AC Cobra GT Roadster Debuts at Le Mans Classic

After the unveiling of the AC Cobra GT Roadster in London in May, we’ve finally got to see it take to the track, as the car was given its public events debut at the Le Mans Classic 2023.

While this is a modern sports car, it remains faithful to the AC Cobra of the 1960s. With four years of planning and many millions of Euros in investment, the GT Roadster takes its influence and inspiration from those glory days and is being produced using the latest technology and engineering. It’s a lot larger in size than the original but that only solidifies its grand tourer credentials and means that it can now finally be driven by people over 6ft. Powered by a 5.0-litre V8 and delivering up to 663PS, the GT Roadster is covered with an aluminium spaceframe chassis and carbon composite bodywork and is a beautiful sight to behold.

As an official partner of the Le Mans Classic 2023 and celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the AC Cobra’s ties with the event goes back decades. However, no year was more important than 1963, when the AC Cobra won its class at the event. A win that would imprint AC Cobra as a giant in the world of motorsport. Managed by Stirling Moss, AC built two bespoke AC Cobra Mk2s for the 24 hour race in the car's first competitive outing at Le Mans. British duo Ninian Sanderson and Peter Bolton triumphed, despite strong competition from other more experienced teams, even managing 160mph on the Mulsanne Straight and an average speed of 108mph over 2592 miles.

To honour the famous win and to mark the occasion, AC Cars displayed Edition 63 at its stand, an exclusive model available only to the first clients who ordered a GT Roadster. Only 63 examples have been made and Edition 63 retains unique bodywork and trim configuration. The team discussed the new car with customers and fans and allowed those with one coming their way to get a glimpse of the design and construction first hand.

Nowadays, AC Cars works with leading industry suppliers in its facilities in the UK and Germany and plans to expand its development and production capabilities in the coming years. Deliveries of the GT Roadster will start next year and David Conza, CEO of AC Cars, said: “Feedback from everyone seeing the car has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Meanwhile, at the Le Mans Classic, it was so good to see original Cobras demonstrate on track why they are held in such high esteem throughout the automotive world.

Words: Mike Booth
Picture: AC Cars