The only modification of the front end of the first Cobra from that of the "AC Ace 2.6" was the steering box, which had to be moved outward to clear the wider V8 engine.

After testing and modification, the engine and transmission were removed and the chassis was air-freighted to Shelby in Los Angeles on 2 February 1962,[9] By this time the small-block's displacement was increased to 4.7 L (289 cu in).

Shelby's team paired this engine along with a transmission into CSX2000, in less than eight hours at Dean Moon's shop in Santa Fe Springs, California, and began road-testing.

In late 1962, Alan Turner, AC's chief engineer, completed a major design change of the car's front end to accommodate rack and pinion steering while still using transverse leaf spring suspension (with the leaf spring doubling as the upper suspension link).

The car was not able to receive the development it needed, as resources were aimed at taking the crown from Ferrari in the GT class.

Ken Miles drove and raced the FE-powered Mark II at Sebring and pronounced the car virtually undrivable, naming it "The Turd".

It was powered by the "side oiler" Ford 7.0 L (427 cu in) FE engine equipped with a single 4-barrel 780 CFM Holley carburetor rated at 317 kW (425 hp; 431 PS) at 6000 rpm and 651 N⋅m (480 lb⋅ft) at 3700 rpm of torque,[12] which provided a top speed of 264 km/h (164 mph) in the standard model.

The AC Cobra was a financial failure that led Ford and Carroll Shelby to discontinue importing cars from England in 1967.

Shelby offered a drag package, known as the Dragon Snake, which won several NHRA National events with Bruce Larson or Ed Hedrick at the wheel of CSX2093.

Equipped almost identically to CSX2522, the second example had aluminum valve covers, a tuned air cleaner, a Smiths heater, seat belts, front and rear brake cooling ducts, a hood scoop, brake cooling scoops, side exhausts and a painted roll bar (2522's roll bar was chromed).

Suspension options included Koni shock absorbers, front and rear anti-sway bars, unpolished six-inch magnesium pin-drive wheels, and Goodyear Blue Streak Sports Car Special tires.

This conversion called for making the original racing model street legal with mufflers, a windshield and bumpers amongst other modifications.

When Cosby attempted to drive CSX3303, he found that it was very difficult to keep under control; he later recounted the experience on his 1968 stand-up comedy album 200 M.P.H.. Cosby gave the car back to Shelby, who then shipped it out to one of his company's dealers in San Francisco, S&C Ford on Van Ness Avenue.

Maxey, suffering the same issues as Cosby did with the car, had his throttle stick while leaving a traffic stop, lost control and drove it off a cliff, landing in the Pacific Ocean waters.

AC Cars Ltd internal production records show that Shelby American placed an order for two 96-inch chassis (CSX 5001–5002) in 1966.

In 1986, Autokraft (as a joint venture with Ford joining in 1987) purchased AC Cars, and produced the AC Mk IV Cobra, with a 186 kW (250 hp; 253 PS) at 4,200 rpm, 4,942-cubic-centimetre (301.6 cu in) Ford V8, which provided a top speed of 134 mph (215 km/h) and 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 5.2 seconds.

Two new 'Cobra' style cars were launched in 1997, the 'Superblower', an aluminium-bodied car with a supercharged 4,942-cubic-centimetre (301.6 cu in) Ford V8 providing 239 kW (320 hp; 324 PS) and the cheaper 'Carbon Road Series' (CRS) with a carbonfibre body and a 168 kW (225 hp; 228 PS) version of the Ford V8 engine.

A further variant, 'the 212 S/C' with a 3,506-cubic-centimetre (213.9 cu in) 261 kW (350 hp; 355 PS) twin-turbocharged Lotus V8 engine was introduced in 2000, but only two examples were built.

By August 2002, the company was in a financial low and briefly acquired by Private Corp, who closed operations in October 2003.

In 2009, AC licensed Gullwing GmbH in Germany, dba AC-Automotive, to produce the AC MK VI, with an aluminium coated composite body and powered by a 6.2-litre (380 cu in) 328-kilowatt (440 hp; 446 PS) LS3 Chevrolet engine, or a 410 kW (550 hp; 558 PS) supercharged version.

In an effort to improve top speed along the legendary Mulsanne Straight at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, a number of enclosed, coupé variations were constructed using the leafspring chassis and running gear of the AC/Shelby Cobra Mark II.

The race started well with the AC, chassis number A98, maintaining its position in the top two in GT and even leading the class for a time.

[citation needed] The car proceeded on at the predetermined conservative lap time and for the next stint remained trouble free.

Dubbed the Willment Cobra Coupé, this car was fully built by the JWA racing team and numbered 2131 on the frame.

Produced in Las Vegas, Nevada, these cars retain the general style and appearance of their original 1960s ancestors, but are fitted with modern amenities.

The initial CSX4000 series cars were completed from the chassis built by Mike McCluskey with NOS and reconditioned parts.

Gradually as the vintage parts supply ran low, newly constructed frames and body panels were obtained from a variety of suppliers.

In 2004, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford unveiled a concept for a modernized AC Cobra.

[2][26] During the continuation period, Kirkham Motorsports were contracted by Shelby to produce rolling Cobra body/chassis units but this did not end amicably.

Pete Brock said in a Hot Rod magazine interview "Like the Kirkhams, even when they were supplying most of Shelby’s Cobra parts.