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| 1961 - The arrival of the AC Cobra |
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| Carroll Shelby, a Texan ex-race driver, entered negotiations with AC Cars and with the backing of The Ford Motor Company, proposed the installation of a large Ford vee eight engine in the current lightweight AC Ace. Built by AC Cars, the combination resulted in the AC Cobra, one of the fastest and most brutal sports cars ever produced. |
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| 1962 - Concentration on the Cobra |
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| AC Cars production concentrated on manufacturing the AC Cobra. Each one was hand built at the factory in Thames Ditton. |
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| 1963 - Production of the Cobra rises |
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| Production of the AC Cobra was now 15 cars per week. The AC plant at Taggs Island, situated half a mile from the main AC Works, was fully occupied with the manufacture of motorised invalid carriages for the Ministry of Health. 1,200 invalid carriages were produced. |
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| 1964 - AC Cobra breaks all speed records and makes the newspapers |
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| The AC Cobra caused a sensation by racing along the M1 motorway at 183 mph, leading to questions being raised in Parliament. Two AC Cobras were entered in the Le Mans 24 Hour Race, the AC entry was the first British car to finish. By now, the 427 AC Cobra had the distinction of being listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest production car in the world, a title which it held for several years. |
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| 1965 - The Cobra wins again |
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| The AC Cobra wins The Sports Car World Championship. Following the previous years motorway sprint, a 70 mph legal speed limit was introduced. |
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1965 AC Cobra |
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1965 AC Cobra MKIII 427 |
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| 1967 - The 428, 29 Convertible and 51 Fastback |
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| AC Cars produced the 428, a seven-litre sporting model with a body design by Frua of Turin. 29 Convertible and 51 Fastback vehicles were produced up to 1973, when production ceased. |
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1967 AC 428 Convertible |
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1967 AC 428 Coupe |
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| 1970 - Production of the ME3000 |
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| During the 1970s and early 1980s AC developed and produced the ME3000, a totally new mid-engined two-seater sports car. |
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