AC Model History

United Kingdom · founded 1901

Britain's oldest active car maker — from Edwardian cyclecars and the Weller overhead-cam six to the 1950s Ace roadster and the legendary Ford-V8 Cobra built with Carroll Shelby.

Models

Sociable

AC's Edwardian three-wheeled cyclecar (1907–1914) — the company's first passenger vehicle and an early commercial success.

Cyclecar · 1907–1914
Six

A sporting line built around John Weller's advanced overhead-cam straight-six (1920–1940) — the engine that powered AC for four decades.

Sports car · 1920–1940
2-Litre

AC's post-war restart (1947–1958) — a traditional aluminium-bodied saloon using the long-running Weller six, with about 1,284 built.

Saloon · 1947–1958
Ace

AC's lightweight aluminium roadster (1953–1963) — a Le Mans class winner and the direct chassis basis for the Cobra.

Roadster · 1953–1963
Aceca

The fixed-head coupe companion to the Ace (1954–1963) — a lightweight aluminium GT with the same chassis and engine choices, about 357 built.

Coupe · 1954–1963
Greyhound

AC's 2+2 four-seat coupe (1959–1963) on a longer Ace-derived chassis — only 83 built, one of the rarest British GTs of its era.

Coupe · 1959–1963
Cobra

The legendary Ford-V8 roadster — AC's Ace chassis fitted with American V8 muscle for Carroll Shelby from 1962, now produced as a continuation series.

Roadster · 1962–present
428

An Italian-bodied grand tourer on a stretched Cobra 427 chassis (1965–1973) — Frua coachwork over a Ford big-block V8, only 81 built.

Grand tourer · 1965–1973
3000ME

AC's mid-engined wedge coupe (1979–1985) — a Ford Essex V6 sports car with a decade-long gestation, only about 106 built in total.

Sports car · 1979–1985
Brooklands Ace

A 1990s revival of the Ace name — a modern aluminium roadster on a stainless-steel chassis, only about 50 built before receivership in 1996.

Roadster · 1993–1996
Mk VI / Series 1

AC's current Cobra-derived roadster — composite-bodied and Chevrolet V8-powered, with an electric variant announced in 2020.

Roadster · 2009–present

Other makes