Lot 65
1995 AC Shelby Cobra Mark IV Roadster
Registration no. N468 JLC Chassis no. SA9AK3022SA17511 Engine no. SF118056
Amended
20 March 2016, 13:00 GMT
Chichester, GoodwoodSold for £82,140 inc. premium
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1995 AC Shelby Cobra Mark IV Roadster
Registration no. N468 JLC
Chassis no. SA9AK3022SA17511
Engine no. SF118056
Registration no. N468 JLC
Chassis no. SA9AK3022SA17511
Engine no. SF118056
*Built for the Royal Family of Brunei
*One of only three Mark IVs with automatic transmission
*Two owners from new
*Circa 3,300 miles recorded
Footnotes
Rightly regarded as one of the all-time great classic sports cars, the muscular, fire-breathing Cobra succeeded in capturing the hearts of enthusiasts like few of its contemporaries. Only 1,000-or-so Cobras of all types were built between 1962 and 1967, but such was the model's enduring popularity that production was resumed in 1982 under the auspices of Brooklands-based Autokraft.
Convinced that a market existed for an inexpensive sports car combining European chassis engineering and American V8 power, Le Mans-winning Texan racing driver Carroll Shelby concocted an unlikely alliance between AC Cars and the Ford Motor Company. The former's Ace provided the simple twin-tube chassis frame - strengthened and supplied with four-wheel disc brakes for the Cobra - into which was persuaded one of Ford's lightweight, small-block V8s. The 260ci (4.2-litre) prototype first ran in January 1962, with production commencing later that year. Exclusively for the USA initially, Cobras - minus engines - were sent from England to be finished off by Shelby in California, and it was not until late in 1963 that AC Cars in Thames Ditton got around to building the first fully finished European-specification cars.
After 75 Cobras had been built with the 260ci engine, the more powerful 289ci (4.7-litre) unit was standardised in 1963. Rack-and-pinion steering was the major Mark II up-date; then in 1965 a new, stronger, coil-suspended Mark III chassis was introduced to accommodate Ford's 427ci (7.0-litre) V8 engine. Wider bodywork, extended wheelarch flares and a bigger radiator intake combined to create the definitive - and much copied - Cobra Mark III look. Only 1,000-or-so Cobras of all types were built between 1962 and 1967 but such was the model's enduring popularity that production was resumed in 1982 under the auspices of Brooklands-based Autokraft.
But for Brian Angliss, the Cobra story would have ended in 1967. The Autokraft boss had built up a business restoring Cobras and supplying parts, and in the early 1980s acquired the rights to the AC name plus a quantity of jigs and tooling from the old Thames Ditton factory. Keeping the overall style of the Mark III, Autokraft produced the Mark IV, which was appropriately updated to meet current legislation and powered by a 'Federalised' Ford 5.0-litre V8 engine. Around 480 were built before Autokraft folded in 1996, largely due to costs incurred developing its new Ace model.
Listed (under chassis number 'AK1511') in Rick Kopec's 'World Registry of Cobras & GT40s' (4th edition, 2008), this Autokraft-built Cobra is one of only three completed with automatic transmission. The car was built to special order for the Royal Family of Brunei and was originally registered to Argent International, a company owned by HRH Prince Jefri. Its next owner, Mr N Green of Poole, Dorset, acquired this rare Cobra in 1999 and used it infrequently over the succeeding 14 years; indeed, the current odometer reading is only 3,300 miles. Finished in Rosso Corsa with black leather interior, the car comes complete with its weather equipment, all instruction and service books, current MoT certificate and a V5C registration document. Described by the vendor as in generally excellent condition, this beautiful Mark IV represents an exciting opportunity to acquire an ultra-rare variant of the later Cobra, combining all the style of the original with convenience of automatic transmission.
Saleroom notices
The registration number for this lot is N468 JLU, not as catalogued.