- AC Cars built the first Cobras in collaboration with Carroll Shelby
- The new GT Roadster will be the largest Cobra the company has made
- Expect 654 horsepower and 0-to-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds
Fans of the AC Cobra, have we got a Christmas present for you. AC Cars of Britain has released teaser photos of its AC Cobra GT Roadster, which it will unveil in the spring of 2023 and which it plans to deliver to customers in 2024.
The company, which claims to be Britain’s oldest active carmaker – it dates back to 1901 – launched the AC Ace in 1953, a roadster that could be taken to the track and then driven home on the street. After an Ace finished in the top ten overall at LeMans from 1957 through 1959, and first in its class in that last year, Carroll Shelby approached AC Cars about combining a car with Ford’s new 4.2-litre V8 to create the AC Cobra. In 1963, AC built 1,000 cars and shipped them to the U.S. to have their engines installed.
AC Cobra manufacturing in the 1960s Photo by AC Cars
AC Cobra GT Roadster
AC Cobra GT Roadster Photo by AC Cars
AC Cobra GT Roadster Photo by AC Cars
AC Cobra manufacturing in the 1960s Photo by AC Cars
AC Cars built all Cobra chassis in the U.K. until the collaboration ended in 1968, and then continued to build the AC Cobra. In 2021 it celebrated its 120th anniversary with the limited-edition AC Cobra Superblower, powered by a supercharged V8 making 580 horsepower.
The new Cobra GT Roadster has been in development for three years. It will use an extruded aluminum space frame developed by Icona Design Group and Cecomp Spa in Italy, while the body panels will be carbon composite. It will have a wheelbase of 2,570 mm (101 inches), making it the largest AC Cobra the company has built. It will include such creature comforts as air conditioning, power windows, an infotainment system and an optional removable hardtop.
It will be offered with a supercharged Ford 5.0-litre Coyote V8, making 654 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque, and with a curb weight of just 1,400 kilograms, it’s expected to get you from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds on your way to a top speed of 278 km/h. You can choose between a six-speed manual or ten-speed automatic.
The car will be unwrapped for the public in London, and so far there are no details on if we’ll get it on this side of the pond – although AC Cars does say it sells vehicles in the U.K., Europe, and “key markets around the world,” and since its original AC Cobra was a collaboration with the U.S., we’d be surprised if we didn’t see it here. Pricing is also off in the future, and we expect it to be high – and worth it.
Jil McIntosh
Jil McIntosh specializes in new-car reviews, auto technology and antique cars, including the two 1940s vehicles in her garage.
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