2019 AC Cobra DAX 5.7

The vendor, Paul, always loved the Cobra and as a lifelong car enthusiast, has had his share of powerful V8s in Land-Rovers and Range Rovers, including memorable off-road adventures. He’s cherished this opportunity to own and drive the car and has overseen a couple of refinements during his ownership, including the stiffening of the steering column mounting to eliminate slight scuttle shake.

He’s the first to admit, though, that polishing isn’t his scene, and he’d prefer something he can tinker with mechanically – so it’s time to let someone else enjoy the Cobra.

The previous owner, an engineer who completed the build to an exceptionally high standard, parted with the car less than a year after getting it on the road simply because he’d enjoyed the build process so much, he had already started on a second one!

In a situation often seen since kit car building began in the UK in the 1950s, the man who finished the car to such a high standard was not the man who started the build. Experience shows that a stalled and restarted build like this often produces the best cars – the first owner, often young and starry-eyed, buys all the best bits, then time and/or family take over and he never completes it. In comes the intelligent engineer, who sees a great opportunity to build a high spec car without the huge initial outlay, instead taking pleasure in using all his engineering skills and patience to finish it to the highest standard.

Black really suits the Cobra, but it is the least forgiving colour. It shows the smallest imperfections in surface finish and shape – so it takes a lot of confidence to specify it for a kit-build car. It is a great credit to the superb quality of the Dax mouldings, and the excellent build and paint preparation on this car, that it shows perfect lines, perfect mouldings, perfect door, boot and bonnet shuts. As is almost always the case with modern paints, there are some areas of orange peel, but you have to look hard to find them. With little over 1000 miles covered, there are no stone chips.

It’s clear that a great deal of time has been spent on attention to detail. So often on a car like this, there are one or two details that don’t quite match, or look below par, but on this car every detail has been expertly chosen to blend perfectly together, from the 16in Halibrand wheels to the round wing mirror, all the lights, the screen and frame, the chrome/stainless wipers, the monster five inch side pipes… Every detail is brand new, too. The racing front and rear jack plates are just for show, but do provide a little protection for the delicate nose and tail – and even the necessary (for SVA) reversing light and rear fog light are cleverly incorporated on separate brackets and without chrome surrounds so that they don’t stand out and spoil the 1960s look.

The interior is as immaculate as the exterior, again harmoniously detailed with no expense spared, from the full set of matching ETB instruments to the Momo Street Fighter steering wheel and Luke race harnesses. The drilled Dax handbrake drops down out of the way to make access easier, and the detailing even extends to stainless steel surrounds to the door hinges hidden in the A-posts. Getting in and out is not too difficult, though you do have to be careful of hot exhaust tips, which are not protected by the heat shield covering the silencers. There is no hood or tonneau – this is strictly a fair-weather car! – but a new car cover for garage storage is included. USB ports for charging phone, satnav etc are provided and the car is fitted with maximum security including a top Thatcham alarm and immobiliser. The characteristic cranked gearlever operates a brand new five-speed Tremec T500 five-speed transmission that gives an excellent range of gears: the vendor confirms that fifth is an excellent cruising gear with a dauntingly high maximum speed potential!

Under the bonnet, this Cobra is dazzling – literally, with polished stainless steel lining the engine bay and chrome and stainless detailing everywhere – the air filter, rocker covers, pipework, header tank, even the alternator sparkles and shines. It just shows what can be achieved with a home build – when nobody is counting the hours that are being poured into achieving this standard of finish.

The short engine is one of the few parts of the car that was not brand new – it was crated reconditioned – but it might as well have been new, given the phenomenal list of new parts that went into it (including brand new reworked cylinder heads) and which can be seen in the documents photos. It’s said to produce 350bhp+, which seems a conservative estimate.

Also fully refurbished were the Jaguar XJ40 suspension and rear axle, to which were added a new Quaife steering rack and fully adjustable suspension – which works. The vendor reports that the Cobra feels remarkably compliant and absorbs bumps far better than you might expect – an assessment we could confirm by following the car for around five miles, along with its phenomenal torque and its tremendous head-turning ability!

The gorgeous 16in knock-on Halibrands are shod with Toyo Proxes, 225/55x16 front, 245/55x16 rear, the rears a little older than the fronts but all almost unworn.

As the documents reveal, the original order from Dax was placed in August 2011, including an extra charge for specifying black as the colour. There is a substantial pile of build documents, detailing every part used.

The SVA test was passed on June 5, 2019 and The V5 was issued on August 1, 2019. It carries the vital wording “Emissions – Visual Test only” which will make future MoT passing super-easy and keeps road tax at a very reasonable level – just £260 at present, the vendor believes.

Probably the