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