It's REAL, but what is it?

[Mark IV]

Brian Angliss owned Autokraft Ltd. which started as a Cobra restoration and parts operation. In 1983 he was licensed by AC Cars to use the "AC" logo and build Cobra shaped cars.

He aquired AC Cars Ltd in the late 80's and ran both companies from Weybridge. Ford Motor Company became a equity partner in AC (but NOT Autokraft) until such time as they wanted to liquidate AC. Brian fought them in court and won becoming sole owner of "AC Cars". Financial issues arose and he was screwed by his bank/banker and the company was placed into receivership with Price Waterhouse. The story from there gets really ugly with a rather unsavory charecter buying "AC"

If the "MX" chassis was done by Angliss it is NOT of 1968 vintage.

[Nedsel]

MX 1 was functionally the AC Cars "show chassis" for the lobby of the AC Cars factory in Thames Ditton. It was only constructed as a bare chassis, not as a Cobra. The fact that it was built to Cobra specifications long after the Thames Ditton factory closed does not make it an "original AC Cobra" in any fashion. If one were to take a Ferrari 250 GTE chassis and construct a 250 GTO-like vehicle on it, no one would call it an original Ferrari GTO, not would they make a claim that the resulting car should be valued as one. Maybe, instead of an enigma wrapped in a mystery, we've got an exaggeration wrapped in hyperbole.

[STL Mark]

OK - so it's not a Cobra?
It's not a Shelby for sure, but
it's not an AC, a replica, a continuation, or a completion?

Again, not trying to stir anything up here, and the information you have presented is good and I will pass it along to the dealer good, bad or otherwise.

How would you guys like to classify this vehicle?

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Nedsel

Maybe, instead of an enigma wrapped in a mystery, we've got an exaggeration wrapped in hyperbole.

Exactly.

[STL Mark]

I read the links. So, this is a continuation car?

[1985 CCX]

Ned

Exactly!
Well said......

[REAL 1]

So....its a one off, one of a kind Cobra replica constructed from a shortened AC chassis by the successor Autokraft.

Boy, and guys here think Continuation series owners need to give the entire story every time they are asked "is it REAL". Man, I'd hate to have to repeat the MX1 story every time I was asked if it was REAL.