AC Frua


The AC Frua or AC 428 is a British GT built by AC Cars from 1965 to 1973. Production was 81 cars built in total: 49 coupés, 29 convertibles, and 3 special bodied.

History

The Frua is built on an AC Cobra 427 Mark III chassis extended by 6 inches. Chassis were built at the AC plant in England then shipped to Frua's workshop in Italy where the body was fitted and then sent back to England to have the power train and trim added. The cost was high and the cars could not be sold at a competitive price. Unlike similar cars such as the Iso Grifo, Iso Rivolta, Monteverdi, and De Tomaso models of the period, the AC Frua features fully independent racing based coil spring suspension.
The AC Frua was never fully developed because AC Cars lacked the financial means. The car's main drawback is a tendency of the V8's heat to bleed into the cabin.

Chassis

Chassis construction was similar to most Italian supercars of that era, with square and rectangular tubing connecting the steel body to the frame. Though the 4-inch tubular chassis allowed both coupé and convertible versions to be rigid, the design was intricate and prone to rust. The bonnets and boot lids were fabricated from aluminum.

Performance

The AC Frua competed with Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati models. Built over a stretched AC Cobra 427 chassis, the car had immense performance; the big-block Ford FE engine had larger capacity, more torque and more power than similar Italian cars, but in a car of similar weight.
John Mclellan wrote in his book "Classic ACs, Auto Carrier to Cobra" that Derek Hurlock once said to journalist Mike Tailor: "I like the 428 because it fits my image of a true GT Car". He is quoted in Autocar "Like anything exclusive, especially from craftsmen, it costs a lot of money. For this you get one of the fastest cars on the road, guaranteed to make an impression anywhere, and backed by a small company that cares. This one AC that joined that select company of very fast, very luxurious touring automobiles which moved effortlessly from current model to collector's piece". The magazine published a road test report in 1968 of a 428 coupé, and recorded a maximum speed of 141 mph along with a 0 - 60 mph time of 6.2 seconds. The acceleration time was fractionally better than the magazine's testers had achieved with an Aston Martin DB6, but the Aston Martin was comfortably ahead on top speed. The AC's overall fuel consumption for the test came in at 15.6 mpg, roughly 15% better than the heavy Aston Martin. The AC 428 coupé sported a recommended UK retail price of £5,573, to the manual transmission Aston Martin DB6's £4,460 - itself roughly twice that of a 4.2 litre Jaguar E-Type roadster at £2,225.
Towards the end of the production run a couple of prototypes for an extended range were produced. There was a four-door version of the coupe and a more streamlined version of the convertible that included electrically operated "pop-up" headlamps. Neither were developed due to the precarious state of the company finances.
The AC Frua may be confused with the very similar looking Pietro Frua designed Maserati Mistral. However, only the front quarter windows and door handles are shared.
AC Frua Technical Data
Chassis"AC Cobra 427 Mark III" four inch tube frame extended by 6 inches. Front engine, rear drive.
EngineIron "big block" Ford FE 428, some models fitted with higher performance cross bolted main Ford 427 engine. Hydraulic lifter, Autolite or Holley four barrel carburetor..
Bore & stroke104.9 X 101.2 mm, 10, 5:1 compression.
Capacity428:, 427:.
Power428: @ 4,600 rpm, 427: @ 5600 rpm
Torque428: @ 2,800 rpm, 427: @ 3200 rpm
TransmissionFully synchronized 4-speed Ford Toploader transmission or 3 speed automatic Ford C6 transmission.
SteeringRack & Pinion.
Front suspensionFully adjustable independent suspension with double triangular wishbones, coil spring hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers.
Rear suspensionAdjustable independent suspension with double triangular wishbones, coil spring hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers.
DifferentialSalisbury, limited slip. Ratio: Automatic 2.88, Manual 3.08.
BrakesFour discs power assisted "Girling" 3 pistons, dual remote servo assistance.
BodyCoach-built steel body over extruded rectangular and square tubing.
Measurements X X ; Wheelbase.
Unloaded weight
Maximum speedManual Transmission: More than, 0 to 100 km/h : 5.4 s ; Automatic Transmission:, 0 to 100 km/h 5.7 s.
Fuel consumption
Production life1965 to 1973
Number of cars built49 coupes, 29 convertibles and 3 special bodied cars.