New AC Cobra GT Roadster Exterior Revealed, Full Debut Coming In April

At a glance, one might think the car featured here is a proper 1960s Shelby Cobra, an earlier AC Cobra, or one of the many kit cars made through the years. In fact, it's a brand new AC Cobra from UK-based AC Cars, called the GT Roadster.

Originally teased in December 2022, the photos here represent our first look at the modernized classic but this isn't a full reveal. That is scheduled for April, but with a handful of images showing the car from all aspects, there isn't much left to the imagination. The oval grille, round headlights, long hood, and fantastically flared wheel arches look pretty much exactly like a 1960s Cobra. Aside from big wheels and body-colored mirrors, there's little reason to think this is actually a new car.

Looking close, however, you see the modern touches. The windshield frame is far thicker, and the door handles are flush. Visible carbon fiber outlines the big fenders and rocker panels. The round headlights feature LED daytime lamps. A third brake light is visible behind the passenger compartment. And though we don't get a clear view of the interior, there's a modern steering wheel with a combination of analog and digital displays.

In addition to what we can see in the photos, AC Cars revealed some mechanical tidbits with its first teaser from December. Those points are reiterated here, namely an aluminum spaceframe chassis with race-tuned suspension underneath, supporting a car slightly longer than its classic counterpart with a wheelbase of 101.2 inches. A supercharged Ford 5.0-liter V8 engine breathes through the hood scoop, generating 654 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque. That power goes to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Saddled with approximately 3,300 pounds, AC Cars says the GT Roadster can reach 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.4 seconds. Flat out, the roofless roadster will reach 173 mph. Given the massive brakes and the specific mention of racing tuning on the suspension, we suspect AC Cars is more interested in turning corners with its new Cobra. Hopefully, we'll learn more about that with the full reveal in April.

AC Cars says the GT Roadster is road legal and currently available for order to buyers around the world. Pricing will vary by region, but at the home of AC Cars in the UK, it starts at a not-insignificant sum of £285,000.