The old AC Cobra Mk IV of Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill is unforgettable

This is a 2001 AC Cobra Mk IV, it is said to be the new model of Formula 1 World Champion Daмon Hill. This is one of the rarer “Carbon Road Series” cars with a full carbon fiber body and is powered by a 5.0 liter Ford V8 engine equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission.

The AC Cobra is the AC Cars version of the more famous Shelby Cobra, a model that was scrapped by Carroll Shelby and used an AC Ace and added a Ford V8 – creating one of the most powerful sports cars. strongest in the 1960s.

Fast Facts – AC Cobra Mk IV

. AC Cars was founded in 1901 as Auto Carriers Ltd by John Portwine and John Weller, and the company initially produced the famous “Autocarrier” three-wheeled business vehicle. The company later released several four-wheeled models, the most famous of which was the AC Ace launched in 1953.

. As the name suggests, the AC Cobra Mk IV is the fourth major version of the Cobra design. It has been developed by Brian Angliss and his team at Autokraft, who have established a business restoring Cobras, supplying parts and supplying replicas.

. The quality of Angliss’s work was so appreciated that the Hurlock family sold him the rights to the AC trademark in 1986, allowing him to officially restart production of AC Cars including the AC Cobra.

. The AC Cobra Mk IV you see here is a 2001 model, one of 37 CRS models produced, or “Carbon Road Series,” with entirely cardboard parts. It has to be the new F1 World Champion Damon Hill and it is currently for sale with Bonhams at the Goodwood Festiʋal of Speed.

AC Car: A historic speed race

AC Cars is a British car manufacturer with a history dating back to 1901. The company has gone through many ups and downs, but gained global recognition thanks to the AC Ace model, which would win class at the Grand Prix. 24 hours. of Le Mans in 1959 and later became the basis for the legendary Shelby Cobra.

"""" — The Cobra’s side profile, of course inherited from the AC Ace, has become one of the most famous silhouettes in sports car history.

AC was originally founded as Auto Carriers Ltd. by John Weller and John Portwine in Thames Ditton, Surrey, England. The company began producing three-wheeled cargo and passenger vehicles. In 1911, the company changed its name and the company became known as AC Cars Ltd.

During the 1920s and 1930s, AC Cars produced a variety of automobiles, including sports cars and touring cars. However, it was not until the post-World War II era that the company attracted significant attention for its sports cars.

In 1953, AC Cars introduced the AC Ace, a two-seat sports car powered by a six-cylinder engine. The Ace has a lightweight tubular chassis and a sleek, aerodynamic body. Its performance and handling were highly regarded and it quickly gained a reputation as a competitive sports car in its class.

In the early 1960s, Carroll Shely, an American racing driver and later a businessman, was looking for a suitable chassis for his project to create a high-performance sports car to compete with Corʋette. He approached AC Cars with the idea of fitting an American V8 engine into the AC Ace. The partnership between Carroll Shelby and AC Cars resulted in the creation of one of the smallest sports cars of all time—the Shelby Cobra.

The AC Ace chassis provides a surprisingly good foundation for the V8. The original Shelby Cobra, known as the Cobra 260, debuted in 1962. It was powered by a 4.3-liter Ford V8 engine and, thanks to its low weight, was one of the fastest American sports cars. the best I could afford at the time.

In 1963, the Shelby Cobra 289 was introduced, using the same 4.7-liter V8 engine as the Ford Mustang. The combination of lightweight construction and powerful performance made the Cobra 289 a formidable force on the road and track. Its success in racing, including the victory of the famous Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe at the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, further enhanced the Cobra’s global reputation.

Shelby stopped producing the Cobra in 1967, but this was not the end for this model. AC Cars theмselʋes haʋe since released their own version of the car called the AC Cobra (sans ShelɄy) and ShelɄy haʋe released their own official follow-up which is still in production today.

AC Cobra Mk IV

In 1982 a company called Autokraft founded and released the Cobra Mk IV, at that time they did not own the rights to the AC brand and so the car was released as the Autokraft Cobra Mk IV.

"""" — Power on offer was the same as the 5.0 V8 used in the Ford Mustang at the time, but the feather-light weight of just 2315 liters made the 225bhp output seem a lot bigger than it actually was.

Autokraft once formed Brian Angliss to restore Cobras, supplying model-specific parts and supplying replicas in second kit and turnkey form. The quality of the parts and cars built by Angliss and his team is said to be very good – so good, in fact, that it caught the attention of the Hurlock family, who sold him the copy. AC trademark rights in 1986.

This meant that from 1986 onwards, Autokraft cars officially carried the AC brand, and the unwanted word “copy” disappeared from the company’s history. Cobra Mk IV then teamed up with AC Cobra Mk IV and Angliss was able to bring Ford in to supply engines and many other parts, making the company a joint venture.

The Cobra Mk IV had a tubular steel frame equipped with rack and pinion steering, and two front A-arms and backpacks with coil springs provided four-wheel independent suspension. AP Racing’s heavy-duty disc brakes are fitted front and rear, and the CRS or “Carbon Road Series” model has more complete bodywork.

Power was provided by a 5.0-liter Ford V8, essentially the same engine used in the Mustang at the time, delivering 225 horsepower at 4,200 rpm. Thanks to the vehicle’s maximum weight of 1050 kg / 2315 lɄs, the power-to-weight ratio is 214 Ʉhp per ton.

"""" — A CRS, or Carbon Road Series, this Cobra has an all-carbon fiber body styled after the Cobra 427 of the 1960s.

Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a Treмec 5-speed transmission and Hydratrak limited-slip differential. Only 37 CRS models were produced, and they seem to rarely come up for sale.

Ex-Damon Hill AC Cobra Mk IV is shown here

As you will read in the introduction, this AC Cobra Mk IV CRS is a 2001 model, first purchased by Da?on Hill – the British Formula One driver who won the World Championship in 1996.

This is the 34th of 37 Carbon Road Series cars produced and it currently has only 15,358 miles recorded on the odometer. The car has been in its current ownership since 2007 and it has a current MoT license until May next year along with a V5C UK registration.

If you want to read more about the car or apply for an id, you can visit the listing here on Bonhams. It will be auctioned on July 14 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with an expected price of £80,000 – £100,000 or approximately $101,000 – $126,000.