Rinsey Mills

Rinsey Mills bought his first AC while at art school in the 1960s. It came and went, but was never forgotten, and several years later he reacquired it after it had fallen into disrepair. Later still, through a chance conversation while visiting the AC factory at Thames Ditton, he learned that this worn-out, tatty sports car had nearly won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1935.

Since then he has owned, raced and worked on many ACs, and become a well-known marque expert. Through this passion, he came to know Carroll Shelby in later years and became his official biographer. His major work, Carroll Shelby: The Authorised Biography (Haynes, 2012), was published mere weeks before Shelby’s death.

Rinsey is the author of other books about AC subjects, including Original AC Ace & Cobra (Bay View, 1990), Essential AC Cobra (Bay View, 1997), Great Cars: AC Cobra (Haynes, 2003) and AC Sports Cars in Detail: Six-Cylinder Models 1933–63 (Herridge & Sons, 2007).