"The story of how Caroll Shelby shoehorned an American V8 into the aquiline shape of the British AC Ace is now part of motoring folk law. The bored out 260ci propelled the pretty little roadster, now AC Cobra, into an entirely different performance league, the engine was then enlarged to 289ci with even greater changes coming as time progressed. Eventually, the big motor arrived, the seven-litre unit or 427ci. The bodywork became more aggressive and performance was truly ballistic. It also looked superb and became equally effective on the track, nabbing the World GT title in its debut year. It is of little surprise that the Cobra became one of the most copied sportscars on the planet with fibreglass examples starting in the mid-£20,000s and rising. The devil is in the detail however and good quality is always worth paying for. At the top of the tree sits the renowned US-based, engineering-focussed company, Kirkham Motorsports. Founded in 1994 by the eponymous proprietor David Kirkham, he took the manufacturing process to Poland and a company that used to construct MiG fighter jets. In fact, it was during the restoration of a MiG that he realised that the process for aluminium cars and planes was very similar. The net result was an FIA-correct, hand-rolled, aluminium body built to the absolute highest of standards, so much so that Kirkham Motorsports also supply Shelby America and Superformance. This incredible polished aluminium Cobra, was imported brand new and registered on 1st May 2016 and has been under the same private ownership since then, covering just very limited mileage from new. At its heart, the car's powertrain is an aluminium Robert Pond engine with a displacement 427ci which produces over 550bhp and 560trq matched to a five-speed Tremec TKO600 gearbox and it sits on Avon CR-ZZ 245/50 front tyres and Avon CR-ZZ 295/60 rears, aided by Penske shock absorbers. This Kirkham Cobra comes with an extremely rare, polished aluminium removeable hardtop and a tonneau cover for when the weather is slightly inclement. There is English wool carpets on the floor, tunnel and inside the doors with leather seats as per the original specification complete with period (in-date) harnesses.
The polished aluminium body is a work of art, combined with billet aluminium suspension, original specification chassis and the genius of David Kirkham. This car is not only a visual masterpiece but a functional tourer too. Serviced regularly and with a fresh MoT test certificate valid until December 2023, this fabulous sports car has enjoyed a number of long-distance trips including the Le Mans Classic in 2016 and 2018 as well as a tour of Scotland."