English sports car brand AC Cars has just launched an electric version of its iconic AC Cobra that looks identical to the original 1962 AC Cobra.
The new AC Cobra will sport a number of upgrades to bring it into the 21st century – the biggest of which is the introduction of an all-electric drive version.
The electric power train includes a 54kWh battery and 230kW motor, with a quoted 0-100km/hr time of 6.7 seconds. Range is estimated to be in the vicinity of 240km.
The body will be a lightweight fibre-glass body bolted to a steel ladder frame and AC Cars specify an overall weight of ‘approximately 1100kg’. The interior will be a reproduction of the 1962 styling.
The model is called the “AC Cobra Series1 electric” with only 58 to be made.
(The 58 number being a celebration of the 58 years since the production of the first AC Cobra).
Source: AC Cars
It will also be offered in four colours only – strangely enough called ‘AC electric blue’, ‘AC electric black’, ‘AC electric white’ and ‘AC electric green’.
Deliveries will start in the last quarter of 2020 and the suggested retail selling price in the UK will be £138,000 (Au $250,000) plus on-road charges.
For those unfamiliar with AC Cars: the business was founded in 1901 and claims to be the longest surviving UK car brand – although it has been through many owners, including Ford, as well as site ( and even country) moves in that time.
An interesting historical note about the Cobra is that the creation of the ‘Shelby Cobra’ that used the Ford 289 V8 engine is also widely blamed for the introduction of the 70 mph (110 km/h) limit on British motorways.
This was after a prototype was reportedly clocked in 1964 doing around 300 km/h during a test-run on the then new M1 motorway!
Jaguar EV-Type Trademark Suggests F-Type Replacement May Be Electric
Name also suggests that a more retro-inspired model could take the F-Type’s place once it’s phased out.
Jaguar currently only makes one EV, the i-Pace, which is a ground-up electric crossover that’s great to drive and a bit odd to look at.
According to Autocar, Jaguar has now registered a trademark on the name ‘ EV-Type ‘ and this makes us think of two things.
The first is the fact that if Jaguar uses this name for its F-Type replacement, then it means that vehicle will be fully electric.
The second thing it could suggest is the fact that Jaguar might want a more retro-infused F-Type successor, inspired by the iconic E-Type (which you can also have as an EV now), a car that many think is one of the best looking cars ever designed. So incorporating more of the celebrated classic’s design cues could also be a thing.
According to the source, though, Jaguar has not yet decided where it wants to go with the car that will end up replacing the F-Type. But this trademark filing is clear indication that it is strongly considering to replace it with a full EV.
Yet the brand is clearly not shying away from replacing core models in its range with EVs, so it wouldn’t be that big a stretch to expect it to start selling a fully electric sports car within the next few years.
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