AC Cobra – COB6038

The Others

There are so many subplots and peculiarities in Cobra history that it’s not that easy to get an overview. Anyone who has read the title of this article carefully will have noticed that the letters are different from the usual Shelby Cobra, i.e. not CSX but COB. This is how it came about: the second series of the Cobra, the one with the 289 Ford engine and the leaf springs, sold better than expected in the USA. The English team at AC Cars, who supplied the basis for this Cobra to America in the form of their Ace, sensed that there was also a business opportunity for Europe. The Ace itself was getting a bit long in the tooth, having been on the market since 1953. It was initially equipped with its own 2-litre six-cylinder engine, then with a 2-litre six-cylinder engine from Bristol, and finally with a 2.6-litre six-cylinder engine from Ford. A Cobra with the 4.7-litre V8 Ford engine, as offered by Shelby in the USA, was a perfect fit for the programme.

So AC Cars built its own Cobra. Visually, the only way to distinguish the British and American models is that the AC Cars vehicles do not bear any Shelby emblems. And that there were 45 right-hand drive models, those with the designation COM (for Cobra Britain). Surprisingly, there were also 17 left-hand drive vehicles, which were designated COX. This is COB6038, delivered on 1 September 1965 via the dealer Guy Salmon Ltd. to Julian Moulton, in white with a black interior. At some point, COB6038 was repainted red, fitted with 48-IDA Weber carburettors for a little more power, and completely restored in 2013 – and is now for sale at Fiskens (March 2025), with no price indicated.

The ‘English’ Cobras can be found in our collection of the second series; there were other Cobras directly from AC Cars, but that’s another story, here. You can find more beautiful sports cars in our archive.