By 1973/4, the owner decided to undertake a complete overhaul of the AC but as a great enthusiast of the great British canal, he became the driving force behind the regeneration of our inland waterways and this took precedent over the AC.

Having moved to a canal side cottage close to the Gas Street Basin in Birmingham, the AC was garaged in an adjacent lock up and stored on blocks for the next 34 years.

On the 23rd November 2007, realising the AC would never be completed during his ownership, the AC was sold to a fellow canal and AC enthusiast and restorer who then completed a thorough rebuild to an exceptional standard.

Interestingly the Bristol engine was rebuilt to standard specification, but finding it uninspiring, the engine was given to Steve Stanton of Stanton Motorsport who rebuilt the unit with Cosworth pistons and fast road cam to give the car 140bhp at 5500 rpm.

In 2011 the AC was sold to fund a new project and came into the hands of an owner who then carried out thousan...