Friday 2nd August 2024

AC Cars previews first Cobra GT Coupe

£325k, up to 810hp and less than 1,500kg - new Cobra looks set to do old fashioned intimidating just fine

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AC Cars has never made a series production hardtop Cobra in its 123-year existence. We couldn’t believe it either. But with those Daytona coupes officially Shelbys and the racers we see at Revival now presumably adapted, that’s the fact. The situation all set to change, however, with the introduction of the AC Cobra GT Coupe, promising an “incredible, racing car-like experience on either the road or the track”, according to CEO David Conza. 

Certainly it sounds like a tantalising recipe, using AC’s new aluminium chassis with carbon body allied to monster V8 power. Standard power is 456hp, which can be supercharged to 730hp. And if that still isn’t enough, buyers who opt for the Clubsport Edition of the GT Coupe will be offered 810hp from the same engine for ‘an extremely agile and ferocious road-legal car.’ No doubting that, given a Cobra is still just 4.2 metres long with a 2.57m wheelbase. AC suggests that the Coupe will have a ‘near perfect 50:50’ weight distribution, plus a low centre of gravity. Target weight for the Clubsport Edition is less than 1,450kg. Hopefully just an intimidating brute, then, rather than downright scary. 

That’s assuming, of course, anyone actually wants to drive their GT Coupe; anything that comes out as good as these previews, complete with Kamm tail and puffed-out hamster cheek haunches, could be breathtaking. The design is inspired by the AC A98 coupe, which raced at Le Mans in 1964 and was the car that hit 180mph on the M1. So a pretty cool old thing to pay homage to. Plus with modern motorsport influences on this car, it ought to offer the excitement of a proper racer.

Conza added: “The reveal of the AC Cobra GT Coupe is a proud moment for us, and the story of a road-going AC Cobra coupe is one years in the making. To have been able to combine the timeless AC Cobra design into a car using the latest design and construction techniques breaks new ground for AC Cars.” Reservations for all versions of the Coupe are open now, with deliveries expected in 2025.

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• All-new AC Cobra GT Roadster breaks cover
• Wild new Corvette ZR1 makes 1,078hp...

[Evil.soup]

I like the idea of this, I can't afford one of course!

The base model V8 would be more than enough for a road car like this, I do wonder if it will be able to handle all that power without needing to be an experienced racing driver behind the wheel? Only thing I don't really like is the modern lights, I think it takes something away from the car. They don't have to be candles in jam jars to still look more in keeping with the older styling.

Still, its great to see something like this.

[Motormouth88]

As per usual the wheels are way too big…PLEASE STOP, these old styles look so much better with smaller wheels and a chunkier side wall

[threespires]

£325,000!
Bonkers
They were difficult to sell when they were £2500 new.

[chickensoup]

[quote]AC Cars has never made a series production hardtop model in its 123-year existence.
[/quote]

Um
No
that is simply bad journalism
They even made a hardtop Ace, the Aceca

[leef44]

Motormouth88 said:

As per usual the wheels are way too big…PLEASE STOP, these old styles look so much better with smaller wheels and a chunkier side wall

Agreed. It works in a cartoon but why take an old classic to sell as being an old classic style but not make it classic.

[Evil.soup]

leef44 said:

Motormouth88 said:

As per usual the wheels are way too big…PLEASE STOP, these old styles look so much better with smaller wheels and a chunkier side wall

Agreed. It works in a cartoon but why take an old classic to sell as being an old classic style but not make it classic.

I have to agree on the wheels, maybe its more the style than the size for me, they have a "purchased at Motorspares" cheap Wolfrace vibe. I don't really like diamond cutting on any wheels.

[WPA]

chickensoup said:

Um
No
that is simply bad journalism
They even made a hardtop Ace, the Aceca

Plus the 428 Fura fastback

[Hoofy]

I'm cheating a little because I saw one at Brooklands on Sunday.

[Nish Gnackers]

I followed, albeit briefly, a real Cobra this morning.

Growling and smelling of unburnt fuel, bare aluminium body, driven by a gentleman and passengered by his, I presume, wife .. both in their 70s.

"A" registration so late 1963 ... glorious.

[paulyv]

Nish Gnackers said:

I followed, albeit briefly, a real Cobra this morning.

Growling and smelling of unburnt fuel, bare aluminium body, driven by a gentleman and passengered by his, I presume, wife .. both in their 70s.

"A" registration so late 1963 ... glorious.

