1988 | AC Mk IV

With only 17,000 miles from new, this completely original 1988 MK IV Cobra is a real pleasure

The first owner had the car for 31 years finally letting her go in 2019 having covered only 11,000 miles during his careful period of ownership

She was bought at that time by a long standing client of ours who has a particular ponchant for AC's. MK IV Lightweight Cobra & 428 Frua Spider with manual gears just two of the examples to have graced his garage

Anyhow knowing AC so well he without hesitation took on this fantastic car in 2019 and has subsequently enjoyed about 7000 miles in her

Autokrafkt began life as an AC specialist run by a gentleman called Brian Angliss, they dealt mainly with restorations and manufacturing of parts for AC motorcars and were world leaders at what they did

AC Car Ltd like most British manufacturing businesses in the 1980s were struggling financially and Brian Angliss was determined to buy the business with Ford in the backgroud as his partner and engine supplier

After much jostling and persuasion, Derek Hurlock - whose father William and uncle Charles had bought AC Cars Ltd in the 1930s - sold the business to Angliss in 1986. Hurlock had long been the careful and considered custodian of AC Cars Ltd and was duly measured in allowing someone from outside the Hurlock family to take on the responsibility

In Angliss he could be confident that AC Cars Ltd were under the charges of someone who both appreciated the history of the brand and perhaps more importantly was already a well accomplished expert whose bredth of knowledge and experience with AC Cars was unrivalled

Now back to the car...

Rather pleasingly this particular example is as she left the factory in 1988 having never been restored or in any way tampered with, good enough for Derek Hurlock is definitely good enough

Featuring a 5 litre fuel injected Ford V8 and a 5 speed manual gearbox she roars her way up the road in a decidedly conspicuous fashion

The engine is velvet smooth and very much the benefactor of never having been converted to carburettors as so many of these late Cobras have. The drivetrain as a whole is monstrously good and the noise she gives off, otherworldly

On close inspection she actually belies her already low mileage of 17,000 miles. One could quite easily believe that she had just been restored or indeed barely turned a wheel since leaving the factory in '88

In fact the reality is that she was a brilliantly well made car that has been looked after brilliantly well by two genuinely caring owners

She still today has all the original weather equipment - tonneau cover side screens etc - as well as her original steering wheel, she currently wears a rather dashing Moto-Lita but the original will of course remain with the car in the sale

Her colour - Porsche Guards Red - pops in the sun and sits so well on the car without a blemish in sight, together with the sensible choice of black leather interior on black halibrand wheels with polished rims and gold knock off centre nuts we think that the spec is just purrrfect

A car well known by true enthusiasts and importantly she is registered on the Shelby World Register

Surely she wont be around for long...