One week the world gets shown a glimpse of the future at the launch of the Luce – the first state-of-the-art electric Ferrari – then the next week we get the ultimate retro car, a monstrous five-liter 18-mpg V8 muscle car.
And to complete the old-school feeling, this brutish bulldog is built by AC Cars, one of the world’s longest standing auto manufacturers. The unveiling of a new production AC Cobra shows the two sides of the contemporary motor industry in stark relief, so we think it needs a closer look.
Whether it’s doomed and dated, or desirable and down-to-earth, the new AC Cobra GT Coupe – which was announced last year but has now entered the ‘ready to build’ stage – would be a ferocious form of transport whatever era it landed into. The five-liter Ford V8 is tuned to 730 hp yet the car weighs under 1,600kg (~3,530 lb). The result is 198 mph (318.6 km/h) and 0-60 sprints in 3.2 seconds (Clubsport version).
AC Cars
Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer, now based at Castle Donington in the Midlands, is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding and revealed this first-ever fixed-head production Cobra toward the end of last month.
Dedicated car spotters will already be angrily scrolling to the comments section, but rest assured the only Cobras with roofs to date have been track specials. This is the first hardtop road car in a heritage that goes back to 1962.
The coupe is available in both left and right-hand drive and features AC’s own extruded aluminum spaceframe chassis and carbon fiber bodywork.
The company hopes that this car with a roof will make a huge difference to sales. A ten-fold difference in fact. AC Cars is hoping to jump from around 100 hand-built cars per year currently to around 1,000 cars in total. David Conza, Chief Executive Officer of AC Cars, marked the launch and anniversary by hopefully claiming “we move from a boutique manufacturer to a global performance brand.”
AC Cars
It’s all very bespoke and traditional of course with each example built specifically for its client, and prices rising from £234,300 to way over a quarter of a million (which converts to between US$314,656 to $335,770 in today’s money). And don’t be in too much of a hurry, the first examples will be delivered from 2028. A simple blank form on the AC website allows you to join the waiting list, saying: “Congratulations – you are only a few steps away from submitting your enquiry for a production slot of the AC Cobra GT Coupe. Please complete the form below, and an AC Cars Concierge representative will personally contact you to discuss brand fit, availability, and allocation opportunities.”
There’s no doubting the road presence of the new car. Even if the V8 noise didn’t rupture your ear drums, you couldn’t help but notice that shape as it passes you. Its carbon fiber bodywork includes a ‘double bubble’ roofline, which lowers overall height without impacting head room, and smooths airflow and drag. The distinctive Kammtail rear is a classic concept used by race teams for decades to improve aerodynamic efficiency without resorting to a ‘longtail’ solution.
Details of the new car include a choice of gearboxes between a 6-speed manual for traditionalists or a high-tech 10-speed automatic with steering-wheel shift paddles. The interior has classic touches like hand-stitched leather and analog instruments.
Compared to the iconic AC Cobra of 1962, it’s bigger and massively more powerful. Shelby’s famous original V8 only produced around a third of the horsepower of the modern unit, was 60-mph slower and took two more seconds to get to 60 mph from a standstill.
AC Cars
The heritage all dates back to the Weller Brothers establishing a vehicle manufacturing business in 1901, producing cars and motorbikes from their London workshop. Its Autocarrier of 1904 gave the company its name and was the first three-wheel commercial delivery vehicle. Evidently it was an instant success.
The AC Ace in 1953 was the sportscar that cemented the company’s status. With a light aluminum body, it was a cult racing success. It would eventually evolve to incorporate the Ford V8 and become the AC Cobra of legend.
In 1964 the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe won the GT class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven by Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant, and incredibly the Cobra 427 S/C was the fastest accelerating production car in the world from 1965 for 21 years to 1986. Unsurprisingly after that the Cobra has become a motoring landmark that we’ve visited many times at New Atlas, including Shelby’s own 1966 dual-supercharged vehicle that went to auction in 2007, and a 50th anniversary FIA Cobra we covered in 2014.
Source: AC Cars
