Continuation Cobras have been part of Shelby American's core business model for a while, but AC—the firm that made the Ace that Carroll Shelby turned to for his ferocious sports car—is just now getting in on the game.
AC is set to build just nine cars built to the same specs as the original, 1962 Shelby Cobra. The nine cars will be christened AC Cobra Mk1 260 Legacy Editions, so named because of their 260 cubic inch Ford V-8 engines. Each will be handcrafted by AC Heritage, who found a stash of new old stock 260 cubic inch Ford V-8s recently, which allows them to create what are truly brand new AC Cobras.
Here's a fun fact: The original AC Cobra created by Carroll Shelby himself was painted several colors in order to fool journalists who had been invited to test out the hot rod roadster. To honor that quirky history, AC will build its continuation cars in both the factory blue and in yellow.
The continuation cars will have the same twin-tube chassis setup as the original, reports Autocar. Incidentally, the original Cobra just sold for $13.75 million, a new record for an American car, at an auction in Monterey, California, a couple of weeks ago.
AC itself is a bit player in the car industries these days, but the firm still retains the title of Britain's oldest car manufacturer.