1989 AC Autokraft Cobra Mk IV
Convinced that a market existed for an inexpensive sports car combining European chassis engineering and American V8 power, Le Mans-winning Texan racing driver Carroll Shelby concocted an unlikely alliance between AC Cars and the Ford Motor Company. The former's Ace provided the simple twin-tube chassis frame - strengthened and supplied with four-wheel disc brakes for the Cobra - into which was persuaded one of Ford's lightweight, small-block V8s. The 260ci (4.2-litre) prototype first ran in January 1962, with production commencing later that year. Exclusively for the USA initially, Cobras - minus engines - were sent from England to be finished off by Shelby in California, and it was not until late in 1963 that AC Cars in Thames Ditton got around to building the first fully finished European-specification cars.
After 75 Cobras had been built with the 260ci engine, the more powerful 289ci (4.7-litre) unit was standardized in 1963. Rack-and-pinion steering was the major MkII up-date; then in 1965 a new, stronger, coil-suspended MkIII chassis was introduced to accommodate Ford's 427ci (7.0-litre) V8 engine. Wider bodywork, extended wheelarch flares and a bigger radiator intake combined to create the definitive - and much copied - Cobra MkIII look. Only 1,000-or-so Cobras of all types were built between 1962 and 1967.
But for Brian Angliss, the Cobra story would have ended in 1967. The Autokraft boss had built up a business restoring Cobras and supplying parts, and in the early 1980s acquired the rights to the AC name plus a quantity of jigs and tooling from the old Thames Ditton factory. Keeping the overall style of the MkIII, Autokraft produced the MkIV, which was appropriately updated to meet current legislation and powered by a Ford 5.0-litre V8 engine. Around 480 were built before Autokraft folded in 1996, largely due to the costs incurred developing its new Ace model.
This 1989 Autokraft AC Cobra Mk IV was sold new by Frontier Motors in Pawnee, Oklahoma, finished in Mercedes-Benz Signal Red over black leather upholstery. While its early history is not known at this time, by 2000 it resided in Portland, Oregon, where a single resolute custodian would pamper the car for the following 23 years. It then passed on to a significant collection in the southwest, and to date has only achieved 923 miles on its odometer!
As expected of such a low mileage example, the car presents beautifully. The aluminum bodywork is as new, and features fender vents as well as fiberglass inner fenders, a chrome fuel filler cap, chrome gravel guards, dual exhaust outlets, and tubular bumpers with overriders. The paintwork is immaculate, as is the cabin which features fixed-back bucket seats trimmed in black leather upholstery along with a color-coordinated dashboard and door panels. Amenities include a heater, headrests, a rearview mirror, a locking glove box, three-point seatbelts, and sun visors. The Moto-Lita leather-wrapped steering wheel is mounted on a tilting column. Autokraft-branded instrumentation consists of a tachometer, a 180-mph speedometer, and gauges for oil pressure, coolant temperature, fuel level, oil temperature, and voltage.
The engine compartment continues the theme and is beautifully detailed. Its engine is Ford’s tried, and true fuel injected 5.0-liter V8, which drives the rear wheels via a Borg-Warner T5 five-speed gearbox and optional limited-slip differential. Other notable features include 15” Halibrand alloy wheels that have recently been fitted with new tires, four-wheel disc brakes, adjustable coilovers, a wet weather hood, side screens, and a tonneau cover.
As the Mk IV offers a handful of welcome updates over the original Shelby Cobras, it makes for a wonderful driver’s car, providing ample amounts of both power and additional comfort. These cars are accepted by the SAAC as proper Cobras and are in the SAAC registry. This example would be the perfect stablemate to an original 289 or 427, or it can also be driven and enjoyed with ease and reliability. As it bears the AC name and was produced using many of the same tools and techniques as the originals, the Mk IV represents an interesting period in Shelby and AC history, and this exquisite low mileage example is ready to be enjoyed on your favorite roads.
Offers welcome and trades considered
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Stock number 7908
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