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1965 AC Cobra replica, finished in blue with black interior and showing just 9609km with just two owners since being built in Sweden. Recreation of a 1965 AC Cobra built based on Dax body with lightweight chassis and utilising Jaguar XJ12 and XJ6 underpinnings. The engine is a Ford 351 Windsor mated to a Tremac T5 gearbox. This Cobra recreation was built over many years before finally being completed in 2011, with meticulous attention to detail as can be seen the accompanying folder packet with various documents and receipts. The car is built to achieve a mimic race / street version of the AC Cobra 1965 with all the right details and appearance, such as windscreen, wiper arms, wind deflector, locks for hood and suitcase, quick jack bracket, emblem, lights, etc., wiper motor and segments from Lucas.

In 1961 Carroll Shelby got the news that AC Cars from England would stop production of their AC Ace model since the Bristol six cylinder engines weren’t available anymore. True entrepreneur at heart, Shelby realized that the light and nimble British roadster could be a perfect match for a powerful American V8 engine and that this could be the chance of becoming a constructor, and not just a retired racing car driver. Very soon, he contacted AC Cars and they sent him an engine-less body to his shop in California. With some help from Ford Motor Company and a small team of mechanics, the first Shelby Cobra was introduced in 1962. It was powered by Ford’s 260 engine, and later with a venerable 289 V8, and it pretty soon took the sports car world by a storm. The combination of lightweight body, small dimensions and brute US power proved to be revolutionary and the car did extremely well in competition all around the world.

Since the Cobra was an extreme sports car, there is not much in terms of equipment which was installed. The driver had full instrumentation which was a necessity, rather than luxury, and nothing more. All Cobra were roadsters and there wasn’t a regular convertible roof, just a piece of canvas with plexiglas side windows in case of rain. Lack of weather protection could be interpreted as a safety feature because driving a Cobra on wet surface at any speed could easily be fatal. The Cobra had very stiff suspension and passengers sat low, open to elements with almost no protection from the wind, followed by roaring sound of the mighty V8 engine which is a big part of Cobra’s appeal and magic.