Undeniably one of the most famous and relevant of automotive legends, the AC Cobra has lost none of its appeal since its storied beginnings as a collaboration between Ford and British automaker AC.
The idea was to oust the Chevrolet Corvette as America’s finest sports car, which the automaker was geared up for, having already produced the engine that it would take to the fight – the lightweight, thin-wall cast small-block 3,6L V8, which breathed life into the iconic chassis designed by Carroll Shelby.
Over the years the Cobra was perfected, with its first major design refresh in 1963 (Mark II), and again in 1965 (Mark III) with a new chassis design that would become the platform for the Cobra 427.
Ultimately a racing car, the AC Cobra that we took out on the road with its naturally aspirated 7,5-litre V8 engine, rear-wheel drive, 600hp, and 800Nm torque at 3 700rpm, doesn’t like to take it easy on the road.
We went for a spin courtesy of petrolhead, Cliff, who recently drove a Cobra off the showroom floor.
“It has to be driven – not a sit back and relax car but that’s where the enjoyment comes from.”
“Very powerful and not to be taken lightly. Listening to the rumble of 7,5 litres of Ford racing V8 is something that stirs the blood of any petrol head”.
I took the passenger seat because I wasn’t about to tackle the gears.
“The gears are very close together and from 2nd all the way through to 5th they have extremely long legs.”
“Using 5th gear in town driving is almost impossible due to the Rev range of each gear but is magic for the open road with the engine seemingly just turning over”, says Cliff.
You can hear that distinctive authentic V8 soundtrack long before you see it, and feel every rev once you’re strapped in. The drive is nothing short of incredible and takes moving from A to B, preferably at its max speed of 257km/h, to new heights.
In short – it turns even the most basic trip into an event.
The only safety concern I had during the trip was other drivers who were watching the car instead of the road.
She’s a beauty.
It’s also a beast, so if you’re looking for something fuel-efficient look elsewhere.
It hates traffic, stop streets, and robots, coming in at only thre kilometres to the litre in town. On the open road, you’re looking at five kilometres to the litre.
But hey, if you’re buying a Cobra to take trips to the shop you probably shouldn’t be driving one.
