To contact us, the email address is ayre at dccnet dot com: I don't know whether writing the email address that way will foil the viagra advertisers and Nigerian princes, but it's worth a try. 

Ayrspeed's AC Tribute

Iain Ayre's Eco-Ace is a development of the 1951 AC Ace body shape, based on recycled and turbocharged Mazda Miata/MX5 mechanical components to offer too much peformance, superb handling, a 50-year useful life and 40+ miles to the gallon.  Although resembling an AC Ace in outline, it's widened to accommodate axle widths, tyres and wheels to suit 2011 rather than 1951, and is designed to handle 300bhp rather than 85bhp.  

The Eco-Ace is the greenest car in the world, recycling 90% of the mechanical components of a scrap Mazda Miata/MX5 sports car into a new composite shell and a strong backbone spaceframe chassis that will last for 50-100 years. It also has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Ferrari 360.

How Green? Environmental information is now political and unreliable, but buying a new car - any new car - has to be the worst individual act of environmental vandalism a person can commit, as long as there are still small-engined secondhand cars available. The usefully large engine bay and rear luggage space of the widened Eco-Ace body is designed to accommodate hydrogen tanks, propane cells, batteries or dilithium crystals when oil becomes unavailable.  

Ayrspeed's future-based thinking includes the use of dual fuel gasoline and propane or LPG injection, chosen for two reasons. Firstly, propane's very high 110 octane rating allows for much more extreme turbocharger pressures and even more insane power - but without detonation melting the pistons. Secondly, the tailpipe emissions from propane are cleaner than Bob Geldof's conscience. Propane is also 30%-50%% cheaper than gasoline.   

The green credentials of the Toyota Prius and its ilk have been skilfully exaggerated. Rather than gouging yet more rare metals from the earth to make relatively short-lived batteries, a genuinely eco-friendly option is to recycle an existing small and efficient secondhand engine and drivetrain into a very light, very strong car that will last many times longer than a Prius. There's also no good reason why an ecologically advanced car has to look like a potato. It's your choice whether your eco-sensitive transport resembles a vegetable or an athlete.   

The Eco-Ace will also be the fastest car of its type in the world. Most AC-inspired lookalikes have very large American V8 engine/drivetrains weighing 1000lbs too much, and with this huge boat-anchor on board they need truck-style chassis and a massive drivetrain, and are pretty clumsy on the road and track. Many also still use a primitive drainpipe chassis. Why would you cut your steak with a replica 1950s chainsaw when you have the option to use a Sabatier sushi knife? Having said that, there is room in the Eco-Ace chassis for a V8 to suit those who can't resist the thunder. A recycled and improved Rover V8 is the recommended option.

The theme of the Ayrspeed chassis design is to follow Lotus principles and to use light weight, soft springing and hard shock absorbers for the best possible handling and performance, with ride comfort thrown in. A happy coincidence is that the Mazda twin-cam engine is similar in concept to the Lotus twin-cam engine found in the original Elan, but with modern Japanese reliability.  

Another happy coincidence is that the Eco-Ace will be the cheapest AC lookalike available: the very low on-the-road cost of a non-turbo Eco-Ace is achieved by its very high percentage of almost-free recycled Mazda components. 

The Eco-Ace is Iain's third car design, the first having been a Mini-based three-wheeler with Italian/British lines, and the second a redesign of the exquisite XK120 Jaguar body shape as a modern sports car.   

It's true that two-seater sports cars are marginally less practical than four-seaters, although amost all commuting car journeys are made by solo drivers. Anybody who feels strongly about having four seats is welcome to commission a Bentley MkVI special from Ayrspeed with convertible touring coachwork in aluminium over ash.   

	Mazda's excellent 1600cc twin-cam engine in turbocharged form offers dramatic power and dramatic fuel efficiency.
	The interior of a British-built Eco-Ace with Moto-Lita wheel and leather trim will look the business. However, the perfectly usable standard Miata wheel, switchgear and seats come free with the donor...

Books

 Iain has published ten books, and is writing four more. 'The Cobra Replica Essential Buyer's Guide' is in the shops, and 'The Ultimate Mini Restoration Manual',  'Bugger Monocoques - Enjoying and restoring Vintage and Post-Vintage Cars (working title), 'The Affordable Cobra', and 'The Bumper book of Minis for Boys and Girls' are in the research stages. Iain is also writing on dog food and corporate corruption in 'A Dog's Dinner' with his wife Jelena.

 'TVR-all the cars' was originally to be titled 'TVR- the Legacy of Trevor' because nobody called Trevor has ever had a legacy before, but Haynes Publishing's choice of the title "All the Cars " is accurate if dull. This is Iain's second book on TVR, and takes us from spindly 1940s specials to thundering monsters with half-tamed Le Mans endurance racing engines. It ends with what may be TVR's final bankruptcy. 

 The Kit Car Manual draws on twenty years of testing, building, enjoying, writing about and being terrified and exhilarated by kit cars, which are usually around twice as fast as production cars and have about ten times as much character.  The book is not a brochure: it takes you on a ride through the reality of kit car life which may put you off the whole idea. On the other hand, you may be sucked in and find yourself wondering why everybody makes such a fuss about Ferraris.

Mad Minis is a collection of the most insane and entertaining ideas that Iain has seen applied to the Mini during decades of writing about Minis for magazines. Some of the cars featured were too mad to be featured in magazines and can only be found in this book.  

The latest Ayre book is the Cobra Replica Essential Buyer's Guide from Veloce, which is a condensed introduction to the world of replica Cobras. This was intriguing to write, as the author is also designing and prototyping a new type of Cobra replica and has thus been deeply involved in considering the pros and cons of the various existing designs. 

The Kitcar Manual (2nd edition, 2008) TVR - All the Cars (2008) TVR - Muscle and Curves (1993) and Classic Sports Cars (2nd edition, 2003) are available on request, and Mad Minis (2010) and The Affordable Porsche 2010) are now published by Haynes. Ferrari 512TR and Maserati Heritage (both 1994) can sometimes be found on Amazon.  

Iain currently writes regularly for Mini Magazine, MG Enthusiast, Kitcar (UK), Kit Car Builder (USA), Triumph World, Ultra VW, Jaguar World and occasionally Classic Cars and Japanese Performance.