When car enthusiasts talk about the golden era of American road racing, the conversation inevitably circles back to Venice, California in the 1960s—where Carroll Shelby and a small band of audacious hot-rodders set out to conquer the world and dethrone Ferrari.
At our recent event inside Lifted Space at 6955 S Jones Blvd (read Our Full Grand Opening Recap), one machine in particular halted every conversation on the showroom floor: a race-weathered, Vineyard Green 1962 AC Ace Bristol known across the vintage motorsports world simply as "The Grasshopper."
Behind that machine is an extraordinary lineage connecting British craftsmanship, grassroots American sports car racing, and the factory Shelby drivers who steered American iron into the history books—foremost among them, championship Cobra pilot Allen Grant.
The Man Who Drove for Carroll Shelby: Allen Grant
Allen Grant's entry into the Carroll Shelby pantheon is the kind of story Hollywood scripts are written about. In the early 1960s, Grant wasn't an established superstar with factory sponsorship; he was a fiercely talented young racer who drove his own AC Bristol with relentless speed and precision across West Coast circuits.
Determined to race for Shelby American, Grant showed up at Shelby's Venice facility with an unyielding proposition: he would do whatever it took to be part of the team. He famously started out sweeping shop floors, welding, and working as a mechanic—anything just to be near the lightweight British-chassis sports cars that Carroll Shelby was stuffing with American Ford V8 muscle.
When Carroll finally put Grant behind the wheel, Grant let his driving do the talking. Piloting both the Shelby Cobra roadsters (including the famed yellow-and-black Coventry Motors Cobra CSX2128) and the slippery, aerodynamic Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, Grant proved unbeatable. His fearless car control and mechanical sympathy helped propel Shelby American to the pinnacle of international motorsport: winning the 1965 FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturers—the only time an American constructor has ever claimed the crown over Enzo Ferrari's Scuderia.
BEX 1213: The DNA That Built the Cobra
To understand why the Shelby Grasshopper commands such reverence, one has to look closely at chassis number BEX 1213. Long before Carroll Shelby approached AC Cars in Thames Ditton, England to build the Cobra, AC's crown jewel was the Ace Bristol.
Constructed around John Tojeiro’s lightweight tubular ladder chassis with transverse leaf-spring independent suspension and hand-beaten aluminum coachwork, the Ace Bristol was the agile, featherweight sports car that caught Carroll Shelby's eye in the late 1950s. Shelby knew that if he could mate that sublime British chassis with a high-torque American small-block V8, nothing on four wheels could touch it.
Chassis BEX 1213 was delivered new in 1962 in a rare factory shade of Vineyard Green—the distinctive hue that quickly earned it its lifelong nickname, The Grasshopper. Ordered purpose-built for competition by American amateur racer Gil Ranney, BEX 1213 emerged from the AC factory equipped with rare factory-installed racing options:
- Factory Competition Roll Bar: Welded directly to the chassis for high-speed SCCA road racing.
- Aero Racing Windscreen: Replacing the full touring windshield with minimal drag in mind.
- Twin Le Mans Quick-Fillers: Allowing rapid fueling during endurance road competitions.
- Factory Bumper Delete: Stripping every unnecessary ounce of weight from the aluminum nose and tail.
As one of the very last Bristol-powered cars produced before AC converted factory tooling and production capacity exclusively to build Cobra chassis for Shelby American, BEX 1213 represents the direct historical bridge between the classic European roadster and the fire-breathing Cobra that reshaped global sports car racing forever.
Watch the Documentary: Finding the Heart of the Cobra
The journey of Chassis BEX 1213 and its rediscovery after 47 years in quiet warehouse storage was captured in the acclaimed documentary directed by Eric Harryman. Click the feature below to watch on YouTube:
The film chronicles the car's provenance from the original AC Factory ledgers all the way to modern gatherings at Silverstone and Pebble Beach, drawing together historians, Shelby enthusiasts, and original team figures like Allen Grant to celebrate the living soul of American sports car history.
Where Automotive Heritage Lives Today
Cars like The Grasshopper aren't just machines; they are tangible pieces of human triumph, engineering daring, and motorsport culture. Having a vehicle with this depth of history parked on the floor at Lifted Space during the Lifted Car Club gathering reminded everyone present why we love cars in the first place.
Whether it’s a 1960s competition thoroughbred, a bespoke Porsche 911 S/T, or a modern twin-turbo exotic, every extraordinary car deserves to be safeguarded with absolute dedication.
- Our Full Grand Opening Recap: Read the Full Event Recap
- Watch it on YouTube: Watch Finding the Heart of the Cobra on YouTube
- Explore the Lifted Car Club: Explore the Lifted Car Club Official Site
At Lifted Space in Las Vegas, that passion is what drives our facility every single day. From climate-controlled, museum-grade vehicle storage and 24/7 high-definition monitoring to monthly community events that bring together the valley's finest drivers and collectors, Lifted Space was built by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.
Want to see the cars in person and experience Las Vegas' premier automotive culture? Join us at the next monthly gathering or schedule a private storage tour of the facility.
