Ace (1920 automobile)

Apex Motor Car Co.; Apex Motor Corp.

Company type	Automobile Manufacturing
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1920
Founder	FE Earnest
Defunct	1923
Fate	sold and closed
Headquarters	Ypsilanti, Michigan , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Harry T. Hanover, Fred M. Guy, Otto W. Heinz
Products	Vehicles Automotive parts Bus coachwork

The Ace automobile was manufactured in the United States at the Apex Motor Car Company’s facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which reorganized as Apex Motor Corporation in 1921. The company was established by F. E. Earnest, a Seattle-based dealer who founded it after encountering difficulties obtaining a consistent vehicle supply for his dealership.

A distinctive feature of the Ace was its Guy Disc-Valve engine, engineered by Fred M. Guy and Otto W. Heinz. This innovative powerplant was initially created for the Hackett automobile; however, it never entered production there due to Hackett’s business failure.

In April 1921, Guy and Heinz departed from Apex to form the Guy Disc Valve Motor Company, with backing from Apex. That same year, Apex launched the Model H tourer powered by a traditional Herschell-Spillman straight-six engine, retailing at $2,000. Under the leadership of president Harry T. Hanover, the company discontinued the Guy engine by 1922 and introduced the Model F Pup featuring a Gray-Bell four-cylinder engine priced at $1,295. The range also included the Model L Scout with a smaller Herschell-Spillman six-cylinder unit and the premium Model C Combat equipped with a 340 cubic inch Continental Six engine, costing between $2,260 and $3,150.

The majority of Ace automobiles were touring cars, complemented by roadsters and a uniquely styled four- or five-passenger coupe-sedan. The Combat line offered a speedster variant inspired by the Kissel Gold Bug.

Apex briefly collaborated on the Diamond Cab initiative alongside Gray Motor Corporation and Guy Disc Valve Motor Company; however, subsequent ownership changes halted these efforts. Later taxi models were produced by Elcar and Driggs Ordnance & Manufacturing Corporation.

Production of Ace vehicles ended following the 1922 model year with a total output of 256 units. In 1922, Apex was acquired by American Motor Truck Company based in Newark, Ohio, where it briefly engaged in manufacturing bus bodies before shutting down permanently.

Ace model overview

Year	Model name(s)	Cylinders	Displacement c.i. / cm3	Power bhp / kW	Engine type	Wheelbase in / mm	Body style	Price
1920	Six Model T	S6		57 / 42.5	Guy Disc Valve	115 / 2921	Touring
1921	Rotary Six Model G	S6		57 / 42.5	Guy Disc Valve	123 / 3124	Touring
1921	Rotary Six Model G	S6		57 / 42.5	Guy Disc Valve	123 / 3124	Coupé
1921	Six Model H	S6	288.6 4730	68 / 50.7	Herschell-Spillman	117 / 2972	Touring	US$2050
1921	Six Model L	S6	248.9 4078	59 / 44.0	Herschell-Spillman	117 / 2972	Touring 5 seats
1921	Six	S6	248.9 4078	59 / 44.0	Herschell-Spillman	117 / 2972	Coupé-Sedan 4-5 seats
1922	Pup Model F 34-40 hp	S4	192.4 3153	43 / 32.1	Gray-Bell	114 /2896	Touring 5 seats	US$1295
1922	Pup Model F 34-40 hp	S4	192.4 3153	43 /32.1	Gray-Bell	114 /2896	Roadster 2 seats	US$1295
1922	Pup Model F	S4	192.4 3153	43 /32.1	Gray-Bell	114 /2896	Coupé-Sedan 4-5 seats	US$1295
1922	Scout Model L 30-60 hp	R6	248.9 4078	59 /44.0	Herschell-Spillman	117 /2972	Touring 5 seats	US$2260
1922	Scout Model L 30-60 hp	S6	248.9 4078	59 /44.0	Herschell-Spillman	117 /2972	Roadster 2 seats	US$2260
1922	35-70 hp	S6	288.6 4730		Herschell-Spillman	117 /2972	Coupé-Sedan
1922	Combat Model C 35-80 hp	S6	340.6 5582	77 /57.4	Continental	120 /3048	Touring 5 seats	US$2975
1922	Combat Model C 35-80 hp	S6	340.6 5582	77 /57.4	Continental	120 /3048	Roadster 2 seats	US$2975
1922	Combat Model C 35-80 hp	S6	340.6 5582	77 /57.4	Continental	120 /3048	Speedster 3 seats	US$3150

A single source references the 1921 Model L and the 1922 35-70; it is probable that the Model L served as a smaller alternative to the Model H, while the 35-70 might have been a rebranded version of the Model H Coupe-Sedan.

No surviving Ace automobiles are currently known to exist despite a $5,000 reward once offered by the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum for proof of an extant vehicle. This reward expired in 2003 following the passing of museum co-founder Skip Ungrodt; nevertheless, efforts to locate an existing Ace continue to this day.

See also

• Vintage car

External links

• american-automobiles.com: The Ace Automobile & The Apex Motor Corporation
• ypsiautoheritage.org: Apex Motors
• ypsilantihistoricalsociety.org: History / Ace Automobile - 1920-19
• carfolio.com: Ace car specifications
• carfolio.com: Specifications: 1921 Ace H