AC Cobra 427 – The Classic Race Circuit Powerhouse

A Date For Classic Vehicles

Monday 3rd of October 2011 was an extraordinary day for classic vehicles. Nearly 30 degrees and as still as a moonlit night in June. I watched the sun drop elegantly into the sea over the remains of the old pier at Brighton, camera in hand, the sound of the sea on the pebble beach, knowing it was the last throes of our Indian Summer, and I had captured it forever. The following day was heavy with the melancholy of seasonal change as I took a walk around my village and past the local independent garage to see what gems might be in their display window to entice my mood..

Shimmering in golden Autumn sunshine stood a proud vintage AC Cobra 427, coated in a mid-blue metallic paint and chromed to perfection, it rested calmly on the display room carpet, nothing else able to touch it's classic majesty.

A 2 Seater Shelby Roadster Classic

For a brief moment, the summer wasn't fading away before my eyes, and I could imagine the roar of this 2-seater roadster and an accompanying warm sea breeze..

Sometimes known as a Shelby Cobra after the American race driver, Carroll Shelby, who asked AC if they could produce a V8 version of the Cobra in 1961 instead of the V6 Ford Zephyr engined automobiles, AC Cars were a proudly British company. The company had a fine record in racing, achieving Shelby's goal of beating the dominant Corvette on the American racing circuit. Partly due to power, and partly due to it's light weight, the AC Cobra was elevated to legendary status after a first win at Riverside International Raceway, in Riverside, California, in February 1963. The home of modified race cars, (including the famous EMPI Beetle), the race scene had just witnessed a new kid off the blocks.

When, by the end of the 1964 race season, the Cobra was starting to be outclassed, they simply went back to the drawing board to come up with the Ford 427 FE NASCAR V8 powered Cobra. Incorporating a new chassis for stability, this was the MKIII vehicle - and it packed a punch. The MKIII weighed in at just 2,200lb and pushed 385 bhp. This must have been scary to drive, and even scarier to be a passenger in.

Some motor historians might also tell you that the AC Cobra was an unsuspecting instigator of the introduction of the speed limit in the UK after allegedly clocking over 190mph on a test run. But I suspect that this is more than likely just additional fuel for the Cobra's legend status as we entered into a more safety conscious world.

Never a real financial success, the company name was eventually sold on to be owned by Autokraft, the manufacturer of replica and kit cars. These days, if you fancy taking out some classic Motor insurance, AC Heritage & Brooklands Motor Company, based in Weybridge in the UK, are continuing the legacy by offering a new build AC 427 using original tooling.

While our summers may come and go, and the heat from this year's sun fades until next year, the legend of the AC Cobra, I suspect, is still just warming up.