You can generally hear AC Cobra’s before you see them. If you’re on an open road, it’s also unlikely that you’ll see them when they do arrive as they are one of the fastest production road cars ever built. The myth persists that the AC Cobra is why we have speed limits. The legend states that the only place the AC Car company could test the Ford V8 engine properly was the M1 motorway. The Police could be nothing but watch as the cars blasted up and down the road at speeds of 150 to 190 mph. Naturally, these cult classic cars are in need of some extra protection, and the only safe way to store them is to keep them in a garage. If yours is looking a bit ropey, why not use the Garage Door Repair Watford based company garagedoorsrus.co.uk/garage-door-repairs-watford/ to bring it back into line.
Like the Jaguar E-Type, the AC Cobra was designed to be an affordable sports car. Also, like the E-Type Jaguar, they are very expensive to buy now. However, they retain their value over many other car marques and can still make the same splash today as they did back in 1962 when they were launched. For the greener option, there is now an electric version, although the V8 is still available.
How did this iconic car, a fusion of British and North American engineering, come about? The AC company was one of many British manufacturers who were plodding along producing functional cars. They had just decided to end the production of the AC Ace, a moderately successful sports car. North American business owner Caroll Shelby. Shelby wanted to find a home for a powerful V8 engine that Ford had promised him. He approached the AC Car company to see if they had suitable housing for it. As the AC Ace had used an already ageing BMW engine, they jumped at the chance of still having a roadster in their range of options.
The lightweight body of the Ace meant that as soon as the V8 was engineered into it, the car went like lightning. The design of the Ace needed very little adapting, short of the development of more curves and rounded bodywork. A roll bar was also added to ensure safety.
Shelby was ecstatic at the results and used some of the concepts when developing the GT40s to take on the dominance of Ferrari.