Lucas Bell 
The Shelby Cobra is quite simply one of the greatest American cars ever produced. And while their original production run was small by today’s standards, fans of Carroll Shelby’s racer have an easier time getting one of these cars than ever before. There are a number of kit car companies that will sell you a Cobra, but now you have a chance to buy one from its original creators. The AC Cobra is making a return to the market in 2020, and you can have it with an electric powertrain.
Without the small and nimble AC Ace, there would have never been a Shelby Cobra for us to fawn over. The two companies were so intertwined during this time period that AC actually built and sold Cobras in Europe to help support Shelby’s efforts across the pond. In order to celebrate the 58th anniversary of this American-British creation, AC has decided to make a limited run of 116 cars.
On the surface, the 2020 AC Cobra looks nearly identical to its 1962 counterparts, including details like wire-wheels and old-school gauges. Under the hood however, everything is right out of the modern era. The chassis has been fiddled with, as has the steering and braking in order to make the cars drive how we expect in 2020. Fifty-eight of the cars will be sold with an electric powertrain, which is powered by a 54-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Total output is 308 horsepower and 368 peak pound-feet of torque, delivering up to 150 miles of range. That is enough juice to propel the 2,755-pound AC Cobra to 62 mph in just 6.7 seconds.
Should a silent driving experience not fit your Cobra desires, AC will also be selling 58 examples of the car powered by the 2.3L EcoBoost from the Mustang. In this trim the motor puts out 350 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, and is fed through a manual transmission. Without all of the batteries to deal with, the gasoline powered AC Cobra only weighs 2,425 pounds, and can hit that 62 mph figure in about 6 seconds flat.
These loving tributes don’t come cheap however. If you were to want one of the battery-powered models, it will cost you in the neighborhood of $171,000. For those more interested in burning petrol, the EcoBoost-powered models carry a price tag of just $105,000. AC says that the company will begin deliveries by the end of the year.
