The timing of my first few yards in AC's 'new' Cobra MkII 347 is spectacularly bad.
Gingerly making my way from its temporary base above Brooklands Museum's historic Finishing Straight, the heavens open with truly biblical fervour.
Any thoughts of a road trip in this factory continuation car that even hints at the Cobra 427's transamerica thrash in the 1976 film The Gumball Rally are washed away as quickly as some of the loose rubble on Brooklands' track.
If nothing else, our slightly shorter schlep will now include some of Gumball's filmic grit as we take on the rain-swept roads of southern England, picking up destinations that have particular relevance to this 2024 Cobra's heritage.
AC Cars, as you will have seen from Matt Prior's prototype drive of the new Cobra GT Roadster (16 October), is now bringing the marque full pelt into the 21st century. But the car I'm driving is the Roadster's genesis, being one of four final MkII Cobras the factory will make and ending a somewhat erratic production run, which started more than 62 years ago in February 1962.
Of course, this last-of-the-line MkII is not completely faithful to its 1960s forebear, with each car needing to comply with current Individual Vehicle Approval regs. The upside is that the MkII's power output is up by 50% to 400bhp, thanks to the installation of a bespoke, 347cu in (that's 5.7 litres) Ford V8, the design of which is based on the original car's 'small-block' 289cu in, or 4.7-litre, unit. Still with an iron block and aluminium heads, the engine is built to AC's own specification by Prestige Performance in North Carolina and, as you would expect, swaps the in-period four-barrel Autolite carb for modern Holley fuel injection. Mated to this is a five-speed Tremec TKX gearbox, which, as we will see, is thoroughly in keeping with the Cobra's character. It delivers drive to the rear wheels via a Quaife limited-slip differential.
This story is from the November 13, 2024 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 13, 2024 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE ONE WHEN PEUGEOT GOT ITS SUPERMINI MOJO BACK
The 208 marked a return to form for a maker renowned for its small cars
READY TO TOFF
Gordon Murray's grand new HQ is now nearing completion, with T50 production already in full swing. MATT PRIOR and STEVE CROPLEY drop by and go for a ride
This humble chip will change cars forever
Nvidia, the £2.7 trillion US tech giant behind it, has the power to shape motoring's intelligent future. JAMES ATTWOOD learns how
MERCEDES-BENZ V-CLASS
Interior upgrades make the MPV worthy of shuttling Merc's CEO himself
Sharing is caring
One successful motor trader has opened up his car collection for the benefit of his home town.JOHN EVANS meets him
When trains would take your car across the UK
The Channel Tunnel's Le Shuttle service is a marvel, saving drivers hassle and several hours on a ferry, and even after 30 years it's still something of a novelty to drive your car onto a train carriage.
MG ZS
Dacia Duster-chasing crossover joins MG's hybrid powertrain push
LAND ROVER DEFENDER OCTA
It's a 4x4 that thinks it's a supercar. But does this 627bhp V8 flagship offer the best of both worlds or just compromise each for the other?
Matt Prior
To nobody's great surprise, the other day the Renault 5 and Alpine A290 jointly won the 2025 Car of the Year award (the original and still the best of the big international car awards thingies).
DS WANTS TO BECOME 'LOUIS VUITTON OF CAR INDUSTRY'
It's aiming to follow Bentley into the luxury space, says design director