New AC Cobra = no S650 Cobra?

[Bikeman315]

and of course there’s the obligatory “it can’t be done” or “no one can buy it” post.

Thank you for twisting my words. Of course it can be done and, of course, there are those who will by it but at what price? What's the manufacturer's ROI? It's a wonderful idea to build the worlds best of anything but here on Earth the best are reserved for the wealthiest and those with the best Rolodex.

it’s a halo car as is. It’s going to be major expensive if it’s worth anything.
If it’s just another clone with a newish Ford v8, spare me.

I do not believe it is either a halo car or a clone. It's a re-imagination of a classic British sports car (this is not a Shelby).

no one wants “the NEW AC Cobra, which is really just a new remake of the old one with decent performance and loud noises.

Exactly how do you know this? Well, of course, you don't. But I am willing to bet that British sports cars fanatics are going to love it. And if the pricing is within a reasonable ballpark it should sell quite well.

it’s THE COBRA. Deserves a heck of a lot more respect, care, and forward thinking than this.

It an AC Cobra and your thinking is just bizarre. Respect and care? Who appointed you the Cobra God. If you really think these folks are not putting 110% into this car than you're delusional.

if Ford can build the latest GT, which is even faster than the latest z06 (which is a monster) and if Chevy can build a car as fast as the z06 for a little over 100k, surely the AC COBRA can be something very special for either price.

Comparing Ford and General Motors to a small manufacturer. Wow, just wow!

Luddite thinking kills progress. Be great to see things move forward and see a true icon such as this reclaim its mythical status in the modern day - not just nostalgic feels.

Ever stop to think that this company did some market research and that this is the car perspective buyers would actually spend their cash on. And an Icon, not really. Until Carroll got involved it was just another British sports car. AC was actually not as popular and MG, Triumph, and Austin Healy.

build out the killer lightweight chassis, equip it with the killer suspension, brakes, make it mid-engine for that matter and top it off with a twin turbo version of the already R&D’d gt500 drivetrain m, wrap it up in a radical modern aesthetic, and send ‘em packing.

So I guess if they really built this you would order one immediately, right. No? Then lets leave it where it is and see what the final product looks like.

By the way, here is their website. Car looks pretty impressive to me.
https://accars.eu/ac-cobra-gt-roadster/

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[IPOGT]

Build it and they will come, is and always was a poor business strategy unless you’re the first. Even poorer of a strategy in 2022/23.

 

[DeluxeStang]

yep. Looks like the old car.

Looks really good, especially in that front 3/4s shot. Modern wheels on 60s cars just look great to me in many cases. But I wish someone would create a new design inspired by the cobra, rather than just using the same shell over and over.

 

[DeluxeStang]

Am I the only person that believes an AC Cobra sized vehicle would be a lot closer to perfect with 400 HP than with 600? Take 100 lbs off the front end of the car and probably another 50 if you light-weight other components that don't have to be quite as strong, it would hook better in a straight line, it would turn better. It would have everything except bragging rights, I guess.

Perhaps, but 600 hp isn't insane by modern standards. Assuming this car will be six figures, if it "only" had 400 hp, people would mock it. To many of these people, even 600 isn't enough, but it's a good balance to me. Seems like 500-600 hp is kinda the limit for a well balanced FR lightweight car. Anymore than that, and it destroys the balance, any less and it can feel underwhelming at times.

 

[DeluxeStang]

Given the engines in Ford's line-up, the V6 was a must-have for winning Le Mans.......which it did. Would I rather it had had a Coyote? Yep, but the rules for the category in which the GT ran meant there was a limit of 4 litres for engines with forced induction........so a supercharged Coyote wouldn't have been allowed, and a n/a Coyote wouldn't have been powerful enough to win, hence the twin turbo V6.

The GT was, first and foremost, a race car. The road cars were built to adhere to the homologation rules that stated road cars had[i/] to be produced. In fact, the road cars were late and Ford had to get permission from the other manufacturers to start racing before any road cars had been built or delivered.

Exactly, plus Ford made it extremely clear in their behind the scenes vids that the engine choice was dictated by areo. A v8 simply would not fit, not if you wanted those sexy and awesome buttresses anyway. Plus there's reliability, the 3.5 is a truck engine at it's core, meaning it's guaranteed to run reliably during endurance races, which is by far the most important piece of criteria for a race car.

People get it so wrong when it comes to the gt. It was never about having a v8, that doesn't matter to the ford gt/gt40. The gt40 didn't use a large v8 because it was the most patriotic. It used a large v8 because that was the best tech for ford at the time.

The '05 gt switched to forced induction because it was the best tech ford had at the time. The 2017 gt, you guessed it, best ford tech at the time.

Whenever we get a new gt, it'll almost certainly be a hybrid/ev. The gt has always served as a showcase of ford's best design/engineering work for that time period. It has some retro elements, but it's not constrained by history or legacy, the best cars never are.

