What Is The Future Of The Ace Cafe Following Sunday’s Horrific Crash?

Despite being most famous as a biker hang out, the legendary Ace Cafe London has a special place in the hearts of thousands of car lovers. And that includes us. Collectively we’ve been to countless meets at the Brent-based diner, and even hosted our very first Car Throttle meet at the place.

That’s why we found the news about a Lexus IS200 driver injuring a pedestrian near the cafe last weekend (see below for the shocking video footage) rather troubling. To recap, the young driver was reported to have been showboating on the road outside the cafe while the Ford Enthusiasts Charity Meet - attended mostly by the RS Ford and Ford Enthusiasts group plus the Zetec S Owner’s Club - took place. The driver managed to lose control off a nearby mini roundabout and strike a parked car, shunting several cars forward and pinning one of the meet’s attendees between his own Ford Sierra and another vehicle.

Fortunately, while the injuries were initially thought to be quite serious, comments on the Facebook video above suggest that the man escaped without any broken bones, and was apparently released from hospital today.

The sad part is for many - us included - that this shocking incident doesn’t come as a surprise. If you’ve ever been to the Ace Cafe, you’ll know it’s common to see drivers, bikers and scooter riders showing off on the road immediately outside the venue, something the local council and Brent police understandably don’t take too kindly to. In fact, the Ace has been threatened with closure in the past due to this antisocial behaviour.

So, while we’re reluctant to draw attention away from the unfortunate injuries this fellow car enthusiast suffered, we couldn’t help but wonder what all this might mean for the future of the Ace Cafe. Could this be the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for the iconic venue? After speaking with managing director Mark Wilsmore, we got a clearer picture.

Mark - who reopened the Ace in 1997 following its 28 year closure - said of the incident “it’s always a tragedy, and regrettable when someone’s been injured. It’s one of the nastiest accidents that I have seen.” However, while these sort of occurrences paint car meets and petrolheads in a bad light, Mark had plenty of positive things to say about those who were present at the meet, and how they reacted to the crash: “the thing I was particularly struck by on the evening, was that those present were exemplary; so helpful to each other.” Mark also confirmed what we’d all assumed: that the Lexus driver had nothing to do with the event being held, and hadn’t even entered the premises that evening.

As for the ramifications the cafe might suffer from this particular incident, Mark isn’t sure. “It’s very early to say as yet,” he says, “certainly, it’s no secret we are under close scrutiny and we work very closely with police and the local authority.”

But since the police and the local authority seem to be keen on holding Ace Cafe accountable for the actions of a few idiots who often ruin it for everyone else, what can be done? Mark talks about how he and Ace attendees can “set examples to the younger guys about time and place” and certainly, there are now a few signs warning patrons and passers-by about the dangers of anti-social behaviour, but a more effective deterrent comes in the form of technology.

Mark tells us that the local authority recently secured the funding to install a pair of high-tech surveillance cameras, which he hopes should curtail the sort of behaviour seen on Sunday evening. In fact, he’s more upbeat about the prospect of the Ace Cafe staying open than he has been in recent years.

Let’s hope this icon of the motoring and motorbike worlds stays open. It’d be a damn shame to lose it.