The Carmaker Behind The Shelby Cobra Is Building A Brand-New Retro-Flavored EV

It’s called the AC Ace Classic Electric and it’s beautiful. It’s also very light, despite packing a 72-kWh battery.

AC Ace Classic Electric

Photo by: AC Cars

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Nov 7, 2024 at 4:14am ET

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The AC Ace Classic Electric is a battery-powered retro roadster.
It's made by UK's AC Cars, which provided the rolling chassis for the original Shelby Cobra.
The Tremec powertrain packs a 72-kilowatt-hour battery and a 301-horsepower motor.

Your eyes are not deceiving you, rest assured. The delightfully simple red roadster you see above is not some sort of Shelby Cobra knockoff, but it does have a lot in common with the legendary name that established the United States as a serious contender on the international racing stage, winning the FIA World Sportscar Championship in 1965.

That’s because it’s made by AC Cars, the company that supplied the chassis to Shelby, who then fitted the signature Ford V8 and transmission stateside. But unlike the iconic Cobra, this little red thing is electric.

It’s called the AC Ace Classic Electric and it’s a brand-new car made in collaboration with car parts giant Tremec. Tipping the scales at just 2,425 pounds, the British EV has a hand-laid carbon fiber body and a hand-finished interior. It’s very similar to the original AC Ace that provided the base for the brawny Shelby Cobra but without the aggressive flaring and side exhausts.

The reinterpreted classic is powered by a Tremec-developed drivetrain. A single, rear-mounted electric motor makes 301 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, enough to propel the skinny EV to 62 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds. A rather beefy 72-kilowatt-hour battery pack provides “over 200 miles” of range and can be DC fast charged, although the company didn’t say how many kilowatts it can accept from a Level 3 stall.

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AC Cars says the Ace Electric has a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution, which means it should be quite nimble on a twisty track–the low weight also helps. Two versions will be available: the Ace Classic Electric with the open grille design of the original Ace and the Ace Bristol Classic Electric with the earlier “smiling face” that debuted back in 1953. That said, AC Cars, which describes itself as Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer, also offers a bespoke service for clients who want to customize their EV.

The electric AC Ace Classic is on display at the Tremec stand at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. Production is set to start next year with an initial run of just 45 units, each with a starting price of $275,000 before taxes. The retro-flavored EV will be available in both left- and right-hand drive and each car will come with a brand-new VIN.