“One of only 10 produced by Autokraft with the 427 ci engine!”
In 1961, a certain Carroll Shelby – a Le Mans 24 Hours winner and maverick engineer – approached AC Cars in England, whose recent racing results were more than encouraging. The aim: to fit a 3.6-litre Ford V8 onto the AC Ace chassis. The base chassis were sent to the United States, and the major conversion began… As soon as the third car rolled out of the workshop, the brand-new Cobra was entered into a race – and proved a success. Of the hundred units included in the initial contract between AC and Carroll Shelby, the final 25 were fitted with a bored-out version of the 4.2-litre V8, increased to 4.7 litres, or 289 ci. The legend was born… The Cobra series would culminate with the 427, the crowning glory of the production run!
Let’s fast-forward to the 1970s, to Brian Angliss’s workshop in England. Specialising in Cobra repairs, he soon found himself on the hunt for stocks of parts to prepare for a future shortage. Soon in possession of a number of moulds, he began remanufacturing parts and selling them. Very quickly, given the scale of the operation, he was able to remanufacture an entire car. Orders started coming in, and Autokraft was founded.
Using AC Cars’ moulds and old tooling enabled him to achieve a result as close as possible to the original, to such an extent that, as early as 1986, he obtained approval from the parent company to produce these cars, which have since been included in the official Shelby registers. Our example was produced in May 1989 in a blue and beige colour scheme. An extremely rare feature is its 427 ci engine, paired with a 4-speed Top Loader gearbox and a Salisbury rear axle – reportedly fitted to just 10 cars produced by Autokraft!
Having been in France for 20 years, this superb Cobra 427 is now in very fine overall condition. Its aluminium bodywork is in excellent condition, and its upholstery – which has been changed from beige to black in recent years – shows no particular flaws. Recently, our example underwent a full service, ensuring it runs perfectly today. It comes complete with its soft top, removable side windows, bumpers and a spare wheel with its removal kit. Please note that its French registration document shows a date of first registration as 1 January 1964, despite the fact that the car left the Autokraft workshop in 1989.
Here is a Cobra that is true to the original, registered in the official records, ready to hit the road and, above all, fitted with the legendary 427 ci V8 – all for a quarter of the price of an authentic one!