Geneva Watch: 2011 AC MkVI

AC Cars, one of the oldest and most prestigious automotive brands is returning to world’s most important automotive show with its latest model, the 2011 AC MkVI.

This new model is the first of many new development during 2011 which will see life breathed back in to the iconic Anglo-American brand.

The AC MkVI is a high performance muscle car in the worthy traditions of the Cobra family which couples the power of a classic American V8 engine (in this case the latest 430 bhp unit used in the Corvette) with outstanding German build quality. The design incorporates a host of up to the minute features while sustaining all the dynamism of a shape which has inspired motoring enthusiasts for more than five decades. The car is on sale at a starting price of €109,000 plus taxes – UK and European pricing will be confirmed later in the year.

From its beginnings 110 years ago AC has been synonymous with craftsman built, lightweight sports cars with a strong British pedigree. The company has had a chequered history ranging from victories on tracks from Le Mans to Palm Beach and from its creation by a family of London butchers to – for a time – the Ford Motor Company. Throughout, AC’s cars have been outstandingly attractive and – to prove the point – the company’s Geneva Show stand also features an original AC Ace, the model which became the famous AC Cobra.

The Chairman of AC Cars Limited, Alan Lubinsky, commented: “We’ve deliberately kept a low profile in recent months as we worked with the members of the AC family worldwide to breathe new life into our revered brand, and we will be announcing further exciting developments during 2011”, he said.

“The key to our future though is based on achievement, so when we announce a new model it will be available – as the AC Mk VI is today – ready for sale. For the first time in a decade we’re able to provide customers with genuine, high quality cars from a range of proven production sources”.

It’s important that we point out these are not kit-cars or replicas, but fully but hand-crafted recreations of the iconic AC cars shape with a modern drivetrain and some of the latest (i.e. reliable) technologies.

Rather than produce cars and then ship them around the world, AC Cars have instead chosen to appoint local production and distribution partners – so in the UK this will be the dedicated AC Heritage Centre, located at the top of the historic Brooklands test hill in Surrey and just feet from the famous banked race circuit. AC Heritage Centre is the brainchild of Steve Gray, the man behind the renowned car restorations company, Brooklands Motor Company.

The first few cars are currently being built by AC Germany, the Dresden-based company also famed for its recreation of the Gullwing Mercedes coupe. In the US, Iconic Motors has adopted the AC brand for its ultra-high performance car, the Iconic AC Roadster, which has chosen the brute-force route with the cars it produces, fitting them with a 6.8-litre V8 engine producing an incredible 825bhp and 680lb ft enabling it to reach a top speed of 210mph and slingshot its way from 0-60mph in less than three seconds.

You can see the AC Mark VI on Show at Geneva at Stand No.1035.

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