- AC Cars early August revealed a hardtop variant of its GT Roadster, the GT Coupe
- Three trims are set to be available, with between 450 and 799 hp
- Prices will start at £325,000 (CDN$575,000) with production planned for 2025
The history of the original AC Cobra is well-documented, what with Carroll Shelby sticking an enormous American V8 engine into what was originally called the AC Ace to create one of history’s most recognizable cars. The basic shape has been copied ad nauseum — but one company across the pond, billing itself as Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer, is crafting genuine AC-badged cars, fiercely protecting the brand’s authenticity while making some stunning cars in the process.
Its latest? A hardtop variant of the GT Roadster called, appropriately enough, the GT Coupe, a car some have deemed the first production Cobra coupe. Born from the same architecture as the open-air hot rod, AC Cars says the fixed-roof variant will provide the same sort of sinus-clearing performance and meticulously crafted interior as its Roadster.
On tap will be variants with a trio of power options. First up is the normally aspirated GT Coupe, making 450 horses from its V8 and what we can only assume is a sonorous sound. Next is the GT S Coupe, breathed upon with a supercharger to produce 720 horsepower. The strongest prescription is the GT Clubsport Edition, with its wick cranked to 799 supercharged ponies. The company is limiting that one to just 99 copies.
Styling is inspired partly by the infamous AC A98 coupe Le Mans race car from 1964, which is one helluva lineage. An aluminum chassis and extensive use of carbon-fibre assure a decently light curb weight, estimated to be just north of 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg). Those twin cannons acting as exhaust pipes look great with perforated edges, sitting nicely underneath the rear fascia, which hearkens back to the ‘60s with its taillight design.
Prices are apparently going to start at £325,000, or approximately $575,000 in Canadian money. Left unspoken is the assumption that’s for the 450-hp car, so only nature and perhaps the ghost of Shelby himself knows how much a check-all-the-boxes GT Clubsport Edition with its nearly 800 horses will cost. Production is planned for the 2025 calendar year.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram ,Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.