AC 3000ME History

The 3000ME was a bold stylistic departure for AC: a mid-engined two-seat coupé with a wedge profile, shown first as the 'ME3000' concept at the 1973 London Motor Show and powered by a transversely mounted 3.0-litre Ford Essex V6 driving through a bespoke AC-designed gearbox. Development was effectively complete by 1976, but a new set of UK Type Approval regulations forced a costly chassis redesign that pushed first customer deliveries back to 1979.

The production 3000ME generated 138 bhp and received mixed reviews — the handling was criticised relative to contemporary rivals such as the Lotus Esprit, and the asking price was high. Thames Ditton built approximately 76 cars including early prototypes before AC's financial difficulties transferred the project to AC Cars (Scotland) Ltd in Glasgow, which completed around 30 more before going into receivership in 1985. Total production across both operations is generally accepted at approximately 106 cars (76 at Thames Ditton and 30 in Scotland), making it one of the rarest of all AC road models.