39PH – the Jack Sears' infamous Black Flag race winning Cobra
The Thames Ditton factory produced 907 Cobras under the Shelby contract (1962-1966) and 89 for sale as AC (1963-69). The Cobra was Carroll Shelby’s brainchild where he conceived the idea of putting a V8 engine into a strengthened AC Ace chassis to promote the Ford brand which was languishing behind Chevrolet and Ferrari on the track.
The AC Ace was a proven race-winning car in America and by putting the V8 engine into it, it gave the project a head start. Originally leaf sprung as per the Ace it soon developed into using coil springs and the legend had begun. All completed cars were roadsters except for the AC Le Mans Coupe and the six Shelby Daytona Coupes. The AC Le Mans Coupe was famously reported in the press to be doing 180mph in testing down the M1 leading the Ministry of Transport to consider upper speed limits on motorways!
Haynes Museum Cobra celebration
AC 289 Sports – AC's final iteration of the Cobra in the 60s
AC Cobra MkII
AC Le Mans Coupe A98
Cobra MkII 289
Cobra MKIII 427
Shelby Daytona Coupe, one of only six
A Fiat Ghia Supersonic on a 427 Cobra chassis!
Willment employees built this coupe body from a wooden buck and assembled onto a Cobra chassis
Photos on this page ©Trevor Legate
GPG 4C built by High Efficiency Motors
Registers for AC Cobra Thames Ditton and further information
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