AC Cobra 4-electric lineup expanded
600hp a bit much for your Cobra EV? AC reveals a 300hp variant with increased range
'Fearsome' would probably have sold the reputation of early AC Cobras short, and none have been for the faint-hearted. Even though the new 4-electric promises a very different Cobra experience, with more than 600hp it's still going to demand a level of respect.
Now AC has expanded its Cobra EV range, with a less powerful 4-electric. Where the first 460kW (617hp) model used the larger body like a Superblower, this latest model has half the power (230kW, or 308hp) and employs the smaller Cobra body as used the 289-engined cars.
With less car comes less weight, the 230kW taking 50kg off the 460kW car for a 1,190kg total. AC says that's enough for 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and 190 miles of range, against 3.8 seconds and 160 miles for the more powerful car. AC "guarantees an exceptional on-the-road performance and a memorable driving experience for the Series 4-electric."
Unfortunately, half the power doesn't mean half the cost for the new electric Cobra. With the 460kW kicking off at £168,000, the 230kW has a starting price of £148,000; a useful saving, but still £10k more than the conventional Superblower - now updated with another 70hp from its V8. And it isn't hard to see where the more traditional Cobra appeal lies.
That said, we're all aware that traditional appeal is probably going to have to change somewhat in the near future. "The march of the outstandingly efficient electric AC Cobras is gathering pace now," said Alan Lubinsky, adding, "Lower overall weight reduces energy consumption, allowing the batteries to deliver a longer range and the ability to drive the car to AC's traditional high standards for speed and acceleration which the marque has achieved over many years". Reservations for both the 4-electric models are being taken now, with deliveries expected by the end of the year.
I'm going for a lay down.
There seems to be quite a lot of these PH news stories now featuring restomod classics converted to run electric motors, are there really that many car enthusiasts waiting in the wings to buy all these?? Each to their own of course but I'd just find it surprising that there are guys looking wanting to pay good money for a Cobra with an electric motor instead of a V8, who are they? I still don't get it yet, the penny hasn't dropped.
When petrol engines are banned or prohibitively expensive to run then I will have to move with the times, until then I don't see the problem with classic ICE cars especially when they are just for limited mileage recreational use outside of the town/city.
Been wondering what it would be like if things were the other way round. We had grown up on EV, and someone tries to introduce ICE into the picture. Would we hanker after the silence of EV in the face of these new fancy infernal combustion engines that are noisy, vibrate, spit out fumes and consume a lot of juice even when they are not moving? Even the reflections of the clouds on the body are the same!
Professionalism, rigorous attention to detail. Must have been a real pain to wait for those clouds to come around again.
There seems to be quite a lot of these PH news stories now featuring restomod classics converted to run electric motors, are there really that many car enthusiasts waiting in the wings to buy all these?? Each to their own of course but I'd just find it surprising that there are guys looking wanting to pay good money for a Cobra with an electric motor instead of a V8, who are they? I still don't get it yet, the penny hasn't dropped.
When petrol engines are banned or prohibitively expensive to run then I will have to move with the times, until then I don't see the problem with classic ICE cars especially when they are just for limited mileage recreational use outside of the town/city.
Can't get on with that pricing though.
AFAIK, 2030 will be the cut-off date for any new registration of an ICE car, regardless of the date of manufacture of its engine, unless you know different?
Nobody has yet mentioned any exemptions for kit cars, that I'm aware of?
Genuinely asking - I feel like the seismic shift we have seen in the motoring world recently has come with little in the way of detail...it's just happened because of 'stuff'.
I was just saying this morning, that 'the market' is a powerful force and (almost like lemmings) as soon as demand is evident, every supplier jumps as fast as possible. Perhaps AC know that if they want to stand any chance of being around in a few years time (never mind 2030>), they have to be able to get a product line that keeps money coming in the door.
Been wondering what it would be like if things were the other way round. We had grown up on EV, and someone tries to introduce ICE into the picture. Would we hanker after the silence of EV in the face of these new fancy infernal combustion engines that are noisy, vibrate, spit out fumes and consume a lot of juice even when they are not moving? Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff