BUYER’S GUIDE

AC Cobra review

The Cobra’s blend of 60s British style and American V8 power remains as compelling as it always has…

What Is It?

Italian inspired styling, 60s British engineering and American muscle combined to legendary effect when Carroll Shelby dropped a Ford small-block V8 into the pretty but underpowered AC Ace, the resulting car the source of myth, legend and more than the odd lawsuit along the way.

Today, the Cobra covers pretty much the whole spectrum of the classic car scene, whether that be multi-million Dollar matching numbers originals with competition pedigree, through to man-in-a-shed fibreglass kit-based replicas of hugely varying quality.

Somewhere between are the many and various continuations built along the way, some by Shelby, some by AC and yet others by subsidiaries and subcontractors to both. More recently there are even electric Cobras, though the ones with thunderous V8s remain the more appealing option!

Corrosive Areas

Fibreglass or aluminium bodywork means visible corrosion less of an issue

Condition of spaceframe chassis vital to check

Check structure thoroughly, paying close attention to mounts for body, suspension and engine

Checklist

Replica, continuation or the real thing? Budget accordingly but the first could be as cheap as you’re willing to go, the second into six figures while the third will be into the millions
Even from the start the Cobra story is confusing, AC-built cars shipped to Shelby in the early 1960s for pairing with Ford V8s before UK production under AC name commenced in 1962 to service the European and other markets
However you cut it, production of strictly original cars was around the 1,000 mark, making them seriously collectable
Early MkI Cobras used 260 cubic inch small-block V8s, this quickly changing to the 289 along with the adoption of rack and pinion steering to create arguably the definitive ‘slab side’ MkII shape
Big-block 427 Cobra was known as the MkIII and adopted thicker diameter tubing for the chassis and coil springs over the transverse leaf springs of original cars – popular ‘widebody’ look also coined for this generation
Production of original cars ended in 1967, technically resuming in the 1980s when specialist Autokraft bought the AC name, jigs and other equipment to restart production as the MkIV, with later 5.0-litre Ford V8 – around 450 thought to have been built up to the mid 1990s
Through various twists and turns (to put it delicately) Carroll Shelby-endorsed continuation cars have also endured, American-based Superformance now holding the official licence and selling a range of rolling chassis options into which owners install their own engines
Many and various kit versions have also come and gone over the years, ranging from respected names like Dax and its association with original AC Ace engineer John Tojeiro in the late 60s through to modern-day equivalents like Factory Five Racing
Whether following the original design or fabricated from scratch, the same basic formula of a tubular space frame with bodywork on top carries through, originals being aluminium and Dax popularising the more affordable fibreglass used in kits and Superformance continuations alike
Aluminium bodied replicas and continuations have greater kudos and Superformance, and others offer the option but it comes at a hefty cost
With even original cars continually modified and hot-rodded with engine and body swaps over the years and endless permutations of engines, transmissions and more buying anything Cobra-shaped brings risks
Whatever level you’re buying at, enlist expert help from respected specialists in that particular permutation
Ford-derived powertrains at least have a huge support network of knowledge and parts, but with that strong opinions on the best combinations

How does it drive?

This will of course vary hugely according to the size and type of engine, the power output and set-up. There are replicas out there with power steering and automatic transmissions, after all. But whatever its provenance, the authentic Cobra character should be appropriate to its hairy-chested reputation. Simple or not, though, even the originals had disc brakes and independent suspension all round, which is more than can be said of many contemporary equivalents.

More authentic continuations will stick to this formula, with heavy, non-assisted steering and brakes and – depending on the transmission used – clunky, deliberate shifts. This all fits with the character, though, and the V8 should be front and centre of the driving experience, whether it’s a period-appropriate carb-fed V8 or transplanted modern equivalent with fuel-injection and other mod-cons.

While fat-arched 427-inspired cars with stripes and side-exhausts have come to define the Cobra look, there’s growing appreciation for ‘slab side’ small-block cars, the more usable performance of cars with engines equivalent to the 4.7-litre 289s and perhaps 300-and-something horsepower arguably more fun than big block cars with crazy power outputs more interested in chasing numbers than actual driveability.

What’s good?

Cynics may argue the much-copied Cobra is, itself, based on a copy; the AC Ace very was obviously inspired by the likes of the Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta that came before it, but this is all part of the story, and the Cobra shape has become iconic in its own right. In both original form and engorged widebody shape, the Cobra is a fabulous looking car stop, and one that needs no explanation.

Done properly even a replica should carry that off, and with it a sense of the unabashed, Stetson-wearing Texan swagger Carroll Shelby brought to the original on the basis that man and machine remain inextricably linked. In short, that transatlantic blend in the style, engineering and powertrain act as a ‘best of’ compilation of all that’s great about 60s sports cars, and it’s little wonder disillusioned modern day supercar buyers are now willing to pay equivalent money for the raw thrills a properly built continuation delivers.

What’s bad?

Even if you spent millions on a perfect, matching numbers original most people will still assume it’s a replica of some sort. Which perhaps doesn’t happen as often as it might to owners of contemporary Aston Martins or Ferraris. Even if, in the latter case, perhaps it should more often than it does! And while the Cobra’s unsophisticated appeal has always aligned with its legend as something of a blue-collar hero, the fact remains the Ford-engined hot-rod roots, perhaps, become a little stretched at this very top level.

And anything less than that falls into the confusing morass of continuations, replicas, homages and copies built with any number of powertrain and chassis configurations of hugely varying quality. It’s this ability to be all things to all classic car fans that is, simultaneously, the Cobra’s greatest strength and its Achilles’ Heel.

Which model to choose?

This will, of course, come down to whether you’re spending millions, hundreds of thousands or tens of thousands. With the true originals now circulating in the very highest levels of classic car collecting, we’ll perhaps come down a rung and look instead at more usable options built by some of the more respected names in the continuation and replica business.

Dax Cobras have a following of their own while the Autokraft-built MkIV Cobras produced in the 80s and early 90s have a tangible bloodline to the coveted originals, even if they’re well into chunky six-figure territory now.

Similar money would, of course, also get you a new Shelby-licenced Superformance built to the spec of your choosing and, with a big enough budget, an aluminium skinned, narrow-bodied MkII with a 289 small-block crate engine would seem the most appealing, authentic and driveable proposition this side of a matching numbers original.

Specifications – AC/Shelby Cobra 289

Engine

4.7-litre V8, petrol

Power

c. 275PS (202kW) @ 5,570rpm

Torque

c. 423Nm (311lb ft) @ 4,800rpm

Transmission

Four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive

Kerb weight

c. 1,050kg

0-62mph

c. 5.5 seconds

Top speed

c. 135mph

Production dates

1962-1965