Since 1962, the AC Cobra and the Shelby Cobra have been car enthusiast catnip, with a lightweight, curvaceous body and a powerful V8 under the hood. Yet, through all of this time, AC has never sold a Cobra to the public with a fixed roof. That changes now, and the car is something. This is the new AC Cobra GT Coupe and it has so much going on, from its carbon fiber body and big wheels to its V8 with up to 799 HP on tap. Oh yeah, the most expensive version will also set you back over $537,000.
AC Cars unveiled the new Cobra GT Coupe today after originally announcing the car back in 2024. The Cobra GT Coupe is mostly the existing Cobra GT Roadster underneath, but now it comes with a roof with a greenhouse tall enough for drivers over six feet tall. It also comes with a sledgehammer of V8 power.
AC Cars says this GT Coupe is the cornerstone of its 125th birthday celebrations, and they’ve pulled out all the stops. The base price of this thing is $314,790, and the Ford five-liter V8 under the hood (or bonnet) has a power rating that starts at 450 horses. Oh yeah, then there’s the shape of the thing. AC says it’s inspired by a ’60s Le Mans racer, but it’s actually the design of more than one car forced to live together. Yeah, let’s jump in.
Have You Ever Wondered What ‘AC’ Means?
AC Cars calls itself “Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer” (though it hasn’t been the same company through that whole time) and points to its founding in 1901. While this history isn’t important for this story, it’s rather fascinating because it explains what “AC” even means. From AC Cars:
1901
The Weller brothers set up their company as engineers, repairers and manufacturers of motor cars and motor cycles in West Norwood, London. John Weller was an engineer and a prolific inventor. The business grows fast and Weller Bros. is appointed Official Repairer for the Automobile Club.
1902
John Portwine, a local butcher, becomes a shareholder in the newly-formed Weller Bros Ltd. His additional finance allows the company to move forward and for some of John Weller’s inventions to bear fruit.
1903
John Weller presents his first car, the 20 hp Weller Touring Car, at the Crystal Palace Motor Show. John Portwine convinces him to design a compact three-wheeled commercial delivery vehicle.
1904
Within a year of the launch of the 20 hp Touring Car, another of John Weller’s inventions was to appear, it was decided to go into the production of a three-wheel commercial delivery vehicle. This was to be called the Autocarrier (from which AC was later derived) and in 1904 the Company name changed to Autocar and Accessories Ltd.
1907
In November 1907 the abbreviation AC was used for the first time and a new company Autocarriers Ltd was formed with Portwine and the Weller Brothers still as directors. The emblem of AC with letters in Art Nouveau style is still being used, with minor changes and refinements over time. The success of the AutoCarrier leads to the design of a passenger vehicle based on the same design theme: the AC Passenger Machine – better known as The Sociable. It has an additional seat in place of the AutoCarrier’s cargo box and is also successful, remaining in production until 1915.
The Cobra was created in 1962 when, as AC’s recounting of the story says, Ford was looking for a car that could defeat the Chevrolet Corvette. In 1961, Carroll Shelby knocked on AC’s door after noticing the racing successes of the AC Ace. At the time, the Ace had straight-sixes strapped to their chassis. AC and Shelby shoehorned a Ford 4.2-liter V8 into the Ace’s engine bay, creating the Cobra. It was an instant racing success and became an object of lust for racers and enthusiasts alike.
The Cobra was built in England and shipped to America, as well as sold on its home turf. Unfortunately, exports to America halted after 1967 as Ford and Carroll Shelby had determined the Cobra to be a financial failure. Likewise, Ford’s racing GT program was coming to an end, too. Yet, even after the breakup, AC Cars continued to build the Cobra across the Atlantic.
Modern Snakes
This new car is based on the AC Cobra GT Roadster, which went into production in 2023. AC is a boutique brand, and finishes about 100 Cobra GT Roadsters a year by hand. The current Cobra sports an extruded aluminum chassis, a full carbon fiber body that weighs only 110 pounds, a curb weight of around 3,300 pounds, and a Ford Coyote V8 with some real firepower on tap. Its base engine makes 454 HP and 420 lb-ft of torque. Add a supercharger, and the taps get cranked up to 654 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque. You get a choice of a Tremec six-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic, and AC claims a 60 mph acceleration time of only 3.4 seconds. Oh yeah, the Roadster starts at $287,083.
