Storied British car brand AC first announced plans for an all-electric version of its iconic AC Cobra Series 1 sportscar last year, promising performance on par with the V8-powered original but with a smoother ride and — of course! — quieter, zero-emissions delivery. Now, the first of the electric AC Cobras is out on the road, doing real-world testing.
As we briefly covered in that original article, the first Cobra was born in 1962, when a chicken farmer named Shelby shoehorned a 289 cubic-inch Ford V8 under the hood of the AC Ace roadster, put Ken Miles in the driver’s seat, then started chasing Ferraris with the thing. “The shift from petrol engines to electric motors almost 60 years later will be just as significant as the original epiphany,” reads AC Cars’ latest press release announcing the car’s arrival on the timeline. “(It is) allowing the famous British name to sell highly desirable high-performance cars that are fit for the future.”
The AC Cobra Series 1 Electric will accelerate from 0–62 MPH (100 km/h) in just 4 seconds, while offering up to 150 miles of emissions-free motoring in between trips to the charging station. Which seems just fine, for what I imagine the most common use cases for these are. Those being: Sunday drives, trips to the cars and coffee, and maybe — just maybe — an occasional track day adventure.
And that’s fine, because not every car was meant to haul 4 people and their luggage 4400 miles across 9 states in 5 days, you know? If you want to do that, get a Tesla like my buddy Matt Teske, or a Mach-E.
Just finished a 4,400 mile trip from Portland to Chicago and back.
Did 935 miles one day from SLC to Omaha. Then 991 miles another day going from St Paul, MN to Bozeman, MT.
Awesome trip. 😎👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/pEghWjhtto
— Matt Teske (@mrekset) July 25, 2021
Some cars are just about having fun — and every one of the 58 AC Cobra Series 1 Electrics that the company builds will very likely find buyers who want just that from their cars: a little bit of fun. That’s my take, anyway. Scroll on down to the comments section and give us yours.
Source | Images: AC Cars, via EV Obsession.
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