UPDATE – One reader has suggested that this may be a fraudulent ad on eBay because all of the photos are from a well known dealer.
by Mike –
In 1965 AC realized that they needed a grand touring model that could appeal to wealthy customers. They contracted the Italian coach builder Pietro Frua to design a GT body that could be used on a MK III Cobra chassis stretched by 6 inches.
The new car was shown at the 1965 Turin show. A few early models were fitted with the 427 cid Ford motors.
In 1967 the long-stroked 428 cid motor became available and the car was known as the AC Frua. Built out of steel rather than aluminum, the Frua is heavier than a Cobra at slightly under 3,000 lb. It is still a light and very fast car built on a racing chassis.
This 1969 AC 428 Frua Convertible is for sale now on eBay with a current bid of $125,100 and the reserve not met.
The seller writes that this is a Pebble Beach winner and was restored by My Car Quest reader, David Grant.
Another My Car Quest reader, Alexander Oet, owns a gold AC 428 Frua Convertible. According to my source there were only 28 AC 428 Frua Convertibles made making this a rare car.
I love everything about this AC except the wheels. I would really love to own this car – I am sure the wheels can be swapped out for a correct set without too much trouble.
One question – the seller writes “never offered for sale before” yet the photos used in the eBay listing were taken at the Fantasy Junction dealer facility in Emeryville, California. It seems to me that Fantasy Junction likely had this AC for sale at one time.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Fairly sure this is a fraud listing on ebay. This car was sold by Fantasy Junction several years ago– I am a very good customer of theirs and remember this well. By the way, I am told by Fantasy Junction owners Bruce and Slencer Trennery that this type of fraud happens a lot– I have contacted them in several occasions to ask why they are showing a car ( that brick wall is infamous) to find out that they do not even have the car and was a listing from years back. Welcome to the Internet!
Thank you for this. When I saw that brick wall I suspected the seller was exaggerating the claim “never offered for sale before” as I mentioned at the end but I did not suspect this was a fake ad.
I will contact ebay.
Have you notified Ebay??
Mike, don’t you think that the convertible versions of the AC 428 and Maserati Mistral look very similar? The coupes look quite different from the sides and back, but it seemed to me that, while beautiful designs, Frua sold the same basic design of the open car to two different companies, with differences just in details. Or is that going too far? 😉
Miguel, I agree they do look alike. I think many designers borrowed their own work.
I am very familiar with these cars as well as the Maserati Mistral Spyder by Frua. I am a collector and a number of years ago went to a small town in Maryland to potentially purchase one.(couda/Shoulda.). What turned me off of the car was the huge box on the console that held the A/C unit. Within the last 10-15 years I went to Grand Rapids, MI to look at another 428, a coupe as I recall. I once owned a Mistral Spyder but it was recently acquired by a dealer in New York. The bodies are very similar since they were both designed by Frua but the 428 has US running gear Chrysler I believe and a hemi engine while the Maserati has a Maserati inline 6 engine of either, 3.5, 3.75 or 4.0 liters with a 5 speed ZF transmission. The 428 and the Mistral Spyder are still beautiful cars.
Marvin,
The AC 428 has never had Chrysler let alone hemi underpinnings. Perhaps you’re confusing this with the Swiss Monteverdi?
The AC chassis was derived from the Mk 3 Cobra, and the engine was a Ford 428.