Driving The ACE

    A dreamlike sense of unreality envelopes me as I joyfully thread this little vehicle along the twisting mountain road. Double-clutching to 3rd, I take a late apex next to a shear rock face - the staccato report of my twin mufflers reverberates back to me; the tires offer no protest as the chassis heels very gently. The tach climbs and I grab 4th. I feel like Michael Schumacher - no, make it Juan Manuel Fangio!

Actually, I feel exactly like me and I know that this car is the perfect expression of who I am and everything I've learned thus far: I designed and built the prototype over a 5 year period and now that it's finally functioning at an amazingly high level of performance, driving it offers me a hard earned catharsis!

The ACE is nothing like a trike or sidecar outfit despite its three-wheeled configuration: it's light weight, ultra low center of gravity and relatively sophisticated suspension allow the ACE to perform like a small sports/racing car. With a stock 88" motor the ACE accelerates about like a dresser and easily pulls away from cars. Driving the ACE puts you in mind of the heroic fighter pilots and race drivers of the past. It's like a blend of classic speed boat, open cockpit plane and vintage race car. You have the rap and bark of the V-Twin motor. You are sitting barely 9" off the pavement and as the road rushes at you, the feeling of speed is intensified.

The Brooklands screen deflects just enough wind blast to see exactly where you are placing each front wheel. You can watch the suspension respond to the road and the wheels react to every steering input. The ACE is at its best in the twisties, barely squeaking a tire as it effortlessly dispatches the most serpentine of roads. Driving the ACE is an exhilarating experience and my pulse invariably rises when I settle into the seat, snap the steering wheel in place, flip the ignition switch and push the starter button!