AC Cars, Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer, is celebrating its 123rd anniversary with three milestones. The all new AC Cobra GT Roadster is already underway in the UK, the marque’s Donington Park HQ has expanded and it’s just wrapped up the design for the reveal of its next model- the AC Cobra GT Coupe.
March 8th, 1901 is forever set in AC Cars’ history, as it’s the day the Weller brothers established their company as engineers, repairers and manufacturers of motor cars and motor cycles in West Norwood, London. This was the company that would later change its name to AC, following the launch of the popular Autocarrier in 1904.
123 years later, AC Cars is delivering the first examples of the AC Cobra GT Roadster this year. The cutting edge sports car is being produced in a 100,000sq ft facility located on the UK’s south coast, which has room for expansion but is already complete with bespoke studios, additive manufacturing and tailor-made assembly halls.
With the first year’s production now allocated, AC Cars’ expanded HQ and R&D centre at Donington Park is the ideal base for client test drives and demonstrations of the AC Cobra GT Roadster. Initially only for clients with scheduled orders, the test drives will allow the full performance and drama of the V8 sports car to be appreciated.
AC Cars has also released the first details of a new addition to the AC Cobra GT range, the AC Cobra GT Coupe. Revealed this spring, and based on the same vehicle architecture as the roadster and includes the same performance credentials and hand-finished interior, but with a fixed head-design.
Taking a clean sheet approach, inspired by the original automotive icon, the AC Cobra GT range is nothing short of revolutionary. With a unique aluminium chassis, and a thunderous 5.0-litre V8 engine, the sports cars’ visual appeal draws on the ethos of the original yet catches up on 50 years of design evolution.
Extremely light and with exceptional torsional rigidity, the AC Cobra GT Roadster and GT Coupe’s advanced construction requires fastidious production techniques in order to meet the high standards of both AC Cars and today’s supercar collectors.
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 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.
Classic Yorkshire 