AC Cobra goes ELECTRIC – but no V8 bellow or V8 performance

AC Cars are building an electric AC Cobra as a limited run of 58 cars, and a limited run petrol AC Cobra with a 2.3 litre Ford engine.

Folklore has it that the 70mph speed limit we have on motorways is entirely the fault of AC cars after they ran an AC Cobra up the new M1 in 1964 at 185mph, with the press coverage of that outing stinging the government in to imposing a national 70mph limit.

Now, AC Cars is bringing itself (sort of) in to the 21st century by building a limited run AC Cobra, only this time they’ve gone all green and decided to built an electric Cobra.

But before you get ideas that this new electric Cobra will be a match for that 4.8 litre V8 Cobra of 1964, think again.

What you actually get with the AC Cobra Series 1 electric is a Cobra based on the original 1962 Cobra with a modified ladder chassis and upgraded steering, suspension and brakes, but you don’t get anything like the performance you’d hope for.

In fact, the electric Cobra can only manage the 0-62mph sprint in 6.7 seconds and a range of 150 miles from the 54kWh battery pack.

But if that’s a bit prosaic for you, there’s also a Ford-engined petrol version, although it too isn’t exactly AC-thrilling as it’s a 2.3 litre four-pot.

The electric AC will cost you £138,000 and is only available in blue, black, white or green, and the petrol AC, which has a broader choice of colours, costs £85,000.

It’s a brave move from AC, but are you tempted?