Ace (1920 automobile)

The Ace was an American-assembled car made in Ypsilanti, Michigan by the Apex Motor Car Company, which was reorganized as the Apex Motor Corporation in 1921. The initial batch of cars assembled were sent to Seattle, Washington dealer F. E. Earnest, who had the idea for the Ace after he was unable to secure a steady supply of new cars for his dealership.[1]

Apex Motor Car Co.; Apex Motor Corp.
TypeAutomobile Manufacturing
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1920
FounderFE Earnest
Defunct1923
Fatesold and closed
Headquarters
Ypsilanti, Michigan
,
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
Harry T. Hanover, Fred M. Guy, Otto W. Heinz
ProductsVehicles
Automotive parts
Bus coachwork

The most interesting feature of the Ace was the Guy Disc-Valve motor, created by engineer Fred M. Guy, and Otto W. Heinz.[2] Initially, it was prepared as a four-cylinder engine for production in the Hackett, but the company folded before it was ready.[3]

In April, 1921, Guy and Heinz left the Apex Motor Corporation, with the support of Apex, to found the Guy Disc Valve Motor Co. in Ypsilanti. In mid-1921, a Model H tourer with a conventional Herschell-Spillman straight-6 was added, with a selling price $2,000.[2] The man at the helm at Apex was by now Harry T. Hanover. For 1922, the Guy engine was gone. The Model F Pup was added to the range, fitted with a conventional 4-cylinder Gray-Bell engine, and priced at $1295.[1] It was sold beside the Model L Scout with a smaller than previous Hershell-Spillmann straight-six engine, and the new top-of-the-line Model C Combat with a 340 c.i. Continental Six engine. The sixes ranged in price from $2260 to $3150.[1]

Most Ace cars were tourings, with a few roadsters, and a 4/5 passenger coupe-sedan with a custom-built look. The Combat line also included an attractive speedster in the Kissel Gold Bug pattern.

Apex was initially involved in the Diamond Cab project, which also included Gray Motor Corp., and Guy Disc Valve Motor Co. Within a few months, these plans became obsolete as Diamond Cab got new owners, resulting in the cab built by Elcar, and another cab built by the Driggs Ordnance & Manufacturing Corp.[4]

Ace automobile production ended with the 1922 model year. Total production was 256 cars.[2] Apex Corp. was sold to the American Motor Truck Company in Newark, Ohio, in 1922. For a short time, Apex built bus bodies here, but soon closed forever.[5]

Ace model overview
YearModel name(s)Cyl.Displacement
c.i. / cm³		Power
bhp / kW		EngineWheelbase
in / mm		CoachworkPrice
1920Six
Model T		S657 / 42,5Guy Disc Valve115 / 2921Touring
1921Rotary Six
Model G		S657 / 42,5Guy Disc Valve123 / 3124Touring
1921Rotary Six
Model G		S657 / 42,5Guy Disc Valve123 / 3124Coupé
1921Six
Model H		S6288.6
4730		68 / 50,7Herschell-Spillman117 / 2972TouringUS$2050
1921Six
Model L		S6248,9
4078		59 / 44,0Herschell-Spillman117 / 2972Touring
5 Sitze
1921SixS6248,9
4078		59 / 44,0Herschell-Spillman117 / 2972Coupé-Sedan
4-5 Sitze
1922Pub Model F
34-40		S4192,4
3153		43 / 32,1Gray-Bell114 / 2896Touring
5 Sitze		US$1295
1922Pub Model F
34-40		S4192,4
3153		43 / 32,1Gray-Bell114 / 2896Roadster
2 Sitze		US$1295
1922Pub Model F
S4192,4
3153		43 / 32,1Gray-Bell114 / 2896Coupé-Sedan
4-5 Sitze		US$1295
1922Scout Model L
30-60		R6248,9
4078		59 / 44,0Herschell-Spillman117 / 2972Touring
5 Sitze		US$2260
1922Scout Model L
30-60		S6248,9
4078		59 /44,0Herschell-Spillman117 / 2972Roadster
2 Sitze		US$2260
192235-70S6288.6
4730		Herschell-Spillman117 / 2972Coupé-Sedan
1922Combat Model C
35-80		S6340,6
5582		77 / 57,4Continental120 / 3048Touring
5 Sitze		US$2975
1922Combat Model C
35-80		S6340,6
5582		77 / 57,4Continental120 / 3048Roadster
2 Sitze		US$2975
1922Combat Model C
35-80		S6340,6
5582		77 / 57,4Continental120 / 3048Speedster
3 Sitze		US$3150

The 1921 Model L and 1922 35-70 are mentioned by a single source. While the L appears a smaller companion to the Model H, the 35-70 possibly was nothing more than a renamed 1920 Model H Coupe-Sedan.[6]

There is no existing Ace automobile known,[7] however the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum offered a $5000 reward for evidence that directs to such a car.[8] Although the museum continues to search for a surviving Ace, the reward expired in 2003 with the death of museum co-founder Skip Ungrodt.

  • 1921 Ace Rotary Six Model G Coupé
    1921 Ace Rotary Six Model G Coupé
  • 1921 Ace Six Model H
    1921 Ace Six Model H
  • 1922 Ace Pub Model F 34-40 Touring
    1922 Ace Pub Model F 34-40 Touring
  • 1922 Ace Pub Model F Coupé-Sedan 4-5 Sitze
    1922 Ace Pub Model F Coupé-Sedan 4-5 Sitze
  • 1922 Ace Combat Model C 35-80 Touring 5 Sitze
    1922 Ace Combat Model C 35-80 Touring 5 Sitze
  • 1922 Ace Combat Model C 35-80 Speedster 3 Sitze
    1922 Ace Combat Model C 35-80 Speedster 3 Sitze
  • 1922 Ace Scout Model L 30-60 Touring 5 Sitze
    1922 Ace Scout Model L 30-60 Touring 5 Sitze
  • 1922 Ace 35-70 Coupé-Sedan
    1922 Ace 35-70 Coupé-Sedan

See also

References
  1. Georgano, Nick (2000). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: Stationery Office. p. 1792. ISBN 0117023191.
  2. Kimes, Beverly Rae (1996). The Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942. Iola, IA: Krause Publications. p. 1612. ISBN 0873414284.
  3. Kimes, Beverly Rae (1996). The Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942. Iola, IA: Krause Publications. p. 666. ISBN 0873414284.
  4. coachbuilt.com: Driggs Ordnance & Manufacturing Corp.
  5. Kimes, Beverly Rae (1996). The Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942. Iola, IA: Krause Publications. p. 14. ISBN 0873414284.
  6. carfolio.com: Specifications: 1921 Ace H
  7. american-automobiles.com: The Ace Automobile & The Apex Motor Corporation
  8. ypsilantihistoricalsociety.org: History / Ace Automobile - 1920-1922
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