Driving the ACE

   I’ve had plenty of experience by now with three-wheelers, yet driving the new ACE for the first time was a revelation! First, there is startling torque, right off idle, from the remapped Honda motor. The torque...well it’s not a curve, it’s a straight-up line from 1000rpm. and holding untill almost redline. The mid-engine configuration, as you would expect, eliminates unwanted wheel-spin and the ACE just lunges forward at the slightest poke of the throttle. With the engine midships, the turn-in is immediate and understeer/oversteer...what are they? The sequential shifting through the motorcycle gearbox offers rally-car speed and the ratios are closely spaced for seamless transitions up and down through the five speeds.The clutch is super-light. A rewarding surprise is the engine note: almost V-8 throaty at idle and rising to a mournful wail at speed. The view of the road is unmatched by any street machine.

   My goal with the new ACE was to evoke both the look and experience of piloting a small & light vintage race car such as might have been driven in the Mille Miglia or Targa Florio era. Each time I drive the ACE, I feel this has been achieved in spades.