The car that we know as the Cobra today started life in Thames Ditton near London in 1953 as the AC Ace. In those days it was fitted with an ancient six cylinder AC engine which did not produce the performance that was needed for such a beautiful sportscar. In the late fifties the AC engine was replaced by a 2 litre Bristol unit with which it went on to win many races on both sides of the Atlantic. Sadly the Bristol engine went out of production about 1960 and the following year AC fitted a tuned version of the British Ford Zephyr engine in the Ace. Carroll Shelby then entered the picture. In September 1961 he wrote to AC asking if they could supply cars capable of taking a US Ford V8 engine. The Ace chassis and body had just been revamped to take the larger Zephyr engine so all that was needed to cope with the extra power was to beef-up the differential, modify the brakes and engine mounts, and fit larger wheels which were taken from AC's heavier Greyhound sedan. The outcome was that the first Cobra - sans enginewas shipped to the US in February 1962. To this Shelby quickly fitted a Ford Fairlane 260 power unit and had it ready in April for the New York Auto Show. The story of the Cobras' development is fully covered in the pages that follow. The Cobra name was sold by Shelby to Ford in the mid-sixties and therefore some 'Cobras' that were manufactured after this time carried AC markings. The AC Autokraft Mk.lV is a direct descendant of the early Cobras and for this reason is included here. Models include: 260, 289, 427, 427SC, BOSS 351, Daytona & Autokraft MkIV.
