Cobra: the beat goes on

By Ben Barry

| 19 May 2022

Classic & Sports Car – Cobra: the beat goes on

Carroll Shelby famously resprayed his AC Cobra demonstrator several times so that journalists would assume Shelby American was a larger operation than it was.

When it comes to Cobras (or sometimes ‘Cobras’) built after the 1960s originals, we face the opposite problem: there are so many replicas, faked originals and continuations that it’s difficult to know which ones really picked up where the originals left off.

In truth there’s no perfect reunion of AC Cars, Ford and Carroll Shelby, but the machines that arguably come closest were produced by Autokraft (and later the related AC Car Group Ltd) from the 1980s in the UK.

The MkIV is agile, but its weight has to be managed at times

Established by Brian Angliss in 1982, Autokraft was previously a Cobra restoration and parts business named Cobra Parts, but in 1982 it acquired body jigs, tooling and drawings from AC Cars’ original Thames Ditton site, plus some employees.

The rights to the AC name followed in 1986 after convincing owners the Hurlock family of the cars’ quality, leading to a new joint venture with Ford and the rights to the Cobra name.

(Shelby made his own licensed versions, which are incredibly sought-after today, was criticised for cloning originals with chassis numbers allocated in period but never used, and even squabbled in Car magazine’s letters pages with Angliss.)

The MkIV’s 302 V8 has ‘just’ 220bhp, but is punchy enough

Today we’re driving four ACs: the MkIV and Lightweight, both built by Autokraft, and the Superblower and CRS produced by the AC Car Group Ltd.

All are supplied by Redline Engineering UK (The specialist, May 2019), the Ottershaw-based firm that boasts a direct link to the Autokraft days.

Director and founder Neil Fisher joined Autokraft from school in 1990, initially working on Angliss’ collection of British racing motorcycles at the company’s Brooklands premises.

He left in 2001 to establish Redline and now counts Peter Duckett, originally an Angliss apprentice, among his employees.

Sometimes you need just a little reminder as to which of these Cobra variants you’re looking at

“Autokraft was a fantastic place and Brian was a brilliant boss,” recalls Fisher. “There were probably 60 or 70 staff when I joined, rising to about 110 when we were producing the Brooklands Ace.

“I wasn’t allowed near a Cobra until I was 21, then I started on the production line doing jobs no one else wanted to do.”

The MkIV was the first Autokraft Cobra. The first chassis, AK01, was produced in 1978 before Autokraft was an entity, the last in 2000, with around 450 sold. Even Big Three exec Bob Lutz bought one.

It is simple yet luxurious inside this left-hand-drive MkIV

Logically enough, the MkIV picked up where the MkIII of the 1960s left off, with independent suspension by coil springs all round rather than the transverse-leaf set-up of earlier examples, plus a steel ladder-frame chassis with sturdier 4in tubing, an inch larger than the MkI and II (and a different gauge to the MkIII).

Like the originals, an aluminium body sheathed the frame, with 40 individual hand-beaten pieces gas-welded into two sections – one for the front, the other for the rear – in an unbelievably time-consuming process.

A MkIV cost £45,000 new; today they typically fetch £110-125,000.

To meet US type approval the dashboard was revised without toggle switches and bumper overriders were added, the latter neatly telescoping into the steel frame in the event of a light shunt.

‘To meet US type approval the dashboard was revised without toggle switches and bumper overriders were added’

V8 muscle came from a new 302cu in Mustang engine, either with fuel injection or a carburettor.

At 5 litres but with only 220bhp it was a way off the 7-litre Cobra 427’s 425bhp, and a 1190kg kerbweight left it only a couple of heavy suitcases lighter than the similarly powerful Sierra Cosworth.

But given the Cobra’s fierce reputation and that this original, factory red MkIV is the first I’ve driven, I’m content to start with its relatively modest performance.

After swinging open vestigial doors that curve down below shoulder height, you’re very much exposed once you’ve settled into the low-set buckets but it’s surprisingly luxurious for such a simple car – imagine Rolls-Royce employees assembling a Caterham and you’re somewhere close.

The Autokraft AC Cobra Lightweight feels like a better-tied-down MkIV, with greater precision, better brakes and, with 370bhp on tap, an eye-watering turn of speed

Deep-pile, red-piped carpets extend over the broad transmission tunnel, the polished silver spokes of a thin-rimmed wooden steering wheel glint in the sunshine and plush caramel leather covers the door cards, seats and dash.

