This was also proof that the trans-Atlantic manufacturing process was viable. Pride Automotive purchased the company in 1996 establishing AC Car Group. After re-locating to AC Cars home town of Frimley the AC Car Group produced its last two cars;  a FIA 289 numbered COX 2610, and a 427 Cobra numbered COX 3361.

In all 480 of the various versions of these cars were produced. Bill Cosby would have loved this one.

Book safes…, Circuit is a documentary about the 1981 Can-Am season. AC Car Group introduced two new models for 1997; the Carbon Road Series, a carbon fiber bodied car powered by a 225 bhp Ford V8 engine, and the Superblower which featured a more expensive aluminum body and was powered by a supercharged 4,942cc Ford V8 developing a robust 320 bhp. When racing a broken crankshaft or dropped con-rod can be a tad inconvenient, so they got the oil first.

In addition to the 427 cu.

Now Shelby American is applying the famed name to the 2020 Ford F-150.

in. The Shelby Cobra Mark III. There were a small number of one-off cars built on the Cobra chassis by Ford whilst they toyed with the idea of creating a head to head competitor to the Chevrolet Corvette. The car was raced again, this time at Nassau but failed to finish.

Of these models 14 of the CSX1000 series Cobras were made and two of the CSX 7500 up to 2007. The story of Carroll Shelby and the Shelby Cobra is a story of a man who dared, and created a car that won the hearts and minds of sports car fans all around the world. Frua then made and fitted the bodywork using a square steel tubing frame supporting the body panels.

The roadster has improvements while staying true to its originality. AC accomplished this by creating a Mark III Cobra version fitted with a small block Ford 289 cu.

Carroll Shelby’s idea was quite possibly influenced by his earlier work as a racing driver for British car maker Allard – you take a lightweight British roadster and drop a nice big American V8 into it. This was more than an E-Type eater, it was potentially a Ferrari beater. The standard road cars were fitted with 18 gallon tanks whilst the competition version was fitted with a 42 gallon tank. Styling was done by Italian design house Vignale and the car featured gull-wing doors. Model Shelby. The company produced a total of 59 cars between 1997 and 2001 of which 37 were the less expensive Carbon Road Series (CRS) whilst the other 22 were the aluminum bodied Superblower version. V8 versions was of course not going to win an economy competition. Two cars were factory prepared. Silodrome, Gasoline Culture, and the Piston/Blade Icon are registered trademarks. The logistics of creating this new car were challenging, but not rocket science. The Ghia Cobra was a styling exercise done by Italian design house Ghia. in.

To this end car number CSX 3015 S/C (S/C = Sports/Competition) was chosen and the modifications to the racing car were kept as minimal as possible: it was fitted with mufflers, a windscreen, and nice chrome bumpers to make it look “respectable”.

Over in Britain the design team at AC were looking to refine the design of their chassis and one thing it lacked was rack and pinion steering, the type that historically has delivered the best driver feel and responsiveness.

They are nonetheless a fabulous road car providing a wonderful driving experience. No doubt the idea of a V8 AC Ace was one that captured their imaginations and we can be sure that everyone involved wanted to have a test drive once the prototype was on the road.

The changes were kept minimal, but the decision was taken to do away with the inboard location of the rear disc brakes and to move them to the conventional outboard location. Although these cars handled well the next improvement would involve a move to an all coil spring suspension. Body Color Iconic Silver. The original AC Ace was fitted with worm and roller steering (sometimes called worm and sector steering). For the standard version the standing to 60mph time was just over 4 seconds and the standing quarter mile was accomplished in a neck straining 12.4 seconds, by which time the Cobra was doing 106 mph. Production of Mark III cars with numbers CSX/CSB 3001-3100 began in January 1965 and it didn’t prove possible to achieve homologation by manufacturing the required 100 cars to enable the Mark III to be raced in the 1965 season. These cars are numbered COB/COX 6001-6062, indicating that 61 were produced. Low volume car makers, such as AC, tended to use off the shelf components wherever possible and so the MGB rack and pinion steering was mated to a Volkswagen steering column.

Cast in California, these blocks are stronger and 40% lighter than the original cast iron blocks.

The engine is available either conventionally aspirated producing 440 hp or supercharged delivering 550 hp. in.

The AC 428 Frua tipped the scales at 3,150 lb and could do a standing to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, which was quicker than the DB6, with a top speed of 141 mph, which was slightly less.

These are a superb sports car combining the inherently good handling of the AC chassis with a V8 engine small enough to bring out its best attributes.

To build a car that sports car people will really want to own above all others you have to create something that appeals to the heart, not just the mind. in. This article and its contents are protected by copyright, and may only be republished with a credit and link back to Silodrome.com - ©2020, This is the new Simpson Speed Bandit motorcycle helmet, it features the the Simpson “Speed Brow” which helps to keep wearers cool using an interesting low-pressure venturi system to suck air out of the…, The Bricklin SV-1 – A Canadian Match for the Corvette In April 1975 Car and Driver magazine had the opportunity to do a head to head test of the Chevrolet Corvette and a new Canadian…, This copy of “An Encyclopedia Of Modern American Humor” by Bennett Cerf has been modified into a book safe – specifically a book safe for storing the included 8oz stainless steel flask.

