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AK 1011 on Ebay

Started by westcott, May 25, 2012, 19:11:41

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westcott

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler!

Gus Meyjes

How many of these cars have been turned into 60's 427 clones, or do their owners keep them true? It would be hard to do a complete rebuild and come out ahead, however the current price would allow that...
   
   Gus

Chafford

Gus
   
   
   Very little information in the Mk IV Register, AK1011 was supplied in black with black leather and had a customer supplied 427 side oiler. No date in the Register but from the numbering sequence, it would appear that it was built in 1982. I'm sure Rick 'Mark IV' will be able to provide a much more comprehensive history.
   
   Very unusual to see a Mk IV in this condition in the UK - most of them here are in pristine condition. Engine mods appear to be universally accepted but some frown on converting the MkIV interior into a Mk111 clone.  You could always say however that you had put in a Mk IV lightweight interior!
   
   There are a couple of modified MkIVs up for sale at auction and dealers in the US and UK (see below). They appear to be asking higher prices than for unmodified cars and it will be interesting to see whether buyers are prepared to pay a premium. The US auction car has been extensively modified.
   
   http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=DM12&CarID=r147&fc=0
   
   http://www.hofmanns.co.uk/car-sales/ac-cobra-mkiv-50-v8-lhd
   
   Are you thinking of putting in a bid?
   
   Mark

ak1234

...One thing I can surely tell you is there is an early black MKIV .. I;m thinking 1983 which was Eric Clapton's car originally.  I happen to stroll into a antique car shop in Nyack NY around 1990 and met him and the car shop owner and he was putting the car up for sale.  So this could be the car ... maybe JB and or Rick could confirm which car was EC's.
   
   Ron

jbottini

Rick, over to you,jim

Gus Meyjes

closing in 15 minutes. Bids going over 50K. Good luck. I'm out!
   
   Gus

Gus Meyjes

$51.299
   
   Gus

Chafford

quote:
Originally posted by Gus Meyjes
   
$51,299
   
   Gus
   

   
   That's about £33,000, not bad for a car in this condition. And 19 bids!
   
   Scroll down ebay link for photos.

dkp_cobra

quote:
Originally posted by Chafford
   
quote:
Originally posted by Gus Meyjes
   
$51,299
   
   Gus
   

   
   That's about £33,000, not bad for a car in this condition. And 19 bids!
   

   
   Only, if you can find a way not to pay custom tax and VAT.

Chafford

I was thinking, given the state of the car, that it was a high bid. Let's hope it's not converted into yet another 427 S/C clone.

REV

Whether or not it becomes a street car clone is up to it's new owner. Lets just hope it finds a home that will cherish and restore it to a thing of beauty.
   
   The 427 is to many the iconic Cobra, the car that when people think of an AC, is the first that springs to mind.  It was the ultimate Cobra before aerodynamics left it a no longer viable racer. I also suspect that had Brian Anglis been able to produce what he wanted as opposed to what had to be made because of legislation it would have been a 427 S/C.
   
   It may well prove that the cheapest part of owning this car will be the purchase! The renovation looks expensive.

Gus Meyjes

quote:
Originally posted by REV
   

   
   It may well prove that the cheapest part of owning this car will be the purchase! The renovation looks expensive.

   
   That's what I was thinking. At 35K it would have been a decent project.

Chafford

quote:
Originally posted by REV
   
Whether or not it becomes a street car clone is up to it's new owner. Lets just hope it finds a home that will cherish and restore it to a thing of beauty.
   
   The 427 is to many the iconic Cobra, the car that when people think of an AC, is the first that springs to mind.  It was the ultimate Cobra before aerodynamics left it a no longer viable racer. I also suspect that had Brian Anglis been able to produce what he wanted as opposed to what had to be made because of legislation it would have been a 427 S/C.
   
   It may well prove that the cheapest part of owning this car will be the purchase! The renovation looks expensive.
   
   

   
   Brian Angliss did build a run of 427 S/Cs e.g. COX 6136
   
   http://www.billkempercobras.com/Pages/PhotosCOX6136.aspx
   
   This raises the issue of whether Mk IVs are regarded as a model in their own right as stated in the SAAC register or merely as a replica of the '60s 427.
   
   Is originality as important for a Mk IV as it is for say an Ace Bristol?

REV

Is a car that has been resprayed original? New interior? Engine Upgrades? Dial restorations? Shock absorbers? Cars tend to progress with time and technology, even "original" ones. A 60's racing cobra in original specification would never live with the "original" historic racers of today, but they are classed as originals.
   
   So I would suggest that originality is a totally personal issue and perspective.
   
   My point though was that who should place themselves in a position to judge what should or should not be done to a car? What is correct or incorrect? Again I feel they are personal issues. You and I may have our views, but they are ours. The man who placed his bid may have different ones and if he wants to place his hand in his pocket and buy the car and renovate it any way he wishes, good luck to him. If someone wishes to place their own preferences onto a car then they would be advised to place their hand deeply into their pocket and buy it.
   
   I live in a Victorian house, but I have made the improvements of a fitted kitchen, central heating and a lovely bathroom and shower. It may not be original, but I bet the guys who lived here over a hundred years ago wouldn't have complained.
   
   I for one really enjoy looking at the MKIV's on concours day. They all have personalities, some of which reflect their owners and others which are production differences.  Over the years of manufacture specifications changed, carburetors gave way to fuel injection, Aluminum gave way to CRS. head rests were added, then there were Lightweights and Superblowers. Dash boards changed and so did wheel diameters. They were not all different, but they varied from car to car sometimes depending on what was available. Add to this owners improvements and I find it the most enjoyable section of all the AC's. None of the other models of the Marque have the same progressions. This was undoubtedly due to a rapidly changing world of technology that Anglis was embracing along the way.
   
   So I raise a glass to the MKIV in all it's guises, and I make the  toast "Vive la difference!" It is what it is and they are what they are. But in the modern world they still stand out as a thing of beauty and a car of character.
   
   So to whoever was the buyer of that particular MKIV I wish the best of luck and may it be what he wants it to be.
   
   These cars are for owning and enjoying. Anoraks are for rainy days!
   
   [:)]

Gus Meyjes

Well said. On that note, I actually toyed with the idea to get it and I, for one, would have restored it with large overtones of 60's Cobra's. Hopefully we'll get to see the car on the ACOC forum in the future.
   
   Gus