The Ace was an American-assembled

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

made in

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's popu ...

by the Apex Motor Car Company, which was reorganized as the Apex Motor Corporation in 1921. The initial batch of cars assembled was sent to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

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. The most interesting feature of the Ace was the Guy Disc-Valve motor, created by engineer Fred M. Guy, and Otto W. Heinz. Initially, it was prepared as a four-cylinder engine for production in the Hackett, but the company folded before it was ready. 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 Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The ...

with a conventional

Herschell-Spillman The Allan Herschell Company was a company that specialized in the creation of amusement rides, particularly carousels and roller coasters. The company manufactured portable machines that could be used by traveling carnival operators. It was star ...

straight-6 A straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balanc ...

was added, with a selling price of $2,000. The man at the helm at Apex was by now Harry T. Hanover. In 1922, the Guy engine was gone. The Model F Pup was added to the range, fitted with a conventional

4-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engine, Wankel engines are o ...

Gray-Bell engine, and priced at $1295. 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 Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

Six engine. The sixes ranged in price from $2260 to $3150. 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 The Elcar was an American automobile manufactured from 1915 until 1931. The car was produced by the Elkhart Carriage Company, owned by William and George Pratt, of Elkhart, Indiana, which had been in business for over 30 years before producing i ...

, and another cab built by the Driggs Ordnance & Manufacturing Corp.coachbuilt.com: ''Driggs Ordnance & Manufacturing Corp.''
/ref> Ace automobile production ended with the 1922 model year. Total production was 256 cars. Apex Corp. was sold to the American Motor Truck Company in

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city in Licking County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located east of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus at the junction of the forks of the Licking River (Ohio), Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 United ...

, in 1922. For a short time, Apex built bus bodies here, but soon closed forever.

Ace model overview

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.carfolio.com: ''Specifications: 1921 Ace H ''
/ref> There is no existing Ace automobile known,american-automobiles.com: ''The Ace Automobile & The Apex Motor Corporation'' however the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum offered a $5000 reward for evidence that directs to such a car.ypsilantihistoricalsociety.org: ''History / Ace Automobile - 1920-1922'' Although the museum continues to search for a surviving Ace, the reward expired in 2003 with the death of museum co-founder Skip Ungrodt.

Gallery

1921_Ace_Model_G_Coupe-Sedan.jpg, 1921 Ace Rotary Six Model G Coupé 1921_Ace_Model_H_Touring.webp, 1921 Ace Six Model H 1922_Ace_Model_F_Pup_Touring.webp, 1922 Ace Pub Model F 34-40 Touring 1922_Ace_Model_F_Sedan.webp, 1922 Ace Pub Model F Coupé-Sedan 4-5 Sitze 1922_ace_combat_touring_front.jpg, 1922 Ace Combat Model C 35-80 Touring 5 Sitze 1922_Ace_Model_C_Combat_Speedster.jpg, 1922 Ace Combat Model C 35-80 Speedster 3 Sitze 1922_Ace_Model_L_Scout_Touring.jpg, 1922 Ace Scout Model L 30-60 Touring 5 Sitze 1922_Ace_"Six"_Sedan.webp, 1922 Ace 35-70 Coupé-Sedan

References

External links

*
american-automobiles.com: ''The Ace Automobile & The Apex Motor Corporation''

* ttp://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/?man=7262 carfolio.com: ''Ace car specifications''
carfolio.com: ''Specifications: 1921 Ace H ''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ace (1920 Automobile) Cars introduced in 1920 Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Washtenaw County, Michigan Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1920 American companies established in 1920 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1923 1920 establishments in Michigan 1923 disestablishments in Michigan Ypsilanti, Michigan Defunct manufacturing companies based in Michigan

Ace model overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links