Steering & Suspension

All-independent, on transverse leaves

Front and rear, the Aceca uses transverse leaf springs working with tubular wishbones — the lower arms — with the leaf spring itself doubling as the upper link, and inclined telescopic dampers all round. It is an elegantly simple arrangement, and a light one. The Ace was the first post-war British sports car to offer all-round independent suspension, and with near 50/50 weight distribution the result is a light, agile, neutral-handling car that flatters the driver rather than fighting him.

At the back, drive is taken through a chassis-mounted ENV final-drive unit and articulated half-shafts, so the heavy differential is carried by the frame rather than by the springs. Keeping unsprung weight down in this way is a large part of the Aceca's famously supple ride over poor surfaces. The chassis guide covers the frame itself in more detail.

The steering

Original Aceca and Aceca-Bristol cars steer through a Bishop cam (cam-and-peg) steering box — light, direct and quick, with only a couple of turns lock to lock. It asks for small inputs and rewards a relaxed pair of hands; drivers coming from a modern car often over-steer the first few corners simply because so little wheel movement is needed.

The late Aceca 2.6 adopted rack-and-pinion steering — the change that also paved the way for the Cobra. If you are comparing cars, this is one of the clearest differences in feel between an early and a late Aceca; the Aceca 2.6 page sets out the rest.

Keeping it sweet

Like all cars of its era the Aceca relies on regular greasing. The king pins and trunnions are the critical wear points: grease them regularly, because wear here shows up as steering play and uneven tyre wear long before anything sounds wrong.

• King pins and trunnions — the priority. Keep to the greasing routine rather than waiting for symptoms.
• Leaf springs — watch for sagging or cracked leaves, and for tired spring bushes.
• Dampers — worn telescopics spoil the car's poise more than any other single item.
• Steering box and track-rod ends — check for play at both ends of the linkage before blaming the box.
• Wheel bearings — condition and adjustment; see the tyres and wheels article for what goes with them.

A transverse-leaf chassis is naturally prone to a little bump-steer, so correct geometry and sound joints matter more here than on a car with a conventional coil-and-wishbone layout. Chasing a wandering Aceca with alignment alone rarely works: renew the worn joints first, then set the geometry.

Keep the joints greased and the geometry true and the Aceca rewards you with the handling that made its name. Brakes and suspension are worth thinking about together — see the brakes article for the other half of the story.