AC Frua: which version to buy — 7.0 MT vs 7.0 AT
If you are choosing an AC Frua, the catalogue data give you one generation (1965–1973), one body (Cabrio), and two versions that share the same engine: 7.0 MT and 7.0 AT. Both make 345 hp (257 kW) from a 7016 cm³ Gasoline 8-cylinder V-shaped engine, Front, longitudinal, Carburetor, driving the rear wheels (RWD).
If you are choosing an AC Frua, the catalogue data give you one generation (1965–1973), one body (Cabrio), and two versions that share the same engine: 7.0 MT and 7.0 AT. Both make 345 hp (257 kW) from a 7016 cm³ Gasoline 8-cylinder V-shaped engine, Front, longitudinal, Carburetor, driving the rear wheels (RWD). The buy decision is therefore not “which motor,” but which gearbox and which top speed you will live with. 7.0 MT is a Manual with 4 gears and a measured top speed of 245 km/h. 7.0 AT is an Automatic with 3 gears and a measured top speed of 220 km/h. That is a 25 km/h gap on the same power. 0–100, torque, fuel use, kerb weight, tank, and ground clearance are not measured on either version, so they cannot decide the purchase.
AC Frua generations: what actually changed (and what did not)
There is 1 generation of the AC Frua. It ran from 1965-01-01 to 1973-12-31. Body type in the data is Cabrio only. That generation contains 2 versions: 7.0 MT and 7.0 AT. Both versions use the same start and stop dates as the generation. There is no second generation, no restyling listed as a separate generation, and no later body type in this dataset.
Because there is only one generation, “which generation to buy” is not a real fork. You are not choosing between an early chassis and a late one with different power or a different body. You are choosing inside the same Cabrio window: Manual 4 versus Automatic 3, on the same 345 hp / 7016 cm³ Gasoline 8-cylinder V-shaped package.
Search phrasing such as coupe or spyder does not appear as a body type here. The only body label in the data is Cabrio. Do not treat those other shapes as catalogue options for this model key.
AC Frua engine specs: same motor, two gearboxes
Both versions use the same measured engine block of figures. Power per litre is therefore identical:
345 hp ÷ 7.016 L = 49.17 hp per litre (rounded to two decimals) on 7.0 MT and on 7.0 AT.
Kilowatts are also the same: 257 kW on both. There is no extra displacement, no extra cylinders, no different nadduv (boost is not measured on either), and no different fuel type. tip_dvigatelya_en is Gasoline for both. Cylinder count is 8. Layout of the cylinders is V-shaped. Engine position is Front, longitudinal. Induction is Carburetor. Torque in Nm is not measured. Engine rpm for peak power is not measured. Compression, bore and stroke, and valves per cylinder are not measured.
What the table actually separates is transmission and the one performance number that is filled in.
| Version | hp | kW | Nm | Displacement (cm³) | Fuel | Cylinders | Cylinder layout | Boost | Gearbox | Gears | Drive | Top speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 MT | 345 | 257 | not measured | 7016 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | not measured | Manual | 4 | RWD | 245 |
| 7.0 AT | 345 | 257 | not measured | 7016 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | not measured | Automatic | 3 | RWD | 220 |
Read a row on its own: 7.0 MT is 345 hp, 7016 cm³ Gasoline, 8 V-shaped, Manual 4, RWD, 245 km/h. 7.0 AT is 345 hp, 7016 cm³ Gasoline, 8 V-shaped, Automatic 3, RWD, 220 km/h. Those sentences stay true if you cut them out of this article.
Performance and mpg: what is measured, what is not
Top speed is the only performance figure measured for both versions.
- 7.0 MT: 245 km/h.
- 7.0 AT: 220 km/h.
245 − 220 = 25 km/h. On identical 345 hp, the Manual 4 version is 25 km/h faster at the top. As a share of the slower car’s top speed: 25 / 220 ≈ 0.114, or about 11.4% more top speed on 7.0 MT. As a share of the faster car: 25 / 245 ≈ 0.102, or about 10.2% less top speed if you take 7.0 AT.
0–100 km/h is not measured on 7.0 MT. 0–100 km/h is not measured on 7.0 AT. You cannot rank sprint from this catalogue. Anyone selling a “faster 0–100” story for one of these two is using a number that is not in this dataset.
Fuel consumption is not measured in the city, on the highway, or combined for either version. mpg is not measured. CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. There is no arithmetic path from these rows to “the automatic uses more fuel.” The extra gear on 7.0 MT (4 versus 3) is a fact; a consumption delta is not.
Tank volume is not measured on 7.0 MT and not measured on 7.0 AT, so range cannot be estimated from this data either.
