Early Postwar AC 2-Litre Line

The AC cars best known to us in America are the AC Cobra sports cars of the mid-1960s.  The company has gone through several name and management/ownership changes over the decades.  Since around 1960, AC has built sporty cars.  But AC's first post- World War 2 effort was a line of cars based on a prewar 1991 cc motor -- the 2-Litre AC (Wikipedia entry here).

Those 2-Litres were produced 1947-1956 or 1958 (sources vary).  The line comprised 2-door and 4-door saloons (sedans), drophead coupes (cabriolets), and tourers (4-passenger convertibles).  Based on the surviving mix found on Internet images, 4-door saloons were the most rare and 2-door saloons the most common cars.

I use the "What Were They Thinking" label for this post because those saloons were oddly proportioned.  Basic bodies below the beltline were low to the ground like sports cars, whereas passenger compartment greenhouses were proportionally unusually tall.  This should be made clear in the Gallery below.

Gallery

1948 AC 2-Litre Drophead Coupe - HandH Auctions photo
Like most postwar English cars, styling was an elaboration of prewar elements.  Whoever designed the 2-Litre line made an effort to have many of those elements recast in rounded, rather than typically British angular form.  Examples seen here are the fenders, hoodline and grille.  Headlights are blended into the catwalk, anticipating Jaguar XK120 styling.

1950 AC 2-Litre Tourer by Buckland Bodyworks - Hyman Ltd photo
Some AC convertibles featured cut-down doors, while horizontal beltlines at the doors such as this were more common and looked better.  Tourers such with their tops retracted were the most attractive models due to their lack of a too-tall greenhouse.

1947 AC 2-Litre 2-Door Saloon - Dore and Rees Auctions photo
The incompatibility of the low front and tall greenhouse is most apparent when seen from this viewpoint.

1955 AC 2-Litre 4-Door Saloon - car-for-sale photo
More than anything else, the large windshield contributes to the unfortunate proportion problem discussed here.

1952 AC 2-Litre 2-Door Saloon - Historics Auctioneers photos
Now for a three-view of a saloon.

This side view emphasizes another proportion problem -- the front fenders are too massive.  I suppose the designer wanted the 2-Litres to look "modern," so American 1942 fender-over-the-door styling was borrowed.  A slightly lower fender with a sharper fall-off abaft of the peak would have been much better.

Backlight windows are two-piece because flat glass panes were what was available in England in those days.  At least the ensemble is large, helping driver visibility to the rear.