AC Unveils Limited 58th Anniversary Cobra with Iconic Design and Improved Performance
In case you don’t know the AC Cobra, it’s basically the iconic Shelby Cobra, but made fancy-style in England by AC Cars. Shelby came to them back in the day, 1962 to be exact, and pitched them his famous body style, powered by a small-block Ford V8.
In an amazing turn of events, AC have decided to release a limited run of 58 special edition Cobras, which will have the authentic body and interior of the original. However, AC have updated the Cobra mechanically to perform like a 2020 sports car, and their method has me giddy with excitement.
The 1960s Cobras had Ford’s XHP-260 small-block V8 with delivered 260 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. Now, the elegant roadster will have a hefty 308 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque! It’s 0-62 mph speed has been made 6.7 seconds, and AC have updated the steering and brakes while they were at it.
Did they do this with turbos or exhaust systems? You’re probably thinking they just put in some newer Mustang engine that they bought at Walmart. Even if they increased the power output, some carbon fiber wouldn’t hurt.
Not exactly. It’s an EV.
AC fitted with a 230 kW motor and a 54 kWh battery. They’ve adapted the classic ladder frame to be suited to an electric drivetrain, and now it’s a speedy little baby with a £138,000 ticket price.
Now, surely some purists will be upset, but consider how this doesn’t take any old cars and convert them. If you’d like one, they’re available in blue, black, white, and green. Then again, even if you pick black (which you should), it’ll still be green on the inside!
