AC cars unveils Cobra MkVI

The old familiar AC Cobra that we all know and love doesn't have a Corvette engine, Porshe brakes, nor is it assembled in Germany. But this one features all of that. The original AC Cars has released details on it's latest version of the classic sports car.

An assembly contract with German manufacturer Gullwing GmbH has the latest Cobra assembled in Heyda, Germany, and fitted with a lightweight removable hardtop complete with gullwing doors. The aluminum body over tubular space-frame chassis weighs just 2,260 lbs and is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 sourced from the Corvette, tuned to produce 437 hp in standard GT trim or a whopping 647 hp in GTS spec.

Stopping power is provided by Porsche-sourced four-piston calipers and vented discs (332mm front, 298mm rear). 0-60 comes in a mere 3.3 seconds.

PRESS RELEASE

AC to launch new AC MkVI in Monaco
The UK's oldest car marque has announced that it is building its new AC MkVI in Germany

The AC MkVI will be launched at the Top Marques car show in Monaco on April 16. The AC MkVI, a faithful recreation of the ultimate sports car icon - the AC Cobra, is now being produced in Germany for sale in Europe. AC has entered into a long term strategic alliance with Gullwing GmbH in Heyda, Germany. The AC MkVI is being produced in a modern facility and AC is extremely proud of the quality of the finished product which is due to the skills of the craftsmen at the Heyda facility.

AC's Chairman Alan Lubinsky summarised the main specification of the new AC MkVI:
"The car has fully triangulated, jig welded roundtube spaceframe chassis, with racecar derived suspension, suitably adapted to be road compliant.
4-pot Porsche brake calipers with vented discs, 332 mm front-298 mm rear.
Differential with variable powerlock.
Corvette V-8 engine, 6.2 Litre, 437 bhp for the GT and 647 bhp for GTS version, both compliant to current emission laws.
Handmade aluminium-hybrid bodies, handmade to last forever, with increased, air conditioned cabin size for taller drivers.
Finest German carpets and leather hides, craftsman made to create a luxurious and comfortable interior".
"AC is one of the most admired and respected marques in the world," stated Juergen Mohr, CEO of Gullwing GmbH. "Their sports cars ignited a passion that still burns inside enthusiasts today. For over a century, the company has built cars with superb engineering, old world craftsmanship and classic designs. We feel extremely honoured that we can now be part of the future of the brand." Alan Lubinsky added:

"There are two major new features on the AC MkVI. We are especially excited about the new aluminium-hybrid body construction on the AC MkVI. This provides the AC MkVI with a traditional aluminium finish on the bodyshell, together with a strong composite structure. In addition to this, the AC MkVI will have as standard equipment a light weight gullwing hardtop, with coupled to the standard air conditioning, will provide drivers with total all weather motoring.

The AC MkVI is an open-top sports car based on the design of the Le Mans winning AC Cobra with many of the original car's characteristics while incorporating modern technology. The cars are not imitations - they are new generation of AC Cobra incorporating relevant advanced technology. "Every year approximately 1,500 copies of the cars AC built in the 1960s are sold in America," says Alan Lubinsky. "Why would anyone buy a replica when they can own an authentic AC roadster that is lighter and better and has been engineered and built to such demanding standards?" Weighing only about 1,025 kg, the lightweight AC MkVI GTS sports car can hit 100 kph in approximately 3.3 seconds. "The AC MkVI is wickedly addictive," says Gullwing's Juergen Mohr.

"One drive in this scorchingly fast sports car creates an adrenalin rush that will last a lifetime. The AC MkVI offers heritage, performance and timeless styling that stirs the soul." The AC chassis has been at the heart of some of the most legendary cars in history. Texan Carroll Shelby imported a number of rolling chassis from AC in the 1960s to build the legendary "Cobras" that dominated international sports car racing. The Shelby American team inserted a performance tuned Ford V8 and gearbox into a chassis and body supplied by AC for the North American market. Since then AC has manufactured a car that has been imitated by numerous companies.

AC expects to appoint a distribution network in Europe in the coming months to sell and maintain the AC MkVI

Video: Cobra Venom V8 Concept

The original Shelby Cobra is arguably the most famous and sought after car of it's era. It showed the world what light weight combined with a large American V8 could do, and won it's fair share of races in it's time.

There has been an endless number of kits and reproductions around for many years now, and now this Cobra Venom V8 concept has surfaced. Designed by Jamie Martin, this snake sports a theoretical 524 hp supercharged Ford V8. Check out the computer animated repop in the video.

Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe and GT40 MKI

Nothing gets our blood boiling quite like a Shelby creation, even when it's a repop. There's just something infinitely awesome about old school performance, and in the case of this Superformance duo, it lives on today in a couple of recreations.

In 1961 Carroll Shelby convinced Lee Iacocca (then with Ford) to let him have access to a new aluminum truck engine being built in Canada. His plan was to stuff the engine into a British roadster then called the AC Ace. After a lot of hammering the car worked out and a bonafide legend was born.

Shelby called it the AC Cobra. The British car with the Canadian heart simply dominated American races. Sebring, Daytona — you name it Carroll and his Cobra won it. But in Europe? Not so much. The lightweight but topless roadsters had lousy aerodynamics and simply couldn't’t hit high enough speeds on the straights. Particularly the infamous Mulsane Straight at Le Mans. And yeah, it’s ironic that an American car could kick snot out of the competition in the curves, but then lose it when the road fails to wind. What to do?

