded, with great emphasis put on racing and record breaking in order to build the brand. Success came quickly with the first British victory in the 1926 Monte Carlo rally. Production of various sporting saloons and touring cars trickled on through WWII, when the works produced a variety of wartime products, making a very handy profit along the way. In the early 1950s, with saloon sales dwindling, A.C.'s owners decided a new direction was needed. They partnered with a young designer named John Tojeiro who was making a name for himself in sports car racing with his tubular framed, alloy skinned race cars. Tojeiro was brought on board to design a new sports car that utilized A.C.'s own inline six, as well as the Bristol-sourced 2.0 liter inline six. The Ace roadster was first shown at the 1953 Earls Court Motor Show with production versions arriving one year later. In 1955 the pretty Ace roadster was joined by the two-seat fixed-head Aceca coupe. The beautiful coupe, like the roadster, could be optioned with either the AC or Bristol engine and it proved a worthy competitor in amateur GT racing. Production of the Aceca was very low, however, with just 349 built over a nine-year period before A.C. shifted focus to their most famous car to date, the sensational Cobra.