To me, the reason AC Cobra replicas are such popular collectable toys is not really because of the pedigree. It is more because they offer a very refreshing motoring experience in a brutal sort of way.
Modern cars are very safe and refined, which is great for daily use, but these Cobras are the complete opposite: simple, loud, V8-powered and infinitely tunable to suit the desires of the person who owns one.
That’s how Cobras have been ever since the early 1960s, when American racer-turned-budding car-maker Carroll Shelby contacted British company AC Cars to ask if it could modify its pretty six-cylinder Ace roadster to accommodate a V8 engine.
The rest, as they say, is history, some of which features tangentially (along with a few of the resulting Shelby Cobra cars) in the recent Hollywood movie
Ford v Ferrari. Close to 60 years on, original V8 Cobras fetch seven-figure sums, and so-called ‘‘continuation Cobras’’ (authorised to use sequential chassis numbers and the like) nudge into six figures, too.
Much more affordable, and surely just as much fun, are the various Cobra replicas that have been produced around the world.
For those of you not interested in technical details skip to the next paragraph, but there are those who want to know exactly what kind of replica Cobra this is. Built in South Africa by a now defunct company called Shamrock, this is a collection of Jaguar and Ford parts with a fibreglass shell. The suspension and differential are from Jaguar, while the gearbox, engine and steering are all from Ford. The engine is an old and untuned 351 cubic inch (that’s 5.7 litres) Ford Cleveland V8 paired to, much to the horror of purists, a three-speed C4 automatic.
Better yet, the steering rack is from a Ford Cortina.
This example is a perfect showcase of how to personalise a Cobra replica because, apart from the body, it is quite different now from when the current owner first bought it.
At first, it was quite softly set up, like a Jag, but the owner wanted it sportier. So he changed it. The fully adjustable suspension was lowered and stiffened so it has more of a sports car feel. Also, he happens to like Speight’s, hence the stickers.
To get in, you lower yourself into the old-school bucket seats. It’s only once you’re in that you then realise the seatbelt is a three-point harness and you’re sitting on it. Following some in-car yoga, you’re ready to go. All this is best done after the car has been started. Don’t make the mistake of clambering in, doing the seatbelt dance, and then trying to start the car. They don’t always start first time and often require some coaxing.
On the move, you really are put back in touch with what the bare mechanics of a performance car feel like. There are no refinements, you are buffeted by the wind, and all you can hear is the differential whining and the big V8 turning petrol into burbling noise. You couldn’t get any lower to the road unless you were in a go-kart. If you are wondering how much power this Cobra has I’m not telling you for two reasons: it is largely irrelevant because it is more about sensation than power figures and the owner wasn’t exactly sure.
Fat tyres, firm suspension and an automatic gearbox make it an easier, more relaxing car to drive than others of this type. That’s easier, not easy. You have to pay attention when driving one of these because the margin for error is narrow and its limit is inconsistent. At times it feels planted and nimble, at others it feels unpredictable, even psychopathic. There is, however, one constant rule. Never, ever drive it in the wet.
This Cobra is built solely for one reason: to thrill. You couldn’t possibly use it for anything practical. The pedals are off centre so the driver sits slightly diagonally, the boot exists simply to accommodate the fuel tank, and it drinks like a student during Crate Day. I’ve heard opinions that when driving in an open-top car, the wind rush is all you notice. I beg to differ. These Cobras are so unhinged they provide so much excitement, even at normal speeds, that they are almost impossible to match.
Cost? The owner didn’t want to tell me the price but replica Cobras start locally at around $50,000 depending on specification.
I think the thing I like most about these cars is that they attract people who will drive them rather than keep them under a dust cover in a garage. This, of course, means the rest of us get to enjoy them, too. This particular Cobra, for example, is not a show car. There are rough edges and imperfections, but it doesn’t matter. It gets driven and that is the most important thing.
- Chris Williams
Photos: Chris Williams