Dimensions, weight, and wheels
This is the section that usually decides “which generation feels lighter.” Here it cannot, because the fields are empty on both versions of the single generation.
- Kerb weight: not measured (7.0 MT), not measured (7.0 AT).
- Gross weight: not measured on both.
- Ground clearance: not measured on both.
- Fuel tank: not measured on both.
- Wheel sizes: not measured on both.
- Front and rear suspension: not measured on both.
- Front and rear brakes: not measured on both.
Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated. There is no kerb mass to divide by 345 hp. Do not invent a kg/hp figure. If a listing quotes a weight, that figure is outside this catalogue.
Because mass is not measured, you also cannot say the Automatic is heavier than the Manual. The only hardware difference you can stand on is gearbox type and gear count, plus the 25 km/h top-speed gap.
Which AC Frua version to choose
Same power, so power is not the reason to pay more
7.0 MT and 7.0 AT both have 345 hp and 257 kW. There is 0 hp difference. There is 0 cm³ difference (7016 vs 7016). There is 0 difference in cylinder count (8 vs 8). Fuel is Gasoline on both. Drive is RWD on both. Engine position is Front, longitudinal on both. Feeding is Carburetor on both. Cylinder arrangement is V-shaped on both. Boost is not measured on both.
If a seller prices one version as “the more powerful Frua,” the data do not support that. The extra money, if any, is not buying extra horsepower. It is buying a different gearbox and a different measured top speed.
Choose 7.0 MT when the numbers you care about are gears and top speed
7.0 MT is the Manual with 4 gears. That is 1 more gear than 7.0 AT (3). It is also the faster measured car: 245 km/h versus 220 km/h.
Buy 7.0 MT if:
- You want the only version whose top speed is 245 km/h.
- You want 4 forward gears rather than 3.
- You want Manual, not Automatic.
- You accept that 0–100, Nm, mpg, and kerb weight are not measured, so you are not buying a proven sprint or a proven economy figure.
The 4-speed Manual is the only place this catalogue shows a clear “more” on the same 345 hp: more gears (+1) and more top speed (+25 km/h).
Choose 7.0 AT when the gearbox type is the whole point
7.0 AT is the Automatic with 3 gears. Power stays 345 hp. Displacement stays 7016 cm³. Drive stays RWD. Body stays Cabrio. Years stay 1965–1973. What you give up is 25 km/h of measured top speed and 1 gear.
Buy 7.0 AT if:
- You want Automatic, and that is non-negotiable.
- You accept 220 km/h as the measured ceiling.
- You accept 3 gears.
- You are not using 0–100 or mpg to justify the choice, because those are not measured.
Do not buy 7.0 AT expecting a different engine. It is not a milder motor in this table. It is the same 345 hp Gasoline 8-cylinder V-shaped unit with a different gearbox label.
What “extra money” can and cannot buy here
This catalogue has no prices. You cannot compute a dollar per horsepower or a dollar per km/h. You can still say what extra money would have to be paying for, if one car costs more than the other:
- It is not paying for more hp (345 = 345).
- It is not paying for more displacement (7016 = 7016).
- It is not paying for a different body (both Cabrio).
- It is not paying for a later generation (both 1965-01-01 to 1973-12-31).
- It can be paying for Manual 4 and 245 km/h (7.0 MT) versus Automatic 3 and 220 km/h (7.0 AT).
If the Automatic is the expensive one, the premium is for Automatic, not for speed. If the Manual is the expensive one, the premium lines up with the only higher measured speed (245 vs 220) and the extra gear (4 vs 3).
Generations: there is no “later, better” Frua in this file
People often pick the last generation for more power or a different body. That rule does not apply. pokoleniy is 1. Both versions sit in that one generation. Start year is 1965 for 7.0 MT and 1965 for 7.0 AT. Stop year is 1973 for both. There is no restyling row to treat as a newer car.
So “which generation changed what” has a short answer: nothing in this dataset changed generation to generation, because there is no second generation. The only change inside the model is gearbox and top speed between 7.0 MT and 7.0 AT.
Reliability, problems, and for-sale listings
This article does not list common problems or reliability scores: those fields are not in the data. It also does not quote asking prices or “for sale” counts. If you are shopping, use the version names exactly as 7.0 MT and 7.0 AT so you match the modification pages. Do not rename them.
A one-line decision
Same Cabrio, same years (1965–1973), same 345 hp, same 7016 cm³ Gasoline 8 V-shaped Front, longitudinal Carburetor RWD engine. Take 7.0 MT for Manual 4 and 245 km/h. Take 7.0 AT for Automatic 3 and live with 220 km/h. Treat 0–100, Nm, mpg, tank, wheels, clearance, and both weights as not measured on both cars, so they do not break the tie.