AC Cars is getting set to fully unveil its latest take on the iconic AC Cobra - the GT Roadster - with the first customers given the opportunity to see the car for themselves at exclusive spring and summer preview events in Europe after its April reveal.
AC Cars say the new Cobra is a clean sheet design and will be a "cutting-edge modern sports car, produced using the latest technology and engineering processes, yet it remains faithful to the spirit of the original AC Cobra from the 1960s."
The new Cobra shares no components with the original yet is doesn't exactly deviate far from the recipe, once again being powered by a V8 petrol engine, but this time delivering up to 488kW and hooked up to a choice of either a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission. AC Cars is claiming a 0 to 100km/h sprint of 3.4 seconds for the new Cobra.
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The new AC Cobra also uses a "highly advanced" extruded aluminium spaceframe chassis developed specifically for the car that AC CArs says is extremely strong and light, and allows for "the perfect layout as well as optimized suspension geometry and weight distribution."
The new chassis, produced by AC Cars with support from Cecomp s.p.a. in Italy, has a wheelbase of 2570mm, which is 284mm longer than the AC Cobra Mk. VI. The car’s overall length has grown by 110mm, while the track has also been "optimised" to give it a wider stance.
The Cobra's suspension configuration and geometry has been developed in close collaboration with a "professional UK race team", which has consulted for AC throughout the development period and has been tuned to be "compliant yet responsive."
The new Cobra features a bespoke interior, designed and commissioned for the roadster, with a high degree of hand finishing that fuses both analogue instrumentation and digital technology.
"Developing and delivering a car worthy of the AC Cobra name has not been an easy task, but I am delighted and immensely proud of what we have achieved," said David Conza, Chief Executive Officer of AC Cars.
"This is a sports car like no other, and we have employed some of the industry’s leading designers and engineers to craft an outstanding automobile that is extremely beautiful as well as fantastically quick and amazing to drive.
"We wanted to respect the AC Cobra’s heritage, and while the design has taken influence from the restomod approach it has a more sophisticated feel in keeping with a classic British roadster. This, along with the race-bred personality of the original AC Cobra, means we have produced an unrivalled vehicle that’s totally modern and relevant to today’s connoisseurs – a true 21st century sports car.”
And as for pricing? The new AC Cobra GT Roadster is expected to start at £285,000 (NZ$551,000)including VAT in the UK, with prices "varying according to exchange rates and taxes in the country of delivery."
AC Cars says the orders actually opened when first details of the Cobra were revealed in December 2022 and the car’s limited production means "customers will need to act quickly to secure one of the first cars due in 2024."
