Britain’s oldest car maker has resurrected a well-regarded 1950s’ roadster as an electric model.

BACK in 1901, two brothers set up a car company in Britain; half a century on, that brand delivered a car that has become an enduring classic – and, now, the forebear to that model is being reborn as an electric car.

Can you guess the name of the company?

Serious petrolheads might when given the salient clue that it is Britain’s oldest manufacturer.

Mentioning that it is also the make that gave the world the Cobra two-seater, a car that admittedly only really blazed a tyre-smoking track into notoriety after American Carroll Shelby came up with the concept of hot-rodding it with a V8.

Anyway, now AC cars is back in the news by unveiling the Cobra’s forebear, a smaller roadster called the Ace, as its first electric car.

And yes, the AC Ace RS ‘electric’ is the Ace they produced during the 1950s.

AC says its approach is about providing highly evocative, hand-built cars with high performance zero-emission powertrains.

So, what’s being delivered as the first official AC Cars product in over two decades a rebirth that retains the shape of the original.

AC says it’s project is “a world away from messy conversions using off the shelf parts.

“The AC Ace RS ‘electric’ is a brand new production car that delivers precision British engineering with a specifically developed cutting-edge electric drivetrain.”

Despite its classic styling the new AC will deliver a 0-100kmh time of around 5.5secs and 500Nm of torque (peak), ensuring that it’s in a different performance league to the Ace of old. It will also achieve around 320kms’ range on a single charge.

Named in honour of the original car’s final iteration, the AC Ace RS, just 37 Founders Editions of the AC Ace RS ‘electric’ are planned, starting at the equivalent of $NZ250,000.

Brand chief executive Alan Lubinsky says AC’s move to electric power “has proved to be more important for the brand than anything else we’ve attempted before.

“The combination of our pedigree with a new, fully electric drivetrain means that we’re ready to offer brand new cars that are undeniably historic in character yet thoroughly modern in their powertrain and performance.

“The interest around the world in our new electric cars from has been tremendous and has proved that developing a bespoke EV powertrain is the right approach in ensuring the future success of AC Cars.”

The original AC Ace was launched in 1954 and stayed in production until 1962, capturing enthusiasts’ attention with its undeniable beauty and spirited performance. In turn, the Ace led directly to the development of the formidable AC Cobra.

The new car is being built by a team based at the UK’s historic racing circuit Brooklands, Surrey, and the powertrain comes from a technical partner, Falcon Electric.

Deliveries start in late 2022, and reservations can be made now via the AC Cars website.

The launch of the new AC Ace RS electric follows the finalization of the AC Cobra Series 1 electric, ahead of the first customer deliveries, and the AC Cobra Series 4 electric announced in June