AC Mk IV...the general consensus?

[AC Ventura]

Originally Posted by olddog

With a lot of knowledgeable Mark IV people in this thread, I have to ask:

So many complain about the low powered 5.0 Mustang engine that came in these cars. It is fairly easy to drop a 347 storker EFI engine in producing 425 Hp. Now the car would no longer be under-powered, and it can easily be returned to the original condition, by putting the original engine back in. Nothing is cut up or permanently modified in the process.

Now to the question.
Are these cars so valuable, that they must stay untouched to prevent them from loosing value?

I understand an untouched anything at a collectors auction is worth twice as much as the identical car with high performance mods and a $30,000 perfect paint job. But is a Mark IV really collectible and worth keeping original un-touched?

This is not a sarcastic post. I am honestly curious as to what the answer is.

In answer to your question, the higher the state of modification, the more proportionally difficult to sell, an already difficult to sell car, becomes. Certainly in the UK.
Is it a true collectible? Probably because it was produced by AC Cars Limited and is a faithful 427 under the skin. And that all aluminium skin, that took each 2300 man hours to make, was actually beaten out on the same tooling that AC produced Shelby’s original cars on. The quality of engineering is simply superb.
Is it worth preserving untouched? Well that depends on the owner, whether 225 hp gives him enough enjoyment and what he can realistically do about it.

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by AC Ventura

skin, that took each 2300 man hours to make, was actually beaten out on the same tooling that AC produced Shelby’s original cars on.

Brian loved to tell that story. 1) the time was WAY less. 2) The 427 bucks had been binned by AC so the MK IV was built on fiberglass forms that Autokraft built. They DID have the Ace, 289 and FIA bucks but the MK III were long gone at that point. That in no way reduces the quality of the MK IV.

[AC Ventura]

Originally Posted by Mark IV

Brian loved to tell that story. 1) the time was WAY less. 2) The 427 bucks had been binned by AC so the MK IV was built on fiberglass forms that Autokraft built. They DID have the Ace, 289 and FIA bucks but the MK III were long gone at that point. That in no way reduces the quality of the MK IV.

Hey Mk IV, thanks for the update to published knowledge and no sacasm intended. Sounds like you actually visited the AC factory in England and personally knew Brian Anglis. In that case, do you know where he is now?

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by AC Ventura

Hey Mk IV, thanks for the update to published knowledge and no sacasm intended. Sounds like you actually visited the AC factory in England and personally knew Brian Anglis. In that case, do you know where he is now?

Yes,

My wife and I visited Autokraft and two of Brian's three UK homes (he had one on Guernsey as well) and Brian was a guest in our home as well. Mr. Angliss emigrated to New Zealand and is incommunicado as regards Autokraft/AC. I have not spoken with him since the 80's. Other people I know who were close to him have also been unsuccessful in contacting him.