[What'saCobra?]

It is as it was, Trevor

Who would argue that Charles wasn't the squeeker? No penny went without a home if uncle Charles was about. He husbanded pennies like a copper monger.

Or disagree that Derek was the risk taker, humorist and futurist of the delightful pair of anachronistic gentlemen?

And who of knowledge would disagree that a small block MKIII isn't the best handling driver of the lot? Some properly feel they were the best of everything, without the buggy springs and whips.

But, listen, not many here in the land of proper cold beers ever hear of the MKIV Lightweight, series AKL1xxx.

The Lightweight was a rather serious limited production variant of the Mark IV, without all the funny looking modern stuff, if you didn't want it. They were often bespoke, that is, made to your preference with regard to engine mods, cockpit style/trim (MKIII or MKIV), axle ratios, header choice, etc.). The 4" tube frames were internally reinforced better, 4" alloy racing fuel caps recessed into the fender were de rigeur, original gauge thin alloy skins, a beautifully cut, let and smooth finished carb air scoop, proper MKIII style chrome driver-only roll bar (screw 'em riderr) and many other goodies.

Most of the engines were single Holley carbed 302 Mathwals of about 345 HP providing 0-100 clicksperhour (62mph) in 4.2 seconds and 1-160c/h (100mph) in 10 seconds flat as a British National Type Approval certified street car. This was rolling on Perelli P7R VR-15 high speed street rubber.

The engine bay would accomodate a 427 iron lump, but the 351 and its stroker brothers are a perfect fit.

The Lightweights, as you might expect, were MUCH lighter (nearly 200£'s) than the rather more genteel but nevertheless drop-dead beautiful street MKIV's.

Oh, and did I tell you that the Lightweights mostly had big sedan-sized BMW fully ventilated brakes all around, utilizing the most lovely small vacuume powered dual master cylinder/acctuator?

All of which makes the to-die-for Girling CS's etc. pretty much crap in comparison? This system should be on some of your kits, you guys. Talk about sharp and easy performance... and it fits.

As this gorgeous striped-ape version of a MKIV (almost a MKIII) was happening, Shel was trying to get some customers to wackoff over the Serious 1 plastic fantastics, somebody else to figure out how to deliver them and a third person to figure out how to fix them.

And old Shel was trying meanwhile to convince the California State Consumer Protection folks that he neither meant anyone any harm representing the McKlusky chassis as "leftovers" from AC (which they certainly were not), nor would he survive any incarceration, given his health issues, which were real. Given a vote, I would have given him a pass, if for nothing less than the years of entertainment value. They were mostly dumb-****te foreign buyers, anyway. I wonder what the SAAC guys were publishing about the knock-offs and AC in the day, anyway?

Olde Brian Angliss at AC was just designing, building and selling real nice looking quick cars, a few of which sold for £120K+ on any particularly good day when the financial winds blew manna in from Japan, Maylasia or Saudi Arabia.

Just how much do you think AC profited on each of these super-priced babies? Is it instructive to point out that SA likely never made a net penny on the entire GT-350 program?

Ah, but those are both longer, very interesting and instructive stories many here know lots and lots about, don't you guys?