Long before ‘restomod’ was being thrown at anything with traditional styling and a glammed-up interior, there were replicas. A dirty word to some, not helped by those who threw thousands at Toyota MR2s in vain attempts to make them look like Ferrari F355s, but there were plenty of legitimate producers that’d build you a proper replica of a classic car that you may otherwise have been unable to afford. And they’d be put together with modern brakes, suspension and electrics that wouldn't crumble at the first sign of rain.
So no, this isn’t a real AC Cobra, nor is it trying to convince you otherwise. Nope, this one comes from AK Sportscars, a company that’s been building Cobra replicas since 1990 and is widely considered as one of the best in the highly competitive business. Its latest Cobra recreations are based on the company’s own spaceframe chassis and can take Jaguar XJ40 running gear for anyone looking to get a kit together. Most of the underpinnings are bespoke, mind, and those with deep enough pockets can of course have their Cobra any which way they want - which is exactly what the original owner of this example did.
See, this AK-427 may look like any old Cobra replica - and it does look mighty fine in that Le Mans-inspired colour scheme - but it’s packing a little secret. And by little, I mean 5.3-litres of twin-turbocharged Chevy LS V8 glory, outputting somewhere in the region of 850hp to 1,000hp. Even at the lower end, that’s a frankly terrifying amount of power in a car with no roof and wafer-thin fibreglass doors. Good job its underpinnings bear no resemblance to the car it replicates, then, with this example (dubbed ‘Timmy Turbo’ by its creators) based on AK’s more track-focused Gen III chassis. It’ll surely be a right handful, but at least it won’t buckle under all that power.
Moreover, it's crammed full of modern parts and components sourced from the top drawer. There are adjustable Gaz dampers, AK’s ‘big brake’ upgrade kit with ventilated discs and a 3.27 power-lock differential. The steering, meanwhile, has been sourced from an E34 BMW 5 Series with AK’s own power-assistance, which’ll doubtlessly delivery plenty of old-school feel while being light enough to pull off endless (and inevitable) power slides without breaking a sweat.
Make no mistake, this is no bloke-in-shed operation, as reflected by the swankiness of the interior trim. The cabin’s kitted out with diamond-stitched leather around the centre console and rear bulkhead, while the four-point harness belts tie nicely into the car’s racing-inspired looks. The Smith’s dials look right at home in the middle of the dash, and there’s a big button below them to fire it up - which must surely sound utterly sublime.
Clearly, the attention to detail of the build is outstanding and it’ll no doubt deliver a driving experience unlike any other. That’s also down to the fact that there are no others, this is the only twin-turbo 427 AK has put together and a quick Google search would suggest there aren’t many others (if any) like it on planet Earth. That does mean it commands quite a hefty price tag at £104,995, which is a fair bit more than you’ll spend on a more conventional Cobra replica. But it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a real one, let alone a fancy restomod from a boutique in the depths of LA’s gentrified suburbs.
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