Last year, AC Cars launched the Cobra GT Roadster, marking the latest step in a long line of attempts to revive the brand.
Having defined big-power, small-bodied sports cars in the 1960s, AC’s kit cars later became famous in their own right, but now the focus is well and truly on factory-built, high-cost offerings.
The new AC Cobra GT Coupe is no different, taking the formula of the Roadster but with an added roof and styling from the A98 which competed at Le Mans, to deliver an even sharper driving experience.
Said to share “roughly 75 per cent” of its engineering with the Roadster, the GT Coupe is claimed to benefit from additional enhancements, with further improvements to its carbon fibre structure.
The ‘double bubble’ roofline comes from a desire to provide enough space for occupants in the cockpit without disrupting airflow towards the Kammtail rear end, which aids it to have a lower drag coefficient than the roadster.
It follows a familiar recipe too, leaning on the heritage of classic AC Cobras which were powered by high-performance Ford engines.
In the GT Coupe’s case, buyers are given the choice of a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ V8 from the Ford Mustang producing 335kW and 555Nm, or a supercharged version with 530kW and 820Nm.
The latter example can accelerate from 0-60mph (97km/h) in less than 3.5 seconds when paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, however a six-speed manual is also available.
Measuring just 4225mm long and 1980mm wide, the AC Cobra GT Coupe’s short 2570mm wheelbase and circa-1600kg kerb weight means that it’ll be a lively experience on the road, though it is still billed as a grand tourer.
“The AC Cobra GT Coupe is unique in the history of AC Cars and, with production of the GT Roadster now underway, it shows the road ahead for the company as we build and deliver cars for existing customers,” said AC Cars CEO, David Conza.
“AC Cars continues to invest in its operations, and develop new partnerships. This will provide the catalyst to take AC Cars from around 100 hand-built cars a year currently up to no more than 1000 cars across all models in total.”
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