The AC Cobra GT Roadster brings one of Britain’s most famous sports car names into the modern era. While its styling remains unmistakably inspired by the legendary Cobra of the 1960s, the new car has been developed from the ground up with a modern aluminium chassis, carbon-composite bodywork, advanced technology and a powerful 5.0-litre V8.
Originally announced ahead of its 2023 unveiling, the AC Cobra GT Roadster has since progressed from prototype to production. AC Cars began production in the UK in 2024, with the first customer cars leaving the production centre in 2025.
The result is a limited-production sports car that combines classic Cobra character with modern performance, comfort and engineering.
The AC Cobra GT Roadster stays faithful to the proportions that made the original Cobra so recognisable, including its long bonnet, low stance and two-seat roadster layout.
However, almost everything underneath the familiar shape is new.
The modern Cobra is significantly larger than the original, with an overall length of 4,225mm and a 2,570mm wheelbase. Its wider stance and increased dimensions give the car a more substantial presence while also providing additional space for the driver and passenger.
The body is made from carbon-composite material, while the lightweight aluminium chassis has been designed specifically for the new car. AC Cars says the body weighs less than 50kg, helping keep the overall weight relatively low for a modern V8 sports car.
The design also introduces modern touches without losing the Cobra’s character. LED lighting, contemporary mirrors, large alloy wheels and modern safety equipment sit alongside the traditional open-top sports car silhouette.
One of the biggest differences between the AC Cobra GT Roadster and its 1960s predecessor is the engineering underneath the bodywork.
The new car uses an extruded aluminium spaceframe chassis designed specifically for the GT Roadster. AC Cars developed the platform to provide high torsional rigidity while keeping weight under control.
The wider track, longer wheelbase and revised suspension are intended to give the car a more stable and refined driving experience than the original Cobra could offer.
The current production specification lists kerb weights of around 1,400kg for the naturally aspirated V8 and 1,450kg for the supercharged V8 S, depending on specification and equipment.
The AC Cobra GT Roadster is powered by a 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine and is available in two configurations.
The standard V8 is naturally aspirated and produces 460 PS and 570Nm of torque. The more powerful V8 S uses supercharging to produce up to 663 PS and 780Nm.
Both versions send their power to the rear wheels and can be specified with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The supercharged version can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds, while its stated top speed is 278km/h. The naturally aspirated version has a quoted 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds and a 250km/h top speed.
You can find the full technical specification on the official AC Cars website.
That combination of rear-wheel drive, a large-capacity naturally aspirated or supercharged V8 and the choice of manual or automatic transmission makes the AC Cobra GT Roadster considerably more than a styling exercise.
Although the exterior is heavily influenced by the past, the interior has been designed around modern grand-touring requirements.
AC Cars uses bespoke materials and hand-finished details throughout the cabin, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology.
The original announcement promised features such as air conditioning, electric windows and modern infotainment, while the production car has been developed to offer a considerably more usable cabin than the original Cobra.
The increased dimensions are also important here. AC Cars designed the new GT Roadster to accommodate taller drivers, helping turn what could have been a purely nostalgic sports car into something intended for genuine road use.
The AC Cobra GT Roadster may look familiar, but very little of the engineering is carried over from the original car.
The new model uses a clean-sheet design, modern materials and contemporary engineering rather than simply recreating the classic Cobra.
The result is a car that preserves the visual identity and rear-wheel-drive character associated with the Cobra while offering modern construction, improved ergonomics, modern safety features and significantly greater performance.
AC Cars describes it as a true successor to the legendary sports car rather than a conventional continuation or replica.
The AC Cobra GT Roadster sits firmly in the high-end sports car market.
AC Cars currently lists the GT Roadster from around £213,000 excluding VAT, with another version shown from approximately £218,000 excluding VAT. Exact pricing depends on specification and the highly bespoke nature of the car.
Production is deliberately limited. AC Cars expects to build around 250 examples of the GT Roadster for worldwide markets each year, making it a considerably rarer proposition than mainstream performance cars.
The AC Cobra GT Roadster is no longer simply a future model.
Following its global premiere in London in May 2023, AC Cars moved ahead with production, with production of the new model commencing in the UK during 2024. The first examples subsequently left the production centre, with the initial customer cars including the limited Edition 63 models.
The car is now listed by AC Cars as an available model, with customers able to reserve one directly through the manufacturer.
The GT Roadster is also intended for road use, with left- and right-hand-drive versions available and modern safety and homologation requirements taken into account.
There have been countless Cobra-inspired cars and replicas over the years, but the AC Cobra GT Roadster takes a very different approach.
Rather than reproducing the original car using modern components, AC Cars has created an entirely new sports car around the fundamental characteristics that made the Cobra famous: a dramatic shape, lightweight construction, rear-wheel drive and a powerful V8.
The result is a modern interpretation of the Cobra that retains the character of the original while bringing it into the 21st century.
For comparison, modern performance cars such as the Porsche 911 Hybrid show just how far performance technology has evolved, but the AC Cobra takes a much more traditional approach by continuing to use a large-capacity petrol V8 and offering a manual gearbox.
The AC Cobra GT Roadster has successfully moved beyond the concept and announcement stage to become a production sports car.
Its combination of carbon-composite bodywork, aluminium chassis construction and a 5.0-litre V8 gives it a very different character from modern electric and hybrid performance cars. At the same time, its modern dimensions, technology, safety equipment and improved cabin make it considerably more usable than the Cobra of the 1960s.
With production deliberately limited and prices starting above £200,000 before VAT, the AC Cobra GT Roadster is unlikely to become a common sight on UK roads. For those who can afford one, however, it offers something increasingly unusual: a brand-new, hand-finished V8 roadster that looks back to one of the most famous sports cars in automotive history while using modern engineering underneath.
For more performance-car news and motoring guides, explore the latest articles from MotorHype.
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