Enter the Daytona Coupe. Shelby knew he needed a closed cockpit car if he was going to challenge Ferrari at Le Mans. The 250 GTOs were hitting 180 mph. Shelby put 23-year-old Pete Brock in charge of the Coupe’s design. Shelby didn’t trust Brock’s results. He brought in an aerodynamics specialist that agreed — Brock’s odd-looking Kammback body wouldn’t work. Miraculously, Shelby went with his boy Brock and this now classic design.

The results? Total domination. The new Coupe simply ran away from the field at Daytona (before being hobbled by busted differential). So much so that Shelby named it the Daytona. And when he brought his new Coupes to France in 1964, they hit 196 mph on the Mulsanne straight, humiliating Ferrari at Le Mans by finishing first in class and fourth overall. The Daytona Coupes achieved such complete supremacy that Enzo intrigued to get the 1964 Monza race cancelled thereby securing Ferrari’s overall season victory.

Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
Well, not quite. The real Le Mans veteran Coupes are worth about $5 million a pop. The Superformance Coupe is a replica intended for street use. As such, it’s bigger. The length has grown from 163 inches to 175. Width is wider (67 inches vs. 73) and the wheelbase is up 3 inches from 90 to 93. But Superformance claims that the increases are proportional and match GT40 and 427 Cobra chassis designer Bob Negstad’s original intent for the Coupe’s wheelbase — i.e. 93 inches. The new car’s heavier, too. The racing version weighed just 2,300 pounds. The Superformance Coupe? 2,900-3,000 lbs., depending on the engine you pick.

The beauty of the redesign is that the already excellent aerodynamics have actually improved over the original. Moreover, instead of the 289 cid motor making 380 hp and 283 lb-ft Bob Bondurant and Dan Gurney had to work with in the 1964 Coupes, the new car has a Roush 427 SR that delivers 566 hp and 563 torques. Not to mention that it's a downright comfortable car to drive, and with cold A/C to boot.

All of this power, coupled with a car that weighs less than a Z06 equals 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds, and the quarter mile flashes in 11.8 seconds at 122 mph. The Coupe also turns in a 1.07 on the skidpad, better than a Ferrari Enzo.

GT40 MKI
Is there a more legendary sight than a GT40 bathed in Gulf Oil colors? I would say no. This car is what is says it is: a beast. No power steering or power brakes. All the MKI has is an engine, a wheel and two seats. This particular beauty belongs to Superformance owner Lance Stander and he has it outfitted with a fuel-injected Roush 427 IR good for more than 500 horses at the wheels.

Driving the GT40 on the street is a waste. This thing is a full blown race car. Just how serious is it? 90% of the components are interchangeable with the original Le Mans winning race cars. Bury the throttle and not only are the Webber-style 8-stack inductors trying to suck the air out of your ears, the engine is trying to burrow into the passenger compartment.

Literally. Under full cane the motor pushes itself away from the transaxle and right into the small of you back. Not only that, but gravity is pushing you into the engine bay simultaneously. Sounds like a good time to me! This particular GT40 is good for a 3.3 second trip to 60mph, if you can handle it.

Sean Hyland Motorsport GT500 King Cobra

Big engine, small car. That's the formula that made building the original Cobra a no brainer for one Carroll Shelby. This simple idea was such a successful formula for Carroll's Cobras in the 1960's that it still lives on today. In addition to numerous kit cars available, Shelby offers his own version that comes with a CSX4000 chassis number. It's up to the owner to decide what engine to put in the car, lending to some pretty wild variations. This example might just be the most extreme, with a supercharged V8 pushing out a cool 1,000 horsepower. Built by Nevada Classics, Inc. and Sean Hyland Motorsport in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, the King Cobra utilizes the all-aluminum 5.4L V8 from the Ford GT500 fitted with a 2.8L Kenne Bell supercharger and runs on E85 ethanol. Additional upgrades were made to accommodate the engine and the suspension and brakes were beefed up to account for the extra horsepower.

Source: Nevada Classics, Inc.]



PRESS RELEASE:

Mark Logan, President of Nevada Classics, Inc., a Las Vegas based Shelby Cobra, classic, and performance car dealer, and Sean Hyland, President of Sean Hyland Motorsport in Woodstock, Ontario Canada, will unveil the King Cobra at SEMA in Las Vegas, November 3 -7, 2008.

Sean Hyland, and his team, fitted a Guardsman Blue/Wimbledon White, CSX4000 series Shelby Cobra with an all aluminum, 1,000 horsepower, 5.4 liter modular engine, originally designed for the 2007-2009 Shelby GT500's. It features a Kenne Bell supercharger and burns E85 ethanol.

Manufactured by Sean Hyland Motorsport, the engine is mated with the GT500's six speed manual transmission. Along with a custom interior, brake, wheel, tire and suspension upgrades have been made to handle the extra horsepower, and keep the car on the ground.

"I approached Mark with the idea of building the ultimate Shelby Cobra street car several months ago", said Hyland. "When I told Mark what I wanted to do, he said, '1,000 HP? That's the craziest idea I've ever heard of . . . Let's do it' " While modification of the chassis was required to accommodate the 700 lb. engine, the results speak for themselves.