Ace

Ace was the automobile marque of the Apex Motor Corporation, associated with engineer John T. (and later William G.) Henderson's post-Henderson venture and built in Philadelphia before the enterprise moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan. The short program ran through the 1922 model year and produced a reported 256 cars. The name is unrelated to the later Ace motorcycle marque and to other American Ace identities. Ace's range was unusually varied for such a small output. The 1920 Six or Model T used a 57 hp Guy sleeve-valve engine on a 115-inch wheelbase. For 1921 the Rotary Six or Model G retained the nominal 57 hp Guy engine but moved to a 123-inch wheelbase, while the Model H and Model L used Herschell-Spillman sixes on 117-inch chassis; the source tables disagree over whether the L was a distinct smaller companion or a limited listing. The final 1922 program split into several named families. The Public Model F 34–40 used a 192 cubic-inch, 43 hp Gray-Bell four on a 114-inch wheelbase and was offered as touring car, roadster and coupé-sedan. The Scout Model L 30–60 used the 248.9 cubic-inch Herschell-Spillman six, while the 35–70 coupé-sedan reused closely related six-cylinder specifications. The Combat Model C 35–80 used a 340.6 cubic-inch Continental six on a 120-inch wheelbase and was offered as touring car, roadster and three-seat speedster. Coachwork is kept within these chassis families rather than promoted to separate models. Apex was sold to American Motor Truck in 1922; the bus-body work that followed did not revive Ace automobile manufacture. No Ace car is currently known to survive, despite a former Ypsilanti museum reward for evidence. The catalog preserves the named 1920–22 families, source conflicts and total marque output without implying that every advertised body was completed.

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