AC Ace RS Electric Isn’t Slower Than Original AC Cobra

Shelby Cobra is unquestionably a legend, yet Carroll Shelby did not invent it. He chose the AC Ace after searching for a lightweight European sports vehicle to pair with a torquey American V8.

Ace, which resembled a Cobra on hormone blockers, was introduced in 1954 and featured a 100 horsepower 2.0-liter inline-six that accelerated it to 60 mph in 11.4 secs. It wasn't awful for the period, but it was going to get a lot slower. The AC Cobra that succeeded it had a Ford 289-cube (4.7-liter) V8 under the hood and could hit 60 mph in half the time.

An electric version of the Ace that can reach 60 mph in just over five seconds, making it as fast an original Cobra. Ace RS Electric's 308-hp (230-kW) electric powertrain produces 184 lb-ft (250 Nm) of torque continuously, with bursts of 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) for overtaking.

 Ace weighs only 2315 lbs (1050 kg), which means it can go 200 miles (322 km) on electric power before needing to be recharged, according to the manufacturer.

Because of this, the Ace's promised driving range is 50 miles (80 km) longer than that of Cobra's iconic Series 1 Electric, despite the latter's use of a larger 55 kWh battery pack. The Cobra Series 1 can reach 60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.9 seconds, which is 0.6 seconds faster than the Ace.