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Messages - rstainer

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46
Recent ACs / Re: New Continuation Cobras
« on: March 26, 2019, 20:48:10 »
Rob,

Even if less than 500 there must be a known ‘manufacturer of record’ for it to be classed as an AC. If an owners’ club doesn’t know who made the vehicle, the owners’ club can’t include it in its register.  Not one of the AC companies in the 3rd March post above lists its ‘Nature of Business’ as ‘Manufacture of Motor Vehicles’ (SIC 29100).

However, I’m only the Thames Ditton Cobra Registrar and not on the Club’s Council. Any proposed changes to Club policy need to be put to Council via Constant Wagner or Andy Shepherd.

RS


47
Recent ACs / Re: New Continuation Cobras
« on: March 25, 2019, 20:52:31 »
Rob,

This should really be addressed to Constant Wagner, but I’ll have a stab at an answer.

All vehicles sold as manufactured vehicles need a manufacturer of record - under ISO 3779 it’s the world manufacturer identifier, the first three digits of the VIN/car number. ACOC Registers only list cars where AC (or Shelby American for Shelby contract ACs) is the manufacturer of record and AC has advised us, or we’ve had reliable information from other impartial sources, about the VINs and dates of cars sold or ready for sale.

AC hasn’t provided us with any information for almost twenty years and we’ve received no reliable information from impartial sources, so no register for cars made this century. You may put me right, but I don’t know of any current AC company that is a manufacturer of record.

The ACOC defines an original car as one having continuous history as a complete vehicle since manufacture. ‘Fake’ (a thing that is claimed to be other than what it is) is a more nebulous term; for example, some would call FIA HTP Cobras built this century fakes, but if they’re properly described they’re genuine but not ACs. I would describe them as genuine replicas if they replicate the performance and behaviour of the period and non-genuine replicas if they don’t. Genuine unless defined is as nebulous as fake unless defined.

RS


48
Recent ACs / Re: New Continuation Cobras
« on: March 24, 2019, 20:04:03 »
Rob,

The AC Mk VI GTs, Mk VI GT BIG BLOCKs, Mk VI GTSs and Mk VI GTSRs (not, please note, 'Cobras') were manufactured by AC Automotive GmbH (Straubenhardt, Germany), the Jürgen Mohr/Laurent Abert company that may have ceased physical existence (see Spatnik post above).

Is someone, somewhere, still manufacturing these cars? The evidence would suggest not.

RS

49
Recent ACs / Re: New Continuation Cobras
« on: March 24, 2019, 16:16:34 »

Rob,

ACEDES Holdings LLC was a Malta company (PO Box 103, Silema) that ceased operations in 2008: “The owner of a sports car manufacturing company who in 2005 was granted half a million Euros in government aid to transfer his factory to Malta, abandoned the factory and fled the island, without paying anything back to Maltese authorities” (the Malta Star, 18 March 2008).

It appears the ‘company’ was then transferred to another country not normally associated with car manufacturing, St Kitts-Nevis.

Is AC still in business? Taking the conventional meaning of business (operations, markets etc) the evidence suggests NO.

RS

50
Cobra (Thames Ditton) Forum / Re: CSX2388
« on: March 07, 2019, 10:10:17 »
Ned,

Not the case. We also ‘resurrect it based on its completeness’; the only requirement is that the car hasn’t been parted out.

The ex Jim Rose 2388 is correctly described in the ACOC leaf-spring replicas appendix as:

VIN asserted    Date    Reg      Colour  Trim  Last known owner   Location  Additional information
   CSX2388        1986  1964 AC    Silver    Red    Michel Lecourt          France       Built by Jim Rose. RHD. Converted to LHD.                                                                                                                                          Race prepared. FIA HTP.
                               EBY 518B                                                                         [Jim Rose]
                                                                                                                      (Original exists, in the USA)
                                                                                                                       

The ACOC has always classified the Rose 2388, now in France, as a Replica built in 1986.

R

51
Recent ACs / Re: New Continuation Cobras
« on: March 03, 2019, 14:57:40 »
Emmanuel refers to AC Automotive GmbH (Straubenhardt, Germany), the Jürgen Mohr/Laurent Abert company that may have ceased physical existence.

A glossy motor magazine could at some stage spot a rising Phoenix but the UK Lubinsky companies do not appear to prosper:
   AC Car Group Ltd:                          A dormant £2 company
   AC Cars Ltd:                                  A dormant £1 company
     AC Cars Manufacturing Ltd:             A dormant £1 company
   AC Cars (England) Ltd:                   A dormant £1 company
   AC Cars (Eu) Ltd:                           No evident activity - shareholder funds minus £153,651
   Autokraft (UK) Limited:                   A dormant £1 company
   Autokraft Advanced Technology Ltd: No evident activity - shareholder funds minus £120,182
   Zenos Cars Ltd:                              A dormant £1 company
   Zenos Cars (Europe) Ltd:                 A dormant £1 company.

