Shelby not the first Cobra ACE Bristol

[computerworks]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

Got any pictures

I remember that story, now... thanks for bringing it up, normo.

The first Buchanan made news in the mid-50s with the announcement of a prototype sports car. The Buchanan was an attractively styled coupe with lines right up to date with the latest European fashions. The body was fibreglass and sat on a special chassis using the engine, gearbox and other mechanical parts from the Ford Consul and Zephyr sedans.
The prototype created great interest and generated the inevitable claims, rumors and speculation about production-soon-to-follow. But that was as far as it got...

...There had been rumours, of course, that Buchanan was up to something, yet it still came as a pleasant surprise for enthusiasts when in 1958 first details of the Buchanan Cobra were released.
Intended to be a relatively cheap sportster, the Cobra was designed to borrow as many mass-produced mechanical parts as possible and to be manufactured as a complete car.
The mechanicals were mostly of Standard 10 origin, including the engine, gearbox (with remote gearshift lever from the Standard Pennant model), leaf-sprung rear axle and the wishbones and coils independent front suspension. Not to forget the seats, steering wheel and other miscellanea.
The running gear was carried on a robust ladder-type chassis using box-section main members. Manufactured for Buchanan by Pressed Metal Corp (later involved with the Austin Healey Sprite) the chassis also supported the fibreglass body, which was a thoroughly professional job from nose to tail. The nicely styled shell was more than just a pretty face for it was functional too, and very well finished both outside and within the cockpit.