From The Classifieds: 1987 AC Mk IV

Not many cars have been as focussed on by the replicar industry as the legendary AC Cobra.

The six-cylinder British sports car turned into transatlantic muscle car icon remains one of the most popular objects of affection among small-production fibreglass body builders. A few of them do a good job, too.

Understandably, a legitimate AC Cobra is something rare, and something to be treasured – although the lineage can be a little confusing.

The original Cobra was the result of a collaboration in 1961 between AC Cars in the UK and American ex racing driver Carroll Shelby. The British company had been producing its AC Ace two-seat sports car using a 2.6-litre Ford Zephyr engine, following the demise of its original powerplant, an in-line six-cylinder Bristol engine, but was looking for a replacement.

This came when international correspondence between AC and Carroll Shelby saw the American sourcing a new small-block Ford V8 which the British company used as a template to modify its Ace sports car so it could accept the bigger, wider engine. The modified AC was then sent to the US where Shelby oversaw the fitment of the 260 cubic inch Ford V8, and the legend began.

Subsequently, the car, which was badged and assembled using cars imported into the USA and sold as the AC Cobra, saw an ever-expanding range of powerplants crammed into the engine bay, right up to the 427 cubic inch V8 used in the 1960s Mark III model. But although AC continued building cars in the UK, the Cobra was actually not as successful as hoped and the last US car was built in 1968.

In the meantime, ownership of AC in the UK underwent changes as the company closed down in 1984 and sold the naming rights to British Cobra parts reseller and replica manufacturer Autokraft.

The new owner continued production of AC cars using Ford’s 302 V8, although an agreement with Shelby meant they could not be badged as Cobras and were labelled Autokraft Mk IV. This model continued through to 1996 when the company underwent a management restructure and a few Cobra-style cars were produced until the company relocated to Malta in 2006, then closed shortly afterwards.

The history gets complex from here on in. Today the licence to build AC cars is held by AC Heritage, which still produces traditional ACs, while Gullwing GmbH in Germany is licensed to build the AC Mk VI, which uses a composite body and a Chevrolet LS3 V8.

And so we come to this beautiful manual transmission Mk IV, built in the UK by Autokraft in 1987 and offered for sale at $149,990 by a Victorian dealer. Complete with legitimate Autokraft certification plates, the black Mk IV speaks for itself with its sparse but dramatic lines and classic interior. The engine is a contemporary, unleaded-fuel 5.0-litre HO V8 from the Ford Mustang and drives through a manual T5 transmission. The quality is at a different (much higher) level than early Cobras/ACs.

While the Cobra replica is not unfamiliar on Australian roads, the chances of spotting a genuine article like this one are a million to one . . .