1965 AC Cobra MkIII 4.7L V8 4MT (280 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The 1965 AC Cobra MK III opened a new chapter in the carmaker’s history and it proved that an alliance between a British and an American carmaker can work.

After Carroll Shelby stepped inside the AC Cars in 1961, the faith of the British carmaker was changed forever. The notorious American racing driver noticed the car’s abilities on the track. Ford also hired him to create a car that could beat the Corvette in their home-ground and win the LeMans race.

The third generation of the AC Ace was based on a new chassis, which was more rigid than the previous one. Its suspension featured coil springs instead of transverse leaf-spring. AC Cars already modified the bodywork and enlarged the fenders to accommodate wider wheels. Depending on the engine version, the car sported a bull-bar at the front, or just a pair of “horns” to protect the lights, aluminum bodywork. In the rear, AC Ace featured two small, round lamps for turn-signals and brake-lights.

Its cabin was fitted with two low-mounted bucket seats separated by a tall transmission tunnel. The dash panel featured five gauges and a clock mounted on the center, and a tachometer installed in front of the driver. The speedometer was on the outer side of the panel, next to the door. In a race, that was the least important information.

Under the hood, Ford installed a choice of two engines: a 4.7-liter and a 7.0-liter unit. While the former was less powered, it still provided enough power to make the 1100 kg (2425 lbs) vehicle past-rocket most of the other sports cars from that era. The 7.0-liter V-8 installed in the AC 427 managed to do a 0-100-0 mph (0-160-0 kph) test in less than 15 seconds.