The new Cobra GT Coupe is just the Roadster with a roof slathered on top.
It’s the same chassis and most of the same body, but now, AC says, the car is “Inspired by the infamous 1960s AC A98 coupe Le Mans racer.” That’s the press release’s words, not mine. Sadly, due to image rights restrictions, this is the only usable image of the AC A98 that I can show you:
Now, I squinted really hard, and I don’t see the resemblance. Pretty much everything up to the B-pillar is still Cobra to my eyes. Later, the press release does seem to indicate that the Le Mans racer part is the rear end:
Further enhancing performance, as well as the GT Coupe’s overall racing aesthetic, the new car also incorporates a distinctive Kammtail – a concept employed by leading race teams over the last seven decades. Improving a vehicle’s aerodynamic efficiency without resorting to a longtail solution, it was used to great effect in the design of the 1964 AC A98 coupe Le Mans race car.
But I’m afraid I don’t see it there, either. Honestly, there’s something that seems “off” about the exterior design, but I cannot quite put my finger on what it is. Maybe it’s the huge wheels and the paper-thin tires. Or maybe it’s the lack of side pipes? It’s almost as if this car looks like what you’d see in Burnout Paradise or some other game that doesn’t use licensed models.
Anyway, AC says that the GT Coupe has the same 5.0-liter V8, but with a starting output of 450 HP and 410 lb-ft of torque. Adding the supercharger gets you to 720 HP and 605 lb-ft of torque. Like the Roadster, the Coupe is said to hit 60 mph in around 3.4 seconds. The changes to the coupe add a couple of hundred pounds for a curb weight of about 3,527 pounds.
There’s also a third version dubbed the Clubsport Edition, and that one has the Coyote zoinked out on power, and it has a silly 799 horses in its stable. I think our Thomas would call it “rapid.”
The base, naturally aspirated version of the Cobra GT Coupe will set you back $315,709 plus tax, or $345,357 if you want it with a supercharger. The halo Clubsport will cost you $537,642 before tax. That’s a metric tonne of money, of course, but AC says you get a hand-built car with an interior featuring “unique hand finished leatherwork,” machined metals, and luxuries like a navigation system, power windows, and climate control. I like the lack a giant screen in the middle. I suppose you could also try to frame the new Cobra as being a deal, as a vintage one can easily run you over a million bucks.
Just 99 examples of the Clubsport Edition will be made. As for the others, AC says it’s ramping its yearly production to upwards of 1,000 units. As of right now, AC’s cars are 75 percent completed in Germany before being finished in the United Kingdom. You can reserve your Cobra GT Coupe now, and AC says you’ll probably get it in 2028 after it’s done with initial allocations for the Roadster. AC does intend to sell these in America, too.
This new Cobra has gotten the attention of the entire Autopian crew this morning. Maybe it’s because we’re all used to what the Cobra used to look like, and now it looks like this. I don’t think it looks bad? It’s just a bit different. At the very least, Jony Ive hasn’t touched it.
Normally, I wouldn’t even cover a supercar. You know that my usual fare is big trucks, buses, motorcycles, and weird cars. Even if I sold everything I owned, I probably couldn’t even cover a third of the cost of this thing. But the child in me also likes the idea of 799 ponies in a somewhat small rear-wheel-drive vehicle that weighs only 3,500 pounds. I bet one of these Cobras is a hoot to drive near the limit.
Top graphic image: AC
AC? Wonder how good their…A/C is?
Ha ha… I’ll see myself out…
Does it blow snow/ice cold?
Sorry if it doesn’t have the Shelby seal of approval it’s just trying to whore out the name. But looks like a nice car but you can’t trust snake oil
I only want one in red with yellow lightingbolts so I can give it severe negative camber and listen to it say “KA-CHOW!”
Factory Five offers a fastback hardtop for the Cobra Mk5 that looks a lot better than this. Ironically, their whole car looks better than this and more authentic.
The FF Mk5 is also ~2/3 the weight and likely has more passenger and luggage space.
Case study of how tiny changes to the proportions of a car, can really affect its look.
Personally I’d take an old-school one any day. Except for the interior (which legitimately looks good), the original has a more cohesive look to it.
There’s just something odd about this new one that is off-putting.
No, the interior of the new one looks tacky too.
