Same profile, but a "revolution in design': that's the promise from AC Cars for its all-new Cobra GT roadster, set for launch in the second quarter of 2023. The company has released teaser images of the new car, but nothing that shows too much detail.
The company hopes the GT roadster will tap into an automotive legend that dates back to the AC Ace, a British roadster launched in 1953. The 1961 model was redesigned, including a longer nose, to fit a Zephyr 2.6-litre engine; it was this version that was chosen by Carrol Shelby as the base for the now-iconic AC Cobra, with Ford V8 power. It was developed for racing in the US first, but ultimately also sold as a road car, starting in 1966 with the Cobra 427 S/C ("semi competition").
Details of the 2023 reboot are scant, but AC says it has been in development for three years and will feature an all-new extruded aluminium space frame chassis, developed for the company by Icona Design Group and Cecomp in Italy. The kerb weight of the car is just 1500kg. It says the car will have a V8 engine making up to 488kW/780Nm and the choice of six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic gearboxes, with a target 0-100km/h time of 3.6 seconds.
The engine supplier has not been named, but history and the 10-speed automatic option would suggest a Ford unit with Shelby modification. The now-discontinued Mustang Shelby GT500 produced 568kW, so the Cobra GT roadster output is well within its capabilities.
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The new Cobra will certainly be less raw than the 1960s original (which has been built in one form or another, ever since). AC promises the new model will be a true "grand tourer" with a high-end entertainment system and the option of a removeable hard-top.
The new GT roadster will be a whole new chapter for a company with a colourful and often-tumultuous history. Current owner Acedes Holdings claims AC is Britain's "oldest active vehicle maker", which is technically true. But the company has been sold, dissolved or restarted at least nine times.
Acedes was incorporated in 2008 and has been building updated versions of classic models, including a narrow-body Ace with the Ford 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine and even a pure-electric incarnation of the classic Cobra (pictured above, in blue). It's also dabbled in e-mobility, with a range of scooters.