 

[DeluxeStang]

it really would be awesome to see Shelby American swing for the fences, hire the best engineeers anddesigners, and be the top hot rod car company o ce again. Give Bugatti and the big dogs something to worry about.

Not just rerelease a copy of the old car. Make the best Looking, fastest, best handling roadster there is for the modern day. Redefine the segment.

Agreed, the closet thing we might get is the next gen thunderbird. According to Ford Authority (take that for what it's worth) ford is planning to make a new, more performance oriented Thunderbird. According to inside sources, one of the design proposals in the studio looks vaguely similar to the 2004 cobra concept. So if we don't get it from Shelby, we might get it from ford.

 

[Hack]

Perhaps, but 600 hp isn't insane by modern standards. Assuming this car will be six figures, if it "only" had 400 hp, people would mock it. To many of these people, even 600 isn't enough, but it's a good balance to me. Seems like 500-600 hp is kinda the limit for a well balanced FR lightweight car. Anymore than that, and it destroys the balance, any less and it can feel underwhelming at times.

It depends on if you want a fast, functional car or you want to brag and spin the tires in a parking lot. Remember that this car weighs 3,000 lbs. It's not a big, heavy beast like our Mustangs.

I don't think that 500 or even 600 would necessarily compromise the car as long as it can be kept NA and light weight, but I would not agree with adding forced induction and all that extra weight in the front of the car. Most people will have some trouble handling a 3,000 lb, short wheelbase car with 600 HP.

 

[9secondko]

Thank you for twisting my words. Of course it can be done and, of course, there are those who will by it but at what price? What's the manufacturer's ROI? It's a wonderful idea to build the worlds best of anything but here on Earth the best are reserved for the wealthiest and those with the best Rolodex.


I do not believe it is either a halo car or a clone. It's a re-imagination of a classic British sports car (this is not a Shelby).


Exactly how do you know this? Well, of course, you don't. But I am willing to bet that British sports cars fanatics are going to love it. And if the pricing is within a reasonable ballpark it should sell quite well.


It an AC Cobra and your thinking is just bizarre. Respect and care? Who appointed you the Cobra God. If you really think these folks are not putting 110% into this car than you're delusional.


Comparing Ford and General Motors to a small manufacturer. Wow, just wow!


Ever stop to think that this company did some market research and that this is the car perspective buyers would actually spend their cash on. And an Icon, not really. Until Carroll got involved it was just another British sports car. AC was actually not as popular and MG, Triumph, and Austin Healy.


So I guess if they really built this you would order one immediately, right. No? Then lets leave it where it is and see what the final product looks like.

By the way, here is their website. Car looks pretty impressive to me.
https://accars.eu/ac-cobra-gt-roadster/

still with the excuses for mediocrity? Explains much of our disagreements. You do you.

 

[9secondko]

Looks really good, especially in that front 3/4s shot. Modern wheels on 60s cars just look great to me in many cases. But I wish someone would create a new design inspired by the cobra, rather than just using the same shell over and over.

agreed. Looks great for basically a new copy Of an old design. But it’s time to design new things for a new era.

 

[9secondko]

Agreed, the closet thing we might get is the next gen thunderbird. According to Ford Authority (take that for what it's worth) ford is planning to make a new, more performance oriented Thunderbird. According to inside sources, one of the design proposals in the studio looks vaguely similar to the 2004 cobra concept. So if we don't get it from Shelby, we might get it from ford.

that would be even better IMHO.

 

[Bikeman315]

still with the excuses for mediocrity? Explains much of our disagreements. You do you.

It’s actually funny. Thought out my work career I had a reputation for being a perfectionist. I just thought it was easier to do something once the right way instead of redoing it over and over. Some folks took that as perfectionism.

Now that I’ve retired I tend to go more with the flow. I see things as they are, not the way I want them to be. Believe me when I tell you that’s it’s easier to get through the day that way.

 

[9secondko]

It’s actually funny. Thought out my work career I had a reputation for being a perfectionist. I just thought it was easier to do something once the right way instead of redoing it over and over. Some folks took that as perfectionism.

Now that I’ve retired I tend to go more with the flow. I see things as they are, not the way I want them to be. Believe me when I tell you that’s it’s easier to get through the day that way.

I hear you. Especially after you’re retired. But I’m not in that place. And I’m known as a perfectionist as well. I always figure you have to aim high. Even if you miss, you’ll achieve. But if you never try to exceed, you’ll ensure you never do.

 

[Hi-PO Stang]

I get what Hack is saying. I would love to have a new car that looks like the original AC/Cobra but meets the current safety standards. The car does not have to be the fastest because it would be in a class of its own . I would like to see Ford make a Thunderbird that had the same exact body as the original 1955 Thunderbird but with a totally modern body on frame with all the latest handling technology and braking technology.

 

[REV745DH24]

Sounds like a Caterham 7 with extra steps

Sign me up

Yeah, if the Cobra takes 400 hp that would be a plenty of power for its own lightweight just like the Caterham 7, 600hp would be an overkill for the Cobra AC!

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