The pedals look ok, if a bit porky, but the rest reminds me of one of those “neoclasic” horror shows. That steering wheel looks hideous, and the gratuitous use of carbon fiber brings to mind the whale foreskin upholstery that was a thing a few years ago.
To each their own. I see tan, black and metal bits with is totally fine by me. But I don’t have house-money for a toy, so it doesn’t matter if I like it or not.
I think the original Cobra in the black & white photo is a much more coherent design. The 15″ wheels on the original look right, while the updated version reminds me of cheap diecast model cars where the generic wheels are never scaled properly.
Also, I know it’s assuredly user-configurable, but it’s funny how there’s a big combo speedo/tach directly in front of the driver, and then just a bit further across the dashboard is…a speedometer and tachometer.
Bonus points, though, for putting the company logo on the pedals. Anyone who owns this car has many others, so a quick reminder of which vehicle they’re using is certainly helpful and appreciated.
I’d say a cheap Chinese knockoff but that does seem popular around here.
How in the heck is this thing weighing in at 1000lbs more than my supposedly “fat” NC Mi-yacht-a? I do realize it has fantastic power-to-weight ratios but where does the mass hide?
Supercharged V8 + gearbox and driveline to handle it?
Fair enough, but when the article mentions the carbon body only weighs 110lbs, and it comes from the land of Lotus, I was expecting sub 3000lbs to be standard.
I am wondering the same thing, something is not adding up. A c6 zr1 vette ways less than this with a similar supercharged v8, aluminum frame, and carbon body paneling. But the vette had to meet all crash safety regard, has far more luggage space. The engine in this can’t weigh more than 800lbs, so 110lbs for the body puts it to 910. That leaves 2600lbs for the aluminum chassis, interior bits and lighting. I doubt this car has to meet the full crash safety standards, so it’s just kinda mind blowing that it’s this heavy. I was expecting 3000lbs tops. Oh it’s also kinda ugly.
My son actually has a C6 Vette, and while it’s heavier then my Miata, it is also way more powerful and also luxurious with heated seats and leather. Yet it too is 100lb less than this ugly and impractical Cobra. It doesn’t look as good as the original for some reason.
Is there any truth to the rumor that an electric-powered version will be coming out as well, to be known as the DC Cobra?
It would certainly be more current.
They would definitely charge a lot more for it.
Interestingly, it will come with a super-charger of its own.
Does it comes w/ A/C?
WTF is happening with the windshield? It’s all wrong, looking like it’s borrowed from the NA Miata or Pontiac Solstice is bad enough, but it seems a bit wide.
That AC98 is pretty, this looks like a kit car.
The rear end greatly resembles the currently available Mazda Miata RF.
The weird Bugatti 57 Atlantic roof seam isn’t doing this any favors. I know the Bugatti has it because there wasn’t any other way of putting the magnesium roof together other than using rivets, but this is a single piece of plastic.
The Bugatti Atlantic’s spine wasn’t needed, either—they were styled after the Aerolithe coupe, which was magnesium, but the Atlantics were aluminum.
As for the windshield, that very well might be the reason it’s wider. There aren’t going to be many donors with an appropriate windshield to choose from. If it’s their own windshield, they might have done it to give at least the illusion of greater space or (more likely) to fit the windup windows a little farther outboard to retain interior space. The curvature would be to go with the roof and for aero.
Thank you, I was thinking Aerolithe, but then the Atlantic popped up. The Aerolithe is what I was thinking and is so much prettier than the Atlantic.
They should have tried a convertible hardtop
I really wish I had the money for a Factory Five kit or something. Seems like a great fun:cost ratio, even if there’s a ton of work involved and you are your own warranty.
If I really wanted a fixed-head AC, I’d just as rather have an AC Greyhound or an AC 428. Heck, I’d even take an AC ME3000. I’d prefer any of those three over this “Cobra Coupe” and save the extra few hundred thousand dollars.
The AC ME3000 would be my choice.
Pietro Frua managed th make the headlights really weird on the 428.
I’ll take a Superformance for a third of the price please and thank you 😀
275/35ZR21, if you’re curious.
I was going to guess something like that, because they look exactly like the 275/35 R18’s that I used to run on my 350Z on 10″ wide wheels.
I would not call these rubber bands at all. It looks like the rear is sliiiiightly stretched, maybe, but the front tire looks to be fully parallel with the face of the wheel, if not bulging a bit.
