Image courtesy Flickr/Geoff_B
AC Cars created the Ace Roaster in 1953, setting the stage for what would one day become the Cobra AC Bristol soft top. The early AC convertible roadsters had a surprising amount of power combined with a lightweight frame, and cleaned up the track in Le Mans.
AC stopped making the Bristol (which was produced with a 6 cylinder engine) in 1961. Hearing the news, Carroll Shelby sent a letter to the company’s owner, asking about a collaboration that would involve fusing the classic Bristol convertible body with a muscular V8 engine.
The styling of the Cobra AC Bristol was unmistakably British, right down to the optimism (in Britain’s notoriously soggy weather) of the Cobra AC Bristol’s convertible top. But the power was unmistakably Shelby, thanks to the 4.3L Ford small-block V8.
With only less than 1,000 Shelby Cobra AC Bristols (MK II and MK III) ever built, this convertible is a true collectible. If you need a Cobra AC Bristol replacement convertible top, we offer a factory style top in a variety of colors and fabrics. Click here to check it out.