The dials appear to be lifted from the Triumph Stag/Dolomite/2500 era and nicely complement the craftsmanship; the Ford switchgear with twisty plastic heater controls is less harmonious.

This is the only left-hand-drive car here, and your feet feel more cramped in the pedalbox than in the right-hookers, plus there’s less room to move longer legs, which dents confidence during an otherwise enjoyable drive.

‘The Lightweight’s engine dominates. Speed and power delivery are relentless, and the V8 is eager to reach for the high notes’

Twist the key and the big V8 wakes with a phlegmy burble that bursts with attitude, no matter that its bark suggests far more than the bite.

There’s the physicality you expect of such a beefy machine, with a relatively heavy clutch and unassisted steering, but muscularity gives way to delicacy with speed, as the steering jiggles gently in your hands and the clutch moves freely.

The surprise is just how energetic this lower-powered Cobra feels, pulling to 6000rpm with enthusiasm and with a generous enough turn of speed.

It’s certainly capable of overstressing the chassis if you’re keen with the throttle.

Muscular arches and Halibrand wheels are Cobra signatures

The MkIV changes direction with much more verve than you expect of a sports car with a heavy engine in the nose, but then the V8 is pushed right back towards the bulkhead and the centre of gravity must be Cobra-low.

The fundamentals are there, then, but the MkIV’s comfort-focused suspension means a lot of weight transfer and body roll to manage if you jab in two quick steering inputs: you need to keep one step ahead of the weight transfer to avoid a tank-slapper.

The MkIV is a characterful cruiser, but clearly there was room for a more focused and – crucially – more profitable model.

Fisher recalls: “MkIVs sold well, but Autokraft was still restoring original Cobras that were much more valuable. Brian wanted a model in between.”

The AC Car Group AC CRS has a carbonfibre body, not aluminium

The result was the Lightweight, as engineered by Peter Duckett.

Described by Fisher as “essentially a detuned MkIII”, the Lightweight was revealed at the 1990 Geneva motor show and is represented here by the blue example with the single chromed roll hoop.

The weight dropped from 1190 to 1070kg (weight-loss measures extended to removing the door cards and using fabric door pulls), and power from the 302 engine shot up to 370bhp thanks to aluminium cylinder heads, a Holley four-barrel carb and catalyser-free exhausts.

Duckett shows me a picture of the Brooklands production line and points out a Lightweight chassis: the longitudinal tubes are blanked off at their ends rather than being open to accept impact bumpers.

‘The pace of the CRS and MkIV would be generous by any normal standards, but it soon pales against the other two Cobras here’

Along with the emissions, it’s why the Lightweight wasn’t Federalised for US sale, but today it’s the most sought-after Autokraft model, representing a sizeable step in both dynamics and performance.

The engine dominates. Speed and power delivery are relentless, and the V8 is as eager to get going from just above idle as it is to reach for the high notes.

There’s a satisfyingly positive ‘snick’ to this car’s gearchanges, so rowing up and down the ’box is more involving.

The steering wheel of the CRS feels on the chunky side

But while the basic chassis behaviour is familiar from the MkIV, there’s added finesse: the steering is more precise and suffers less kickback when you load up the front, and, while it is still relatively soft, it’s more controlled and happier with multiple direction changes.

The brakes are fantastically strong and responsive, and even the traction is superior despite the rear tyres having to manage more power.

There’s more connection and confidence driving a Lightweight fast. Priced at £110k new, today they’re typically £170-210k.

The 5.0 V8 of the CRS makes 225bhp

During the years after the Lightweight’s introduction, AC developed the Brooklands Ace, a two-seater roadster with a Ford V8 and the look of a depressed, middle-aged Mazda MX-5.

Duckett describes it as “costing £150k or so to build, but £50k to buy”. It was doomed.

By 1996 receiver Price Waterhouse was in and Ford was out, taking the Cobra name with it, but there was salvation in the shape of new South African owner Alan Lubinsky, who established the AC Car Group Ltd.

