en.Wedoany.com Reported - British sports car manufacturer AC Cars has unveiled the Cobra GT Coupe hardtop, powered by a new V8 engine, with a starting price of £231,900 (excluding VAT, approximately 50 million yen). Production is scheduled to begin next year. Company Chairman Alan Lubinsky stated that this model will drive AC's development into a global brand, aiming to achieve an annual production target of over 1,000 units.
The new Cobra Coupe is the hardtop version of the Cobra GT Roadster launched in 2024, sharing 75% of its components. The engine is the same Ford 5.0-liter V8, offering two power options: a naturally aspirated version producing up to 456 horsepower, and a supercharged version delivering 730 horsepower. The top-tier model is the Club Sport Edition, outputting 810 horsepower, priced at £399,000 (approximately 85.5 million yen), limited to 99 units. Transmission options include a Tremec 6-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic; the naturally aspirated version features a limited-slip differential, while other versions are equipped with a Torsen differential. All models use double-wishbone suspension at both front and rear, with rear-wheel drive.
The chassis is aluminum, and the body is full carbon fiber, both manufactured in-house by AC. The body is produced by Greentech Automotive, based in Sussex, UK, which AC recently acquired to reduce production costs and material expenses. According to AC, all body panels behind the front fenders are exclusive to the Coupe design, inspired by the one-off hardtop Cobra A98 built for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1964.
The interior is identical to the Roadster, featuring a small digital touchscreen next to the analog instrument cluster, along with a three-spoke steering wheel. The vehicle dimensions are 4225mm in length, 1980mm in width, 1290mm in height, and a wheelbase of 2570mm, making it larger than previous AC models. Engineering Director John Peak-Vout told AUTOCAR magazine that this is a result of complying with regulations to ensure road legality worldwide; while it could have been made smaller, that would have restricted it to track-only use in most markets. Additionally, the V8 engine could be replaced with a smaller unit, but Peak-Vout stated, "That's not the AC way," emphasizing that despite the changes in size, "the heritage and roots are still evident," and "there's no doubt this is an AC Cobra."
The vehicle in the photos is still a prototype. Peak-Vout noted that the heaviest supercharged version aims to keep the weight under 1,600 kg; the Roadster's maximum weight is 1,500 kg.
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