Here’s a truly exhilarating car – the AC MkV. Very much back to basics, this AC, based on the forbears of the AC-Shelby Cobra lacks the bells and whistles of soft supercars. Instead, you get raw power, and control is down to you – not a horde of electronics systems. The car can get to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 145 mph – held back by an intentionally old-fashioned body shape, albeit in new materials.
Original Cobra based on AC Ace
The original AC Shelby Cobra was based on the AC Ace, a two-seater open sports cars powered by a modest 2.0 liter six-cylinder engine. The twin-tube frame had transverse leaf springs and independent suspension front and rear. Quite advanced in its day, but the suspension did not locate the wheels that well.
AC Cars, one of the oldest British car companies, has been revived several times, and various sports cars have been designed, but never quite made it – or not for long. Now, the firm has gone back to its roots. It is supplying Shelby Automotive with aluminum bodies for its Cobras, and has introduced its own car – the AC MkV, which is being marketed in Europe and the USA.
In Europe it is sold as a complete car, but in the USA, the AC MkV is being supplied complete less the engine and gearbox. Customers buy and install their own engines to complete the car. This is a method used by some other small companies to overcome the very expensive testing needed otherwise. It also allows customers to install to get the power output they want from the start.
So is there room for another hard-core sports car that looks like all those Cobra replicas? Well, with the AC MkV you get the original, the car is complete, and the body is made from advanced materials. Most of the replicas are kit cars. Not everyone wants to spend three to six months building a car.
Retains the 60s look of the Cobra
Of course, the car looks like a Cobra, complete with the oval grille, small circular headlamps and wide flared rear fenders. A small air intake below the grille, and two small side air intakes give the car some identity. The body is made from carbon fiber composites, unlike the earlier model, or the Cobras, which have aluminum panels, or the lookalikes which make do with glass fiber.
Twin-tube frame and wishbone suspension
The basis of the AC MkV is a ladder-type twin-tube frame made from 4.0-inch steel tubes, as it was on the earlier MkIV which went out of production in 2002. Double wishbone suspension is used front and rear, and these links have a rather narrow base compared with more modern supercars.
Conventional coil spring/damper units are used all round, and roll is controlled by front and rear anti-roll bars. The steering is by rack and pinion.
Into this frame is installed a Ford 5.0 liter V-8 engine and six-speed manual gearbox. In European trim the engine develops 340 bhp @ 6,000 rpm, and is red-lined at 6,800 rpm, giving a good speed range. Maximum torque is 369 lb ft (500 Nm) @ 4,800 rpm.
The AC MkV is a taut lightweight sports car which has the brakes, wheels and tires to match – 7 inch rims at the front and 8 inch at the back. Kerb weight is just 2,643 lb (1,200 kg) giving a power-to-weight ration of 280 bhp per tonne. You’ll get neck-snapping acceleration to match many more exotic cars, and a lot of fun.