He decided where he wanted the driver to sit in the car’s chassis and then got Ken Miles to sit in that place whilst between them they worked out design and placement for the windscreen, which was the first thing made for the car. CSX2093 was one of these and was campaigned by Bruce Larson or Ed Hedrick to win a number of National Hot Rod Aassociation National events.

AC were being given the opportunity to create a car that could rival the E-Type, and in their design work AC’s engineers installed the same Salisbury 4HU differential and in-board rear disc brake system as used on the Jaguar. Perhaps the most famous of all the Shelby Cobras are the Mark III cars built to the Super Snake specification.

Now under Acedes Holdings LLC a new Heritage Series has been announced with Brooklands Motor Company, doing business as AC Heritage for the British and European markets and AC AutoKraft, LLC located in Michigan authorized to make cars for the US market.

Jon Branch has written countless official automobile Buying Guides for eBay Motors over the years, he’s also written for Hagerty, he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome and the official SSAA Magazine, and he’s the founder and senior editor of Revivaler. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Blends Modern Sports-Car Performance with Iconic Muscle-Car Presence, 5.2 Liter Supercharged V-8 That Hammers Out 760 Horsepower, Quick-Shifting Seven-Speed Dual-Clutch Automatic, and Magnetic Controlled Shock Absorbers, This GT500 is Capable of a 10.6-Second Quarter-Mile Time, According to Ford Performance, Measuring 16.5 Inches Up Front with Brembo Six-Piston Calipers, 14.6 inches in the Rear with Four-Pistons, The GT500's Two-Piece Floating Vented Disc Brakes are Powerful and Fade Free, Including a Specially Fitted Car Cover with the Iconic Shelby Cobra Displayed, Front Air Dam Fitters, Wing Extensions and Track-Day Oil Catch Can.

A real sports car gets to your heart, and the Shelby Cobra is a car that tells your heart to abandon being sensible, to forget logic, reason, and practicality, and to choose the car that’s going to be unforgettable every time you drive it. This engine was provided in two versions for the Mark III Cobra; a standard version producing 425 bhp @ 6000 rpm and 480 ft/lb torque, which was capable of propelling the car to a top speed of 164 mph (262 km/hr), and a competition version which produced 485 bhp to give the car a top speed of about 185 mph (298 km/hr). They are known as the S/C (Semi-Competition) cars. This car was based on the Shelby Cobra Mark III but was fitted with a 302 cu. The front radiator opening was enlarged and the fenders were widened to accommodate the new model’s wheels and tires, giving the car a more aggressive and purposeful look than its predecessor. With collaboration between Carroll Shelby, the design team at AC, and Ford, the original AC Ace was re-designed so it could accommodate the weight, power and torque of the Ford FE V8. The film features appearances by the…, Before you get out the pitchforks and flaming torches let me put your minds at ease – no vintage Mongoose Californian BMX bikes were harmed in the production of the motorized bike you see before…, This almost hour long film covers the 1989 Camel Trophy in the Amazon, one of the most challenging iterations of the famous off-road event from its 20 year history. This construction method is quite complex, although rigid, and is prone to corrosion. The six cars built were all made for racing in GT class races such as the 24 Hours Le Mans and the 12 Hours Sebring. AC Motor Holdings was formed in Malta in 2002 and they undertook to obtain the Frimley factory of AC Cars. Sources vary on just how much power this twin supercharged engine was putting out, but estimates around 800hp are probably close enough. In off roading circles the Camel….

The FE engine would also go on in 427 cu.

The Super Snake became the subject of his “200 MPH” sketch although the way he recounts the tale in his interview with Jay Leno is perhaps even funnier. The changes made were significant and included an aluminum 390 cu. Unfortunately this turned out to not be a happy marriage. ). Watch the time lapse of this 427 Cobra come to life. version of the FE engine dominated the 1963 season.

The 3 inch tubing main chassis frame was upgraded to 4 inch diameter tubing. Carroll Shelby seems to have developed a great affection for the car and said of it that it would wake whole towns and blow out windows: twin Paxton superchargers and around 800 hp, we think he was not exaggerating! The big block Shelby Cobra is considered by many to be the most iconic American sports car in history.

Prices of original Shelby Cobras at auction have become so astronomical that a potential buyer might just need to slip a nitro-glycerin capsule under their tongue to guard against heart failure. The partially completed cars were then sent back to AC Cars for fitting with engines and gearboxes and final finishing work. Over in Britain was a small specialist sports car maker called AC who were building a model called the AC Ace. A car that, as you start the engine, the sheer sound of it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as the adrenaline starts to pump. Despite the different names the two slalom cars were almost identical.

They then got into figuring out placements for steering wheel and controls.

Pricing, options and availability subject to change without notice. The Maltese cars are the AC Mark V Cobras which were powered by a 5 liter Ford V8 producing 340 bhp and featured carbon fiber bodywork. However, as the old saying goes “boys will be boys” and the boys in question just couldn’t resist the temptation to go just a little bit further: so they also fitted twin Paxton superchargers to the little beast.