AC Cobra Driving Experiences
The AC Cobra - or Shelby Cobra, depending on which side of the Atlantic you sit - should be a name that is instantly recognisable to fans of classic cars from the swinging 60s. It was AC Cars’ first ever car to utilise a V8 engine, following a request from retired US race car driver Carroll Shelby in 1962 to build him a car that was modified to be compatible with this.
After a proposal to Chevrolet fell through, Ford happened to have just the V8 engine they were after, a lightweight, small block 3.6 litre V8 engine, of which they provided Shelby with two of these. Building and engineering took place between AC Cars’ plant at Thames Ditton in Surrey and Shelby’s base in Los Angeles, California.
The result was a British-American sports car that, for its time, was one of the fastest and most powerful around that you could hope to drive. Offering an impressive 485 bhp, the Cobra, with its distinctive blue and white striped livery, cruises from 0 - 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, 0 - 100 mph in 10.2 seconds, and achieves top speeds in excess of 160 mph.
Cool Facts About the AC Cobra
The AC Cobra was quite a revolutionary performance car, and it has had a vital role in helping to build towards the power and engineering which you find in the supercars of today. Such was its significance that Shelby American produced a limited run of 50 cars to mark the 50th anniversary of the original 427 Shelby Cobra in 2014.
Ford also briefly revived the AC Cobra in 2004, when they unveiled the Ford Shelby Cobra Concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It was a modernised take on the classic model, powered on a V10 engine as opposed to the V8 in the original Cobra, and was also very lightweight, weighing in at 3075 lbs.
AC Cobra Driving Experiences
Forerunner to many of the supercar greats that we enjoy today, the AC Cobra is an iconic British-American sports car from the swinging 60s, and is one of the most powerful of its kind from a golden age of motoring, with a V8 engine offering 485 bhp and top speeds of 160 mph. Take a look below to browse our full range of AC Cobra driving experiences at venues across the UK with Driving Experience.
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