“Lubinksy got the workforce together and asked how we could improve the MkIV,” says Fisher. “We said the Ford 302 engine was underpowered, especially as new performance cars were coming out, so he introduced the AC Superblower – in effect a supercharged Cobra without the name.”

The initials ‘CRS’ stand for ‘Carbon Road Series’

The Superblower needed to be Federalised to be profitable, so a 6lb supercharger was added to the Ford V8, giving 320bhp – not quite a match for the Lightweight, but around 50% up on a MkIV.

It cost £69,795 new in 1997, and examples change hands today for £115-125k.

The dash is different from earlier examples, with key dials grouped centrally in a semicircle, and warning lights and indicators arranged in a smaller mirror-image shape ahead of the wheel.

It’s a simple yet beautifully crafted interior, with burgundy leather and carpets set off by aluminium and painted-silver detailing.

The Superblower’s chassis is a well-balanced mix of compliance and agility

The noise brims with attitude even if it isn’t quite as boisterous as a Lightweight, yet the supercharger isn’t immediately obvious: any whine is damped into the background, but the belt-driven forced induction keeps fizz in the throttle in a way a turbo can’t.

Breach 2000rpm, though, and you feel the kick to the performance and a real punch through to 6000rpm, by which point things are moving at a furious lick.

It’s a MkIV with a fast-forward button. This gearshift is a little more knuckly than the Lightweight, but there’s still a tight mechanical feel, fantastic brakes and a chassis that sits somewhere between the MkIV and Lightweight in its combination of softness and eagerness to turn.

A Superblower also does a better job of putting its power down than the MkIV, something apparent both off the line and when you feed in the throttle during cornering. This is a nicely balanced package.

Inside the Superblower is a bespoke dashboard layout

While the Superblower maximised performance and profit, the CRS was all about accessibility.

Launched in 1998 at the London Motor Show, the CRS – for Carbon Road Series – marks the biggest change in philosophy of all the cars here (blue again, this time identified by twin black roll hoops).

“Lubinsky could see the big market for replicas,” recalls Fisher. “He wanted a car positioned below the MkIV to tap into that. To do that he had to reduce costs.”

An alternative to the handbuilt aluminium body was key, and the solution was a MkIV chassis with a carbonfibre shell produced by Pro-Tech Motorsport (an outfit affiliated with radio DJ David ‘Kid’ Jensen’s F3000 race team).

This car’s supercharged V8 makes 320bhp

Produced in two pieces, it weighed just 22kg and helped reduce the CRS’s price to £38,000, or more typically the low-to-mid-£40s with a few options, at a time when a replica was £35-40k.

This is chassis number one, the original press demonstrator, and as such it features a few unusual details, including exhausts that point down and a roll hoop that stands vertically to attention, not slightly canted back.

It was originally purchased by Bertie Gilbart-Smith, previously chairman of the AC Owners’ Club, who has since passed ownership to his family but remains best-placed to relay the history.

The AC Car Group AC Superblower also has 385lb ft of torque on hand (or should that be under foot?)

“I’m an AC person – I bought my Ace Bristol in 1965,” he explains. “I loved that the CRS is so old in so many ways – the roof is just the same as that of my Ace Bristol – but I also loved the idea of carbonfibre, because back then it was the very latest material for a road car.”

The CRS has accompanied Gilbart-Smith on many European road trips (in part because he scrutineered for the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association) and has racked up 76,000 miles.

The 5-litre/302cu in Ford V8 has comparable performance to the MkIV, at 225bhp, with its kerbweight of 1188kg similar, too.

A formidable partnership

The biggest difference initially is the chunkier leather steering wheel, which has a mild damping effect on the messages percolating through to it from the front wheels.

But mostly the handling and performance compare to a MkIV – performance that by any other standards would be described as very generous, but which pales against the Lightweight and Superblower.

The chassis can still feel something of a handful if you chuck it around – the rear will edge into oversteer through a dry corner if you feed in the power early, and there’s a fair amount of weight transfer to manage through direction changes, which is where you’re far more likely to find yourself in trouble than by simply squeezing the throttle.

As a comfortable and characterful cruiser with a decent turn of speed, there’s much to enjoy here, especially as the CRS continues to be the most affordable of these cars, with examples selling for around £65-75,000 today.

Big US V8 engines in British sports cars is always a fabulous combination

Autokraft and the subsequent AC Car Group Ltd wasn’t the end of the AC Cobra story.

