AC Cars, Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer, has released the first images of the formidable new AC Cobra GT Coupe. The first ever official AC Cobra coupe set for production, working from an enhanced version of the existing AC Cobra GT Roadster platform, this road-going model draws on the company’s racing heritage.
Inspired by victories from AC’s formative years, which includes the Monte Carlo Rally and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the new AC Cobra GT Coupe adds motorsport-derived enhancements to produce an AC Cobra unlike any other.
Fusing the unmistakeable AC Cobra aesthetic with a contemporary coupe profile, it provides a brand new model as the company continues to expand its operations. Undeniably a member of the AC Cobra GT family, it retains key touch points from the Roadster but is in part inspired by the infamous AC A98 coupe Le Mans race car from 1964.
With production for the AC Cobra GT Coupe based at AC Cars’ UK facilities, it’s an evolution of the company’s unique vehicle architecture – with an enhanced aluminium chassis and optimised carbon-fibre body.
AC Cars is celebrating the news of the AC Cobra GT Coupe with details of the extreme Clubsport Edition, honed to excel on the track. Limited to just 99 examples, and predominately featuring a 799bhp V8 powertrain, these will be the first cars delivered to clients – from the end of 2025 onwards.
The Clubsport Edition will be followed by the series production coupe, available with either a normally aspirated 450bhp (456 PS) V8 or 720bhp (730 PS) supercharged option. The new AC Cobra GT Coupe starts at £325,000 + taxes, and reservations for both the AC Cobra GT Coupe and Clubsport Edition are open now at ac.cars.
Speaking of the new model, David Conza, Chief Executive Officer of AC Cars, said: “The reveal of the AC Cobra GT Coupe is a proud moment for us, and the story of a road-going AC Cobra coupe is one years in the making. To have been able to combine the timeless AC Cobra design into a car using the latest design and construction techniques breaks new ground for AC Cars. This means the limited Clubsport Edition will provide an incredible, racing car-like experience on either the road or the track.”
A race inspired AC Cobra Coupe for the open road
Despite the AC Cobra’s legendary status, the original car was only ever available from the factory as a roadster, so the new AC Cobra GT Coupe represents a watershed for the marque. As befitting a company with such a storied heritage, AC Cars looked to its past when starting work on the new coupe.
Carrying over the distinctive shoulder line of the modern AC Cobra GT Roaster provided a very obvious connection to the brand’s current styling code, but an historic race car – the one-off AC A98 coupe – provided significant inspiration. This introduced the distinctive Kammtail rear – a design element employed by leading Italian race teams and AC Cars in the 1960s.
Intended to help reduce drag, and boost performance at high speed, the Kammtail design was included on the AC A98 coupe – AC Cars’ factory entry for the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. Finished in time to take part in Le Mans testing in April that year, it returned to the UK and gained infamy as the car was reported as driving 180mph on the recently completed M1 motorway.
In order to honour this legacy of speed, the new AC Cobra GT Coupe will feature an evolution of the potent powertrain in the GT Roadster – with up to 450bhp (456 PS).
However, for the limited Clubsport Edition power will rise to 799bhp (810 PS) to deliver an extremely agile and ferocious road-legal car. Pared back and honed it is envisaged as unrivalled in its class.
Extremely light and with exceptional torsional rigidity, AC Cars’ unique chassis construction is already suitable for competitive use, and with future development from within the motorsport sector the new AC Cobra GT Coupe will provide a responsive drive like no other.
With the same dimensions to the existing roadster, the new coupe has a wheelbase of 2570mm, and is 4225mm long and 1980mm wide. Once again it will feature near perfect 50:50 weight balance front to rear, with a low centre of gravity. The new AC Cobra GT Coupe’s kerb weight will be confirmed ahead of production, but the Clubsport Edition has a set target of under 1450kg.
To learn more about the AC Cobra GT Roadster and GT Coupe, and to place orders for these extraordinary vehicles, visit ac.cars.
About AC Cars
The Weller Brothers established what is now Britain’s oldest vehicle manufacturer in 1901, producing cars and motorbikes from their workshop in West Norwood, London. The nascent company produced its first vehicle in 1903, but the Autocarrier was introduced a year later (from which the name AC was later derived). This was the first three-wheel commercial delivery vehicle and proved an instant success.
However, the AC Ace cemented the company’s status following its launch in 1953. With an aluminium body designed and built by Eric George Gray, it gained the respect of racing enthusiasts for its everyday practicality and pace. This was the car which would evolve to incorporate the Ford V8 and become the AC Cobra of legend.
Over the years the AC Cobra has endured, with its unmistakable shape and unique design. With production limited and every car built to an exacting standard, it remains reserved for exclusive clientele.
With its own facilities in the UK and Germany, AC Cars is working with leading industry suppliers for design and development, and construction, and the AC Cobra GT range heralds a new era in the production of the company’s vehicles. In addition to its Donington HQ and facility on the south coast, AC Cars will continue to expand its development and production capabilities in the UK.
