RE: AC Cobra 212 S/C
Thursday 6th December 2001
AC Cobra 212 S/C
Ain't nothing like the real thing
Discussion
I'll ask it again:
Why the hell doesn't AC try to launch a series of its ill-fated and achingly beautiful A98 Cobra Coupé which ran at Le Mans in the mid-sixties?????
I bet they could do it for a selling price of 150 grands....
For those who don't know this car it basically looks like a Cobra Daytona which would have gone to a fitness course
>>> Edited by thom on Wednesday 5th December 12:28
Why the hell doesn't AC try to launch a series of its ill-fated and achingly beautiful A98 Cobra Coupé which ran at Le Mans in the mid-sixties?????
I bet they could do it for a selling price of 150 grands....
For those who don't know this car it basically looks like a Cobra Daytona which would have gone to a fitness course
>>> Edited by thom on Wednesday 5th December 12:28
The AC Acera is also a serious babe, and could be made for a lot less than 150k.
But if you ask me (a car journalist with no market research or personal money at stake), AC should build two cars...
1. A clean handling, V8 burbling, keenly-priced Cobra replica. The carbon body shouldbe built in SA (as in Noble), and the whole thing assembled in the US NAFTA zone (Mexico?).
2. The original 427, but constructed from formed aluminium (a la Morgan). Not enough rich people know that the Cobra is still available as was. With a little push and a re-inflated economy, more than a few would buy it.
making friends wherever I go
But if you ask me (a car journalist with no market research or personal money at stake), AC should build two cars...
1. A clean handling, V8 burbling, keenly-priced Cobra replica. The carbon body shouldbe built in SA (as in Noble), and the whole thing assembled in the US NAFTA zone (Mexico?).
2. The original 427, but constructed from formed aluminium (a la Morgan). Not enough rich people know that the Cobra is still available as was. With a little push and a re-inflated economy, more than a few would buy it.
making friends wherever I go
If someone used a TVR V8 as the basis of a Cobra I could understand it, but the Lotus (sounds like a 4) lump seems a choice bordering on the perverse. Could anyone explain ?
This car was rebuilt from the wreckage of A98 after the fatal Le Mans accident and apparently now resides in Scotland.
This is a replica of the Shelby Daytona Cobra. Goodness knows why AC don't do their version of this IMHO one of the most beautiful cars ever built.
Dear Mr. Bank Manager...
This car was rebuilt from the wreckage of A98 after the fatal Le Mans accident and apparently now resides in Scotland.
This is a replica of the Shelby Daytona Cobra. Goodness knows why AC don't do their version of this IMHO one of the most beautiful cars ever built.
Dear Mr. Bank Manager...
THAT car was in the factory on the day I visited. While I appreciate the awe at its style, I don't share it. The nose looks a bit square to me, as opposed to the lovely rounded nose of the Ferrari GTO.
Anyway, I couldn't get John to fire it up. Where's the passion?
making friends wherever I go
Anyway, I couldn't get John to fire it up. Where's the passion?
making friends wherever I go
Hello Jaydee & Robert,
Jaydee, thanks for showing us those beautiful pictures. Why not a TVR engine in the Cobra? Is it that the Lotus is reliable? Perhaps TVR owners in PistonHeads land can comment on the (in)accuracy of rumours about TVR engines? I worked for John Owen for a while at Lotus ten years ago and cannot imagine him sending out an unreliable engine.
Robert, if you want to try a sports car that handles brilliantly and is comfortable & refined as well as fast and good looking (OK that last is subjective) but does not have a “heritage” you can blind people with, get in touch.
Joe90
Jaydee, thanks for showing us those beautiful pictures. Why not a TVR engine in the Cobra? Is it that the Lotus is reliable? Perhaps TVR owners in PistonHeads land can comment on the (in)accuracy of rumours about TVR engines? I worked for John Owen for a while at Lotus ten years ago and cannot imagine him sending out an unreliable engine.
Robert, if you want to try a sports car that handles brilliantly and is comfortable & refined as well as fast and good looking (OK that last is subjective) but does not have a “heritage” you can blind people with, get in touch.
Joe90
quote:
THAT car was in the factory on the day I visited. While I appreciate the awe at its style, I don't share it. The nose looks a bit square to me, as opposed to the lovely rounded nose of the Ferrari GTO.
Still it looks much better than any of AC's current product....
Edited by thom on Thursday 6th December 12:56
I'm intruiged Joe. What motor are you describing? Don't be coy.
