RE: AC Cobra 378 announced

[kambites]

big_rob_sydney said:

Guess you'll show us yours when you buy it then?

Ha! If I had that much money to spend on a car it wouldn't be going on one of these.

[tadaah]

rtz62 said:

I think you've missed the most obvious replica version, the Superformance Mk III Slab side.
(Superformance are known for their Ford GT40 replica, which has 90% of its parts that fit directly onto an origin nap GT40)

http://www.superformance.com/mkiislab.aspx

The most obvious replica is the Kirkham. Though having said that both Hawk and Kirkham will build you one to original spec in aluminium. The super is lovely but is GRP

[tadaah]

kambites said:

Slightly off topic, but why does no-one make Cobra replicas which look like this:



It's infinitely better looking than the later models everyone seems to copy.

289/260 replicas have been available continuously for at least two decades from multiple companies....

[tadaah]

928Elan said:

Why the fuss over the Chevy motor? You show a lack of awareness of Cobra history. When Shelby commissioned AC to build an Ace with a V8, the company asked GM to supply. GM refused because they saw it as a potential Corvette rival, whereas Ford were delighted to provide examples of their new Hi-Po 260 thin wall small block engine. So the Chevy was first choice.

I hope these new models have Gardner Douglas style rear axles rather than the original transverse leaf spring set up.

No 427s had leaf springs...

[kambites]

tadaah said:

289/260 replicas have been available continuously for at least two decades from multiple companies....

Yeah, I stand corrected. I've never seen one though, and I've seen tens if not hundreds of wide-bodies replicas.

I suppose that just means its the buyers/builders I don't understand rather than the manufacturers.

[Chafford1]

kambites said:

Slightly off topic, but why does no-one make Cobra replicas which look like this:



It's infinitely better looking than the later models everyone seems to copy.

Steve Gray at AC Heritage /Brooklands Cars based at Brooklands in Surrey makes the aluminium bodied cars such as this one at the Macau Motor Show:



They are currently producing a run of 9 Cobra 260s - see the AC Cars website:

http://accars.eu/models.html

http://accars.eu/breaking_news.html

Beautiful cars!

The new 378 Cobra is being built in South Africa, according to AC Heritage's facebook page (I would hazard a guess, by Hi Tech).

And then there are the AC Automotive Mk VI cars built in Germany:

http://www.ac-automotive.com/en/ac-mkvi.html

Confusing!

[4oClock]

Whats the problem with the Chevy V8? Shelby wanted to use it in the first place back in the 60s.

[The Surveyor]

4oClock said:

Whats the problem with the Chevy V8? Shelby wanted to use it in the first place back in the 60s.

Nothing is wrong with the Chevy V8 for a Cobra kit, but if you are building a replica to pay homage to the original it should have a Ford lump. Just like if you were building a C or D type replica you wouldn't put in a BMW straight 6 no mater how much better it was than the Jag XK engine.

[GT119]

As far as I can see it is being marketed as a new model but based on the Mk IV shape, i.e. not a Mk VI replica, so why not a different engine? If this helps keeps the AC brand going, is that such a bad thing.

[fatbutt]

That 6.2 will be the e-rod package. Don't get why the car is so expensive when the engine is a bog standard (literally) off the shelf part you can buy in a box from a dealership. I know, I did.

[fatboy18]

Makes me laugh, AC Brand Except its not really AC is it. The company has folded so many times and then someone else comes along and buys the name and attempts to start again.

I used to have a Dax.
John Tojeiro, the original designer of the AC Ace chassis became a director of the company and the car was renamed the Dax Tojeiro.

I remember one time an owner of a New Mk IV Who was parked next to me was telling his mate "That's not a real Cobra" pointing to my car
I completely understand the market value of the original Shelby AC Cobras, but that company has long gone.

[Loyly]

The loudest road car I've ever heard is still the Cobra rep a bloke in my mam and dad's old street had. That had a 4.2 Audi V8 in it, of all things!

[julian64]

fatboy18 said:

Makes me laugh, AC Brand Except its not really AC is it. The company has folded so many times and then someone else comes along and buys the name and attempts to start again.

I used to have a Dax.
John Tojeiro, the original designer of the AC Ace chassis became a director of the company and the car was renamed the Dax Tojeiro.

I remember one time an owner of a New Mk IV Who was parked next to me was telling his mate "That's not a real Cobra" pointing to my car
I completely understand the market value of the original Shelby AC Cobras, but that company has long gone.

Totally agree. This continuation thing is complete rubbish.
I have a RAM cobra. Shelby sent me a letter asking me for £450 pounds which was a fair chunk of money back in the eighties and for that money I could have a CRX chassis number. The letter said there was an arrangement with RAM because it was the most authentic Cobra replica. The kicker was that I had a friend with a DAX who was sent the same letter less than a year later.
I wish I'd kept the letter to show when threads like this start talking about authentic.
The Cobra is the one car which was a KIT FROM THE VERY OUTSET when Shelby was making it, and I don't see anything about its heritage or age to make me change my mind

The current AC is just marketing for idiots

[LotusOmega375D]

What's a CRX chassis number? The real ones were either COB (AC) or CSX (Shelby). Does CRX mean Shelby-sanctioned Replica?

[julian64]

LotusOmega375D said:

What's a CRX chassis number? The real ones were either COB (AC) or CSX (Shelby). Does CRX mean Shelby-sanctioned Replica?

Sorry it might have been CSX rather than CRX. Brain fade

[alanjpearson]

This is a bit like the old original rock band versus the tribute band.
Steve Hackett plays Genesis music with a bunch of non-original musicians - but thats not a tribute band?
Apparently not.
So in this case AC get to build a Cobra without a Ford engine, so that must be OK too.
And it isn't really a kit if it built in a factory and not in someones shed.

[alanjpearson]

kambites said:

Slightly off topic, but why does no-one make Cobra replicas which look like this:



It's infinitely better looking than the later models everyone seems to copy.

In your opinion ;-)
Here is mine, can't beat side pipes:

[alanjpearson]

exitwound said:

These smaller bodied Cobras like the 289, are just beautiful to behold from any angle. They have an appeal like a Cunningham, or Austin Healey, but for some reason, they get overshadowed by the awful, ungainly and vulgar 427 Shelby Cobra. I don't care how fast it goes, the smaller bodied car IS the best looking Cobra. Most kit car enthusiasts, don't even know they exist I bet.

Wrong! There is a club for 289s and another for 427's

[Davey S2]

bulldong said:

I can't understand the attraction of these cars.

Watch The Gumball Rally then admit you wouldn't like one just a little bit.