2021 AC Cobra Mk IV 378

Highlights

• Stunning example of reborn Cobra 378 

• Sold and refurbished by AC Cars

• One previous owner and less than 1,200 miles from new

• Genuine COB chassis number

• GM LS3 V8 engine with 440bhp

Overview

A bankrupt chicken farmer from rural Texas isn’t the most obvious person to have had a major impact on the car industry, but then there’s never been anything conventional about an AC Cobra… 

Carroll Shelby was addicted to speed, and at weekends he used to race – Cadillac-Allards and Aston Martins for the most part. But after being forced to retire from motorsport in 1960 at the age of 37, with a heart problem that would affect him for the rest of his life, Shelby focused instead on making cars go faster, forming the Shelby-American tuning company in 1961. 

The rest, as they say, is history – he loved the AC Ace chassis, but not its six-cylinder Ford Zephyr engine. Instead, Shelby explored ways of bringing AC and Ford V8 power together. The Cobra was born. It ran until 1968, and made a partial comeback in the mid-1980s after the AC rights were passed onto kit-car maker Autokraft. 

But in 2017, the Cobra was reborn properly – a continuation car, manufactured by AC itself (now under new ownership) and based on the Cobra Mk IV. By now, though, Ford V8 power had been cast aside – with a choice of Ford 2.3-litre turbo power or an electric powertrain. The new Cobras were great, but they were missing one fundamental element – the ability to make V8 noises. 

This was addressed within 12 months, with the Cobra 378 which used a 6.2-litre General Motors LS3 V8, a development of the old Chevy small-block unit. These continuation cars were exquisitely well built, and included all of the improvements originally introduced as part of the Mk IV’s resurgence in 1983, including fully independent suspension, improved torsional chassis rigidity and greater cabin space.

Having undergone refurbishment at AC Cars’ UK facility on the south coast near Goodwood, COB3509 is an original, factory-built modern AC Cobra Mk IV 378 and was recently treated to a comprehensive inspection and refinish so that it’s offered for sale in almost as-new condition. 

Delivered to its first custodian at the end of 2021, it’s finished in Nitrous Blue with black stripes, with a black interior and leather upholstery. 

A genuine AC Cobra – and being sold by the company that made it – it can trace its lineage back to the cars produced at AC Cars’ legendary Thames Ditton factory in the 1960s, and its unique COB chassis number appears in the company’s ‘bible’ that records every example built. It has had one previous owner and has covered less than 1,200 miles from new.

History and Documentation

• First registered 1 December 2021 and supplied to its first owner on a cherished registration

• Was reacquired by AC Cars in 2024 and allocated its current registration RF71ZPD

• Chassis number COB3509 – a genuine, factory-recorded Cobra

• Current MOT expires 20 April 2027 having passed on 26 April 2026 at 1,066 miles with no advisory notices

• HPI clear

• V5C present in the vendor’s name

• Two keys

Interior

• Black leather bucket seats with no major wear

• Matching black door cards

• Black carpets and over-mats

• Leather-faced seven-dial dash

• Chrome-ringed instruments

• Traditionally basic cabin presented in superb order, as befits the low mileage

Exterior

• Nitrous Blue bespoke paint finish

• Full, hand-laid composite body including doors, bonnet and boot lid, with bespoke paint finish

• Black bonnet stripes

• Paintwork in immaculate condition throughout

• Continuation-style alloy wheels

• Period-style Avon tyres all-round with good tread

• Black grille, nudge bars and radiator surround

• Rollover hoops

• Black mesh air intakes

• Fully prepared for sale with no obvious imperfections

• Underside appears excellent

Mechanical

• Naturally aspirated 6.2-litre General Motors LS3 V8

• 440bhp

• 420 lb-ft

• 155mph top speed

• 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds

• Six-speed manual transmission

• Ventilated and cross drilled front discs with four-piston calipers and performance pads

• Limited-slip diff

• Rear disc brakes with two-piston calipers and performance pads

• Power assisted steering

• Fully serviced ready for sale

Summary

You only have to look at the number of kit-car tributes around to appreciate the Cobra’s place in motoring folklore – but this one isn’t an evocation from somewhere else. No, it’s the real deal – a Cobra, hand-built by AC, and with a genuine COB chassis number. 

Not only that, but it comes from AC itself, as the company has owned the car for the past couple of years and has prepared it for sale in its own workshops, so you know it's had the best possible level of attention.  

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This car is located near Bognor Regis.