A genuine question - how would one (not me!) be able to tell it was genuine? Number plate aside?

[tadaah]

chickensoup said:

Um
No
that is simply bad journalism
They even made a hardtop Ace, the Aceca

This.

It's not hard to write articles about new car releases. 10 minutes on Google could've prepared a better article. This isn't journalism, it's press pack rejigging

[Chris C2]

Tongue in cheek, do you need to be a contortionist/midget/amputee to be able to get in and out?

[sidesauce]

Evil.soup said:

leef44 said:

Motormouth88 said:

As per usual the wheels are way too big…PLEASE STOP, these old styles look so much better with smaller wheels and a chunkier side wall

Agreed. It works in a cartoon but why take an old classic to sell as being an old classic style but not make it classic.

I have to agree on the wheels, maybe its more the style than the size for me, they have a "purchased at Motorspares" cheap Wolfrace vibe. I don't really like diamond cutting on any wheels.

This. The wheel style isn't the best but I personally prefer newer wheel sizes to the original tiny ones. I don't care if they're supposed to be 'classic', they look rubbish to me, as do the tiny wheels on pretty much all old cars.

In addition, if this is a truly high-performance car (and over 800bhp says it is), small wheels with higher profile tyres aren't really going to outperform modern lower-profile tyres when it comes to handling, response, lower centre of gravity and stability.

[Julian Scott]

Love it. Don't even mind the wheels.

As for £325k being ridiculous? Restomod prices aside, what V8-powered sub-1500kg sports cars with 750/800bhp cost less? I expected nearer double.

[Motormouth88]

sidesauce said:

Evil.soup said:

leef44 said:

Motormouth88 said:

As per usual the wheels are way too big…PLEASE STOP, these old styles look so much better with smaller wheels and a chunkier side wall

Agreed. It works in a cartoon but why take an old classic to sell as being an old classic style but not make it classic.

I have to agree on the wheels, maybe its more the style than the size for me, they have a "purchased at Motorspares" cheap Wolfrace vibe. I don't really like diamond cutting on any wheels.

This. The wheel style isn't the best but I personally prefer newer wheel sizes to the original tiny ones. I don't care if they're supposed to be 'classic', they look rubbish to me, as do the tiny wheels on pretty much all old cars.

In addition, if this is a truly high-performance car (and over 800bhp says it is), small wheels with higher profile tyres aren't really going to outperform modern lower-profile tyres when it comes to handling, response, lower centre of gravity and stability.

This is a very good point, hadn’t thought of that

[RSTurboPaul]

1500kg?

[VladD]

Motormouth88 said:

sidesauce said:

Evil.soup said:

leef44 said:

Motormouth88 said:

As per usual the wheels are way too big…PLEASE STOP, these old styles look so much better with smaller wheels and a chunkier side wall

Agreed. It works in a cartoon but why take an old classic to sell as being an old classic style but not make it classic.

I have to agree on the wheels, maybe its more the style than the size for me, they have a "purchased at Motorspares" cheap Wolfrace vibe. I don't really like diamond cutting on any wheels.

This. The wheel style isn't the best but I personally prefer newer wheel sizes to the original tiny ones. I don't care if they're supposed to be 'classic', they look rubbish to me, as do the tiny wheels on pretty much all old cars.

In addition, if this is a truly high-performance car (and over 800bhp says it is), small wheels with higher profile tyres aren't really going to outperform modern lower-profile tyres when it comes to handling, response, lower centre of gravity and stability.

This is a very good point, hadn’t thought of that

I'd also imagine that this has much larger discs for modern stopping power, so will need accordingly large wheels to get over them.

[VladD]

WPA said:

chickensoup said:

Um
No
that is simply bad journalism
They even made a hardtop Ace, the Aceca

Plus the 428 Fura fastback

As this article is about a Cobra I'd suggest that they are saying they've never produced a hard top Cobra before, not never produced a hard top AC.

[chickensoup]

VladD said:

As this article is about a Cobra I'd suggest that they are saying they've never produced a hard top Cobra before, not never produced a hard top AC.

Either the 123 years is wrong, and they meant Cobra (which was originally a modified Ace rather than an AC built car) or the hardtop is wrong

[Sebring440]

VladD said:

As this article is about a Cobra I'd suggest that they are saying they've never produced a hard top Cobra before, not never produced a hard top AC.

"AC Cars has never made a series production hardtop model in its 123-year existence."

It's very clear what they said.