somewhere there, carroll shelby is laughing
Unmistakable AC CobraKnown to most Americans as the Shelby Cobra, the British-made two-seater roadster will be reborn next year with a V8 motor that produces 645 horsepower and a new name. AC Cobra GT Roadster — say so AC Cars, It claims to be Britain’s oldest (122 years) carmaker and says it is nearing the end of the car’s three-year development phase.
Details are sparse, but AC says the lightweight sports car will be powered by a Ford 5.0 Coyote V8 with an optional supercharged engine that produces 654 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque, and will zip from 0 to 60 mph. You can run fast enough. 3.6 seconds. Available with a 6-speed manual or 10-speed automatic.
The Cobra GT Roadster is the largest AC Cobra to date, featuring an extruded aluminum spaceframe chassis and hand-finished manufacturing processes developed by Italy’s Icona Design Group and Cecomp Spa. The powertrain is housed in a redesigned body shell that is larger than the existing Cobra — 170 inches long (14 inches longer) The wheelbase is 101 inches (11 inches longer). The car weighs about 1,400 kg (3,080 lbs).
The company says the new model won’t sacrifice modern touches and will include air conditioning, electric windows, sophisticated in-car entertainment and options for a removable hardtop.
The car was originally launched as AC Ace until 1953 Carroll Shelby partners with AC And stuffed a 260 cubic inch Ford V8 into it to create a 1962 Cobra. Shelby was followed by Ford, which welcomed the opportunity to pitch a car to compete with the Corvette.
Countless replicas and many iterations of the Cobra have been built over the years, but the first original car still exists and was auctioned for over $13 million in 2016.
The AC Cobra GT will be unveiled in London in the spring. No mention was made of availability in the US, but more details will be announced soon.