John Owen's colleagues at Lotus called the orphaned flat plane crank unit "the cube". It's the world's smallest, lightest and most powerful (for its size) 8 cylinder engine. May be, and I'm sure it's realiable, but it lacks character. Give me a burbling, roaring TVR engine anyday. Well, any day when it's not raining.
making friends wherever I go
John Owen's colleagues at Lotus called the orphaned flat plane crank unit "the cube". It's the world's smallest, lightest and most powerful (for its size) 8 cylinder engine. May be, and I'm sure it's realiable, but it lacks character. Give me a burbling, roaring TVR engine anyday. Well, any day when it's not raining.
making friends wherever I go
Correct. John Owen's cube never made it into production at Lotus. One imagines that the abandonment of the fuits of his three year development programme hastened Mr. Owen's departure from Lotus. It may even have been the crux of the deal to join AC: love me, love my engine.
As for reliability, Lotus' engines have traditionally been the least of an owner's problems. Which is to say the engine can be a problem, just not as MUCH of a problem as the electrics, suspension, and overall build quality (or lack thereof).
making friends wherever I go
As for reliability, Lotus' engines have traditionally been the least of an owner's problems. Which is to say the engine can be a problem, just not as MUCH of a problem as the electrics, suspension, and overall build quality (or lack thereof).
making friends wherever I go
Lotus did have some problems with the early V8's. Piston liners leaking i think. They've fixed these problems and i'm not aware of any other issues with the V8...
As far as i know these ARE reliable engines.
The reason it doesn't SOUND so good is due to combination of flat plane crank plus two parallel turbos. Exhausts from each bank feed separate turbos, hence what you actually get is the sound like that of TWO 4 cyliner cars running together.
A V8 ferrari engine is also flat plane crank, but as these are naturally aspirated in 348, 355, 360 etc they have full flexibility on how they configure the thing to sound (fantastic IMHO!).
Johnny Boy - the exhaust that Ted's mate fitted by the looks of things is a Quicksilver system. This is basically just straight pipes back from the CATs. It will sound better, but essentially it's the same problems as above. The "..popping and banging on the overrun.." is probably more to do with the mapping of the Sport350 ECU than the exhaust.
Quicksilver are at:
www.quicksilverexhausts.com
One of the guys on the UK Yahoo Esprit group had pipes fitted. They fell off :-/
We've got several links to Esprit exhaust suppliers in the yahoo site (under bookmarks) - TUBI, Stebro, Moto-Concept, D&T, SW Euro etc. etc.
One interesting development, the guy at SW Euro has built a 'cross-over' system that mixes exhaust gasses from left and right banks, prior to exit. Sounds very good, but its expensive, and although i've asked, no dyno figures have been forthcoming.
Check out:
www.sweuro.com/LotusSpeed.htm
Cheers
Rob
98 V8-GT ...
as Evo say: "still sounds like a 4"! but who gives a stuff: 0-100 in 9.5 :-)
As far as i know these ARE reliable engines.
The reason it doesn't SOUND so good is due to combination of flat plane crank plus two parallel turbos. Exhausts from each bank feed separate turbos, hence what you actually get is the sound like that of TWO 4 cyliner cars running together.
A V8 ferrari engine is also flat plane crank, but as these are naturally aspirated in 348, 355, 360 etc they have full flexibility on how they configure the thing to sound (fantastic IMHO!).
Johnny Boy - the exhaust that Ted's mate fitted by the looks of things is a Quicksilver system. This is basically just straight pipes back from the CATs. It will sound better, but essentially it's the same problems as above. The "..popping and banging on the overrun.." is probably more to do with the mapping of the Sport350 ECU than the exhaust.
Quicksilver are at:
www.quicksilverexhausts.com
One of the guys on the UK Yahoo Esprit group had pipes fitted. They fell off :-/
We've got several links to Esprit exhaust suppliers in the yahoo site (under bookmarks) - TUBI, Stebro, Moto-Concept, D&T, SW Euro etc. etc.
One interesting development, the guy at SW Euro has built a 'cross-over' system that mixes exhaust gasses from left and right banks, prior to exit. Sounds very good, but its expensive, and although i've asked, no dyno figures have been forthcoming.
Check out:
www.sweuro.com/LotusSpeed.htm
Cheers
Rob
98 V8-GT ...
as Evo say: "still sounds like a 4"! but who gives a stuff: 0-100 in 9.5 :-)
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