30 sidewall or 35 significantly tretched would qualify as rubber bands in my book.
3,500lbs is pretty damn heavy for a small car with a carbon body.
“But the child in me also likes the idea of 799 ponies in a somewhat small rear-wheel-drive vehicle that weighs only 3,500 pounds.”
Miata + LS + T56 = similar fun for 1/20th the cost and probably less weight. At least till it kills you.
I think the weight of the LS and stock I4 are within 40 pounds or so of each other, but you gain some weight in the transmission. It would still come out close to 1000 pounds lighter than this.
At that weight you’d need about 570 hp out of the LS to match the power to weight of this coupe. How doable that is while keeping the weight down I dunno but even a stock LS in a Miata sounds like a recipe for fun.
At least till it kills you.
It’s probably more an issue of packaging and money. I think I’ve seen a rear turbo setup in an LS Miata (online, not in-person).
More likely this throw together kitcar killing you than any Miata
Pretty sure a 530 hp V8 swapped Miata can kill you faster than a double digit HP kit car. That’s just maths. 😉
How long until we go back to solid rubber tires like on trucks from 100+ years ago?
This car with runflats is probably pretty close.
Front looks off . . . too tall or vertical or something and that makes the stupid wheels give it even more of an unflattering cartoon effect. Why not use the Aceca as inspiration? It was right f’n there! Don’t mind the moved side pipes.
Given the price: meh. And maybe feh as well.
There’s something uncanny about it I can’t put my finger on. I think it’s the roof. The roadster looks a lot better to me.
Yeah, I can’t put my finger on why it looks weird to me, too!
Like others have said, it might be the cartoonish proportions requires to fit those wheels, the car is almost entirely wheel. But that roof… and the window. Maybe it’s the awkward bulbous roof coupled with the weird shaped window that doesn’t follow the curve of the roof at all.
Cobras with a hardtop have a silly profile IMHO. This at least makes some effort to integrate it better in the rear, but it still looks odd.
The ‘infamous’ bit an exaggeration, but the story is that the A98 coupe is the reason why the UK has speed limits.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport/day-jack-sears-hit-185mph-m1-motorway
There is something that just doesn’t work when you put low-profile modern wheels and tires on what basically amounts to a ’50s car. Many musclecar owners will put big chrome 18″ torq-thrust wheels on a ’68…well, just about anything really, and it doesn’t look right. Even worse is a C3 on C5 Z06 wheels, which I have seen. Maybe it’s that we’re conditioned that old car = thick tire, and very specific types of wheels with that. There’s a specific context where it does work, though; the dropped show cars with absurd bodywork and colors, slammed to the ground with chrome 20s or bigger tucked deep under the fenders, at which point you end up with a very different vibe.
This feels like grandpa in a tracksuit, a replica Cobra pretending to be a modern supercar. Or maybe it’s the other way around. If they’d gone either more classic or more modern with the styling, this might work better. Either more or less faithful to the original, take your pick.
I tend to agree. Maybe not full-on balloons, but those rims – as nice as they are – look way too big and out of place.
I think 16″ is as big as you go on an older car, but wide. Definitely wide. Get that vintage Trans Am look going.
Eh, the wheels. Ring Bros are the worst. I feel they just put the most extreme combos on their builds. Personally, I like the taller sidewalls on street cars.
See, I’m thinking more Australian in style (it’s probably the fact I’m subscribed to the Street Machine YT channel) but I get it. Been trying to expand my automotive pallete personally.
Thunderbolts and Cobras in one day? My inner 12 year old is loving it.
The wheels are too big and it needs sidepipes, but I dig it.
Not that it matters since I’m in the wrong tax bracket, but I assume “drivers over six feet tall” still excludes those of us who are 6’4″.
This looks hilariously fun.
There is no way it needs to be on fucking 21″ wheels. 19″ wheels should be able to clear those brakes
I hope it comes with an unlimited coverage wheel & tire package.
It looks better than the Luce and cheaper too.
“At the very least, Jony Ive hasn’t touched it.”
Oh, Zing, baby, very Zing!
I read this in my head as Austin Powers, which somehow made it even better.
Johnny Five (is alive!)
AC Cobra: “no disassemble!”
Luce: “disassemble! disassemble!”