Wild new drop-top just weeks away from its April debut with an even mightier supercharged V8 and epic performance
AC Cars has locked in April 2023 as the month when it pulls the drapes off its all-new AC Cobra GT Roadster.
Claimed to be the first clean-sheet reinvention of the 61-year-old sports car, the 2023 AC Cobra GT Roadster is said to have taken three years and many millions of dollars of development to create.
AC says its new Cobra GT – designed around a bigger new extruded aluminium spaceframe chassis that supports a redesigned carbon-fibre body – has been “meticulously engineered to be exceptional” using more modern “cutting-edge material and manufacturing technologies”.
Developed in partnership with Icona Design and Cecomp Spa, the latest AC Cobra GT sits on an all-new bespoke extruded aluminium space-frame chassis.
Under the bonnet, a Ford Coyote 5.0-litre V8 produces 488kW of power and 780Nm of torque and can be combined with either a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic.
With a target kerb weight of less than 1500kg, AC says its latest roadster can sprint from 0-60mph (0-97km/h) in 3.6 seconds.
Once launched, a four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine is also expected to be offered.
Thanks to a relatively long 2570mm wheelbase (for a sports car) and what’s claimed to be excellent torsional rigidity, the Cobra GT is said to combine its newfound levels of refinement with “performance-orientated” ride and handling.
Designed for everyday useability, the new Cobra will come with air-conditioning, electric windows, in-car entertainment and even the option of a removeable roof.
AC says the interior will feature hand-finished elements and unusual analogue dials that augment graphics over them, thanks to new Digital Glass technology.
Meantime, improved ergonomics will ensure drivers of all sizes will fit behind the wheel – something that wasn’t the case with the original Cobra.
AC Cars says it expects pricing of the Cobra GT Roadster to kick off at £285,000 ($A510,000) and has announced export plans, but has not specifically announced if it plans to sell the new model Down Under.
With orders already open, first deliveries of the AC Cobra GT Roadster will begin in 2024, when the British sports car maker will celebrate its 124th year in existence.
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Keyword: 2023 AC Cobra GT Roadster previewed again