AC COBRA REVIEW

What can we tell you about the AC Cobra that you don't already know? It's faster to 60mph than a politician claiming their expenses, smoother than an Oliver Reed pick-up line and cooler than a frozen Roger Moore. Want one? No wonder... 

Carroll Shelby, the Texan racing driver, came up with an unlikely alliance beween AC Cars and the Ford Motor Company, the AC Ace providing the simple twin-tube chassis frame - supplied with four-wheel disc brakes for the Southern Roadcraft Cobra, into which Ford inserted their small-block V8. Production ran to just 1,029 cars between 1962 and 1968, starting again in 1980 with the MkIV when Autokraft acquired the AC brand. 

AC ACE REVIEW

The AC Ace not only set the path for the iconic AC Cobra to follow, but proved us Brits still ruled the automotive wave with prowess. 

AC's long-lived 1991cc ohc 6-cylinder engine, designed by John Weller and launched in 1922, powered the first British car to win the 'Monte Carlo' in 1926, and powered AC's models through to the 1960s AC Ace and Aceca. Concentrating on sporting cars aimed at the discerning enthusiast after the Hurlock brothers bought AC in 1930, the chassis became underslung with cross bracing in 1934, gaining a synchromesh gearbox in 1935 although pre-select was optional from 1934. Less than 600 post-1933 standard 16hp cars are thought to have been built, production ceasing in 1939.
 

AC 3000 REVIEW

The AC 3000 offers mid-engined V6 glory with a rarity factor to punt any Lamborghini into everyday classic status. Should you find a good one, you won't regret ownership. 

The AC 3000 ME mid-engined coupe appeared after a lengthy gestation in 1979, powered by Ford's 3.0-litre 'Essex' V6 from the Ford Capri and Granada. Mounted transversely amidships, transmission was via AC's own five-speed synchromesh gearbox, which sometimes proved troublesome in service. Eighty-two 125mph 138bhp two-seater cars were constructed at AC's Thames Ditton works, with manufacture transfered to AC (Scotland) Limited in 1984 – another 30 cars ended up being produced, out of a run of around 100.

AC 428 REVIEW

The AC 428 makes for rare, iconic and glorious motoring. If you can find one we would heartily recommend it. 

Italian styling combined with massive American V8 horsepower was well established by the late 1960s, no doubt influencing AC Cars' decision to re-configure its fire-breathing Cobra sports car as a luxury GT. A Cobra MkIII coil-suspended chassis was extended by 6'' in the wheelbase and dispatched to Italy to be clothed in elegant coachwork by Pietro Frua, the result looking not unlike the Maserati Mistral from the same studio. A two-seater convertible was completed for the 1965 London Motor Show, while the 1966 Geneva Show saw the launch of the Fastback coupe. The 7-litre Ford engine produced 345bhp - all the performance customers desired - this stupendous engine propelling this 140+mph car to 60 in less than 6-seconds, and 100mph in a staggering 14.5 seconds. Hindered by the 428's similarly staggering price, more than the contemporary Aston Martin DB6, production never attained Cobra levels, just 51 coupes and 29 convertibles between 1966 and 1973.