There is a confusing number of Lubinsky AC-licensed products available, from Superformance in South Africa, AC Automotive in Germany and AC Heritage at Brooklands, the latter run by racer Steve Gray who now owns the original AC tooling.

Then, just last year, AC Cars itself announced a new electric AC Cobra, and it continues to sell a recreation Superblower with the GM LSA engine.

The saga only gets more convoluted with time, but these four ACs are a reminder of the simple appeal of a big American V8 in a little old British sports car. Whatever the origins, that’s always a recipe for fun.

Images: Max Edleston

Thanks to the Gilbart-Smith family, Steve Mills, Redline Engineering UK

Cobra, by royal appointment

The Autokraft Cobras enjoyed celebrity patronage, including the Sultan of Brunei – whose car was at Redline during our visit.

The Sultan ordered this right-hand-drive MkIV with an automatic gearbox as a special commission in 1995, plus two others as gifts.

While the idea of a two-pedal Cobra might seem at odds with this car’s sporting ethos, if you’re not worried about setting lap times it pairs nicely with the MkIV’s soft chassis and makes for quite an appealing Sunday cruiser.

Factfiles

AC Car Group AC CRS

Sold/number built 2000-’02/37
Construction steel ladder-frame chassis, carbonfibre body
Engine all-iron, ohv 4942cc V8, with electronic fuel injection
Max power 225bhp @ 4200rpm
Max torque 300Ib ft @ 3200rpm
Transmission Borg-Warner five-speed manual, RWD
Suspension independent, by unequal-length wishbones, coils, telescopic dampers f/r
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes discs, with servo
Length 13ft 6in (4150mm)
Width 5ft 8in (1727mm)
Height 4ft 1in (1245mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 6in (2286mm)
Weight 2619lb (1188kg)
Mpg n/a
0-60mph 5 secs
Top speed 145mph
Price new £38,950
Price now £65-75,000*

Autokraft MkIV AC Cobra

Sold/number built 1982-’96/c450
Construction steel ladder-frame chassis, aluminium body
Engine all-iron, ohv 4942cc V8, with four-barrel Holley carb or electronic fuel injection
Max power 225bhp @ 4200rpm
Max torque 300Ib ft @ 3200rpm
Transmission Borg-Warner five-speed manual, RWD
Suspension independent, by unequal-length wishbones, coils, telescopic dampers f/r
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes discs, with servo
Length 13ft 6in (4150mm)
Width 5ft 8in (1727mm)
Height 4ft 1in (1245mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 6in (2286mm)
Weight 2620lb (1188kg)
Mpg 16-23
0-60mph 5.3 secs
Top speed 135mph
Price new £45,000
Price now £110-125,000*

AC Car Group AC Superblower

Sold/number built 1997-2001/28
Construction steel ladder-frame chassis, aluminium body
Engine all-iron, ohv 4942cc V8, with supercharger and electronic fuel injection
Max power 320bhp @ 5700rpm
Max torque 385Ib ft @ 3750rpm
Transmission Borg-Warner five-speed manual, RWD
Suspension independent, by unequal-length wishbones, coils, telescopic dampers f/r
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes discs, with servo
Length 13ft 6in (4150mm)
Width 5ft 8in (1727mm)
Height 4ft 1in (1245mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 6in (2286mm)
Weight 2557Ib (1160kg)
Mpg n/a
0-60mph 4.2 secs
Top speed 155mph
Price new £69,795
Price now £115-125,000*

Autokraft AC Cobra Lightweight

Sold/number built 1990-’96/73
Construction steel ladder-frame chassis, aluminium body
Engine iron-block, alloy-heads, ohv 4942cc V8, Holley four-barrel carburettor
Max power 370bhp @ 6000rpm
Max torque 390Ib ft @ 4500rpm
Transmission Borg-Warner five-speed manual, RWD
Suspension independent, by unequal-length wishbones, coils, telescopic dampers f/r
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes discs, with servo
Length 13ft 6in (4150mm)
Width 5ft 8in (1727mm)
Height 4ft 1in (1245mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 6in (2286mm)
Weight 2359lb (1070kg)
Mpg 16-23
0-60mph 4.6 secs
Top speed 140mph
Price new £110,000
Price now £170-210,000*