RS


52
Cobra (Thames Ditton) Forum / Re: 39PH For Sale
« on: February 26, 2019, 14:21:44 »
Per Fiskens “AC Cars built Cobra chassis number CSX2131 at its Thames Ditton factory...”

Not per AC’s Factory Ledger, AC’s car-numbering conventions, 1963 Le Mans scrutineering or the ACOC. 2131, a RHD car, is CS2131.

‘X’ was only used for LHD cars. Shelby American’s Willment invoice mistakenly lists it as 'CSX' but the CS concept was unknown California.

RS

53
General Forum / Re: Registering a CSX4000 in the UK
« on: November 16, 2018, 16:15:35 »
It depends, I believe, on whether or not it was made by a licensed motor vehicle manufacturer and originally registered as such. If it wasn't, it would have been registered as a 'Specially Constructed Vehicle' or similar (regulations vary from state to state) and would, per my reading of UK regulations, only qualify for a 'Q' registration.

RS 

54
General Forum / Re: News from Essex
« on: October 06, 2018, 14:45:23 »
I commend the Judgement (www link above) to those interested in the facts: the case doesn’t concern ‘an aggrieved buyer’ or in any way suggest that Michael Tuke is less worldly than us.

The claim is that Derek Hood/JD Classics acted as Michael Tuke’s agent in advising on Tuke’s purchases and sales of classic cars. The Court concluded that the evidence presented to it was “consistent with there having been a straightforward principal/agent relationship between Mr Tuke and the Defendant by which the Defendant took a 10% commission from any profit made by Mr Tuke....”

An agent owes a fiduciary duty to his principal that excludes all self-interest; the prospect of succeeding in ‘this sort of action these days’ is the same as it was fifty or a hundred years ago.

RS

55
General Forum / Re: News from Essex
« on: September 24, 2018, 13:07:33 »
Your further questions answered:

Who took over JD Classics’ assets on 18th September?
   Woodham Mortimer Ltd.

Is Woodham Mortimer long-established with plenty of capital?
   Not per the public record: set up earlier on the 18th September with £1 share capital allotted .

So who owns this £1 share?
   Cayman Islands based JDC Holdings LLC, resident in a Post Office box (no 39, to be precise).

But the Cayman Islands are not well known for classic car expertise. Who appears to control JDC Holdings LLC?
   Reports have it that it’s HPS Investment Partners LLC (HPS being Highbridge Principal Strategies).

Highbridge in Somerset?
   No, HPS is ‘headquartered in New York’.

Classic car dealers then?
   Er, no.

RS

56
General Forum / Re: News from Essex
« on: September 20, 2018, 09:31:56 »
Further detail is at http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2018/531.html

A well-read AC aficionado is reminded of Walter Scott:
   “O, what a tangled web we weave,
         When first we practise to deceive!”

RS


57
General Forum / News from Essex
« on: September 19, 2018, 15:41:15 »
Derek Hood (JD Classics) bought an £84,000 AC Aceca (BE621) and sold it for £254,000 three weeks later. The casual observer would say that DH is either very astute or less than frank in his buyer representations. Sean Brannigan QC’s assessment is blunter: “....fraudulent misrepresentation....” (5th March).

JD Classics went into administration last week (https://news.sky.com/story/classic-car-dealer-jd-races-for-funding-amid-fraud-probe-11480930). Its assets were acquired yesterday so it remains a going concern: whether Mr Brannigan’s client sees any of his money (£9,000,000 is claimed) or Lloyd’s recover any of their advances (said to be circa £25,000,000) only time will tell.

RS

58
Recent ACs / Re: New Continuation Cobras
« on: September 05, 2018, 20:08:14 »
Rob,

My understanding is that the project's originators hoped that their "fortunate few" target market would have nine members, that any other than the first car would be built to order, that the target market hope has not been realised and that 'few', to date, is fewer than two.

I may be wrong: any authoritative correction would be welcome.

RS



 

59
Cobra (Thames Ditton) Forum / AC Cobra-type vehicle VIN asserted COB5998
« on: July 08, 2018, 12:54:45 »
A US dealer offers for sale a vehicle described as a 1964 (sometimes 1965) ‘Ford 289 Shelby Cobra s/n COB5998’. The Club categorises this vehicle, bearing an AC rather than Shelby VIN, as Replica completed in 1995.

Please email me for our public-domain findings if you would like further information.

RS

60
ACOC News and Events / Re: Brands Hatch Masters Series Tickets
« on: May 17, 2018, 19:20:57 »
Masters Historic Racing includes the Gentlemen Drivers mini-endurance series for pre-1966 GT cars. As all Gentlemen Drivers' AC/ Shelby Cobras at Imola (April 20/22) were built in the 21st Century I'm not sure 'Historic' is the right term.

RS

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