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From the June 2005 Archives , " Pond Hopping " article was published in AutoWeek

Pond Hopping: Ambitious AC plan calls for U.S. factory, three new models
JULIAN RENDELL
Posted Date: 6/9/05
AC Cars is planning a major expansion in the United States, with three new models and a new factory in Connecticut.

The company, known for its 1960s Cobra created with Ford and Carroll Shelby, relocated to the Mediterranean island of Malta due to financial problems and recently resumed production of the classic open-top two-seater for export to the United States. AC shipped its first composite-bodied rolling chassis to the Boulder Car Co. in Denver in May, for installation of a 4.6-liter 300-hp Ford V8. The finished product will sell for about $75,000.


AC will ship up to 200 rolling chassis to eight dealers in the States in the next two years, while it gears up for U.S. production and a wider model range beginning in mid-2006, says AC chairman Alan Lubinsky.

A new company, AC Cars Manufacturing (USA) Inc., will be established and funded with startup capital of about $5 million. The new company will be jointly owned by AC and a consortium of partners, including specialist dealers and suppliers.

Lubinsky says he had talks with the Department of Economic and Community Development in Connecticut and signed a letter of intent for a factory, possibly in the Bridgeport area. The plant would employ up to 150 workers if it hits a planned 880 cars a year by 2009-2010.

To meet the 2006 timeline for new models, Lubinsky needs to accelerate the development of three cars that are still in the design stage. The flagship is the $125,000 AC MkVI, a wider-bodied and restyled version of the classic Cobra shape. Also for production is an $80,000 coupe version, the Mamba, and a $60,000 entry-level, V6-power ed Ace soft-top.

The MkVI will be powered by a supercharged 4.6-liter or 5.4-liter V8, while the Mamba uses a 4.6-liter 300-hp V8 and the Ace a 3.0-liter 220-hp V6.

The MkVI is a new design, but plans for the Mamba and Ace, styled by Briton Ron Saunders, were first revealed four years ago, then put on ice when AC hit financial problems and was forced to move production from England to Malta. All three models, developed by AC technical director John Owen, a former Lotus engineer, are based on a new, wide-bodied version of the Cobra’s traditional tube chassis.


For greater stability and more room in the cabin, the track is four inches wider and the body two inches wider. The windshield is moved forward eight inches to ease access to the cabin. The 162-inch overall length is unchanged, along with suspension and steering.

This is an ambitious plan for AC, an industry minnow, particularly so soon after moving the bulk of its production out of the United Kingdom. Will its plans come to fruition?

“It’s a fair question, but we’re committed to make this work, as is the state of Connecticut, our U.S. partners and dealers. We’ll just have to make sure it does,” says Lubinsky.
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