1971 AC 428 Fastback

This motor car is being sold as part of an overseas collection. It has been imported under the Bonhams temporary admission customs bond and is therefore subject to the lower rate 5% import tax if the car is to remain in the UK & purchased by a private individual.

The 5% is calculated on the final selling price. For example, if the car sells for £40,000, then £2,000 is added, making the total amount payable of £42,000.

Companies buying this car will pay duty + VAT and also VAT on the hammer.

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, and proof that HMRC fees are paid. If the car is subsequently exported abroad within 30 days then these fees are refundable.

Lastly, there will be a nominal administration fee of £250 for processing the NOVA application, and payable direct to the shipping company. A completed and processed NOVA will provide you formal proof that all duties & taxes are paid in UK and thus allow you to register the vehicle with the DVLA

In common with the majority of cars in this collection, this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

We have not tried to start or drive the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.

It is available for view and inspection at our HQ near Abingdon and you and/or your appointed engineer should inspect it before placing any bid.

This is one of only seven AC 428 Fastback Frua coupés produced in 1971.

With the proviso that we haven’t tried to start or drive this car and can therefore only attest to its cosmetic condition, we think this 428 Fastback is a solid, sound and highly desirable example of a vanishingly rare and exotic piece of automotive history.

In common with many vehicles from the vendor’s collection, the car comes with very little history and no recent service records.

The car was sold for $110,000 at a Worldwide Auctions sale at Auburn, Indiana, on 2.9.11.

The auction notes included the following description.

“With just 44,020 miles on the odometer from new, this 428 Fastback coupe is original with the exception of one repaint in 1989 in the U.K., when the color was changed from baby blue to the factory-specification white. The black interior leather and trim remain impeccable, with a wear and patina that only 40-plus years of caring ownership preserves. The engine, transmission, electrical, suspension, brakes, rubber, glass and chrome components are all in fully maintained and excellent condition as befits a car that has lived in a prestigious Florida collection for the past seven years. Fully sorted, this car has been regularly but lightly used with approximately 3,000 driven miles since 2006. A virtually full ownership history file comes with the car, as do many extra parts and spares, articles written about the car and much more.”

Its mileage was recorded as 44,020 at that time.

We know that it was purchased (from Hyman Classic Cars of St. Louis, Missouri) by the vendor for his collection of static display vehicles on 27.10.11. for the price of $120,000.

Today, the odometer reads 44,115 miles.

We have seen various dialogues on AC forums about this very car (VIN: CF62) dating from around the time the car was sold to the vendor. Some point out, correctly, that the bonnet has been modified with a scoop, has been painted a rather different shade of white and doesn’t quite fit properly.

Others speculate on the car’s condition and provenance in sundry other ways. There is no doubt lots, some or a little bit of truth in (all, a few or none) of these speculations.

Who knows?

We don’t. We’re not AC 428 Fastback aficionados.

One thing is certain: this very special car deserves to be seen in the flesh, and appraised and critiqued by expert eyes.

Overall, the bodywork and paint finish on this highly distinctive Anglo-American-Italian muscle car coupé present very well.

The panels are straight, and there are relatively few dinks, dents, creases, folds, nicks or scrapes to report.

The shut lines are arguably no better or worse than those you might find in other hand-built creations that are now over half a century old, although the door and boot-lid gaps are stretching the limits of that argument in some places.

The clear exception to this is the bonnet, which, as mentioned, has been modified to include an air-scoop. It is lifting slightly on both front and rear corners and has clearly been sprayed a rather whiter shade of pale at some point.

The front bumper (noted as missing around the time of the auction) is intact, straight and subject to just the odd spot of foxing here and there.

In fact, most of the chrome work is fairly decent, with the exception of the rear bumper, where the chrome has been replaced by superficial rust in places.

Happily, the car’s Webasto sun roof is in very good condition and opens and closes as it should.

The wire wheels have held up very well, too.

The paintwork is mostly shiny and in decent fettle, although there are a few flat spots here and there and the usual outbreaks or road rash in the expected places.

There is a rust-coloured mark running down towards the sill from under the driver’s door.

Most of the external rubber trim is in decent nick, as are the lights, lenses and badging.

There is a small patch of delamination at the bottom of the windscreen on the passenger side.

There is no bubbling or blistering that we can see anywhere on the bodywork.

The interior is really very good indeed and appears to be highly original and authentic.

The leather seats are showing the most obvious signs of age, with the driver’s seat particularly heavily creased. There is a small (but we think repairable) tear in the seat cushion.

The seats are supportive, comfortable and seem to be structurally sound.

Everything else is really pretty good.

The rear luggage platform and surrounds look pretty much untroubled by either time or use.

The door cards are decent and the carpets and mats, although not without signs of wear, have endured the passing years with commendable resilience.

Some of the insulating mat and carpet is dangling loose in the passenger footwell and there’s some oily-looking superficial rust underneath.

The black dashboard, centre console and central storage unit are all in good condition, as are most of the fixtures and fittings.

This is a purposeful, single-minded interior. There’s nothing here to distract you from the serious work of driving a very powerful car with all the dedication and concentration it deserves.

The steering wheel is delightfully of its era and has just the right amount of patina to its wooden rim and alloy spokes.

The distinctive hooped gear selector and surround is in good condition.

We can’t make any claims about the functionality of switches, knobs, levers, toggles, buttons, dials or other electrics as we haven’t been able to start the vehicle.

With the doors open there’s evidence of scuffed or cracked paint in a few places, and some superficial rust here and there above the sills, and in the door jambs and closures.

The boot looks solid and contains a spare wire wheel, jack, tools and mallet (in an ACOC storage bag).

Lifting up the carpets here or elsewhere in the car reveals some superficial rust dust but nothing that would cause alarm bells to ring, as far as we can see.

The waxed undersides look pretty strong and solid to us, and there’s evidence of some new-ish components (springs, exhaust system).

Yes, there’s rust dust in places and the odd flake and hole here and there but, in general, most of the visible corrosion appears to be largely superficial in nature.

Clearly, you’ll want to see for yourself and reach your own conclusion.

The engine and engine bay seem to be in very good condition, with everything looking clean, dry and in its right and proper place.

The car doesn’t come with a service history or any record of work done.

Currently, it has neither an MoT certificate nor a V5.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We think you’ll be waiting a long time before you get a crack at another one of these, in this condition, with this sort of mileage.

There were rare, exotic cars designed for only the most discerning and particular of buyers when they were brand new.

The intervening years have only made them even more so.

If the underlying structure, engine and running gear prove to be as impressive as the rest of this very special car, then we think the process of recommissioning and/or restoring it should more than repay the time and attention it fully deserves to receive from its next owner.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £40,000 - £60,000, plus Bonhams bond payment and £250 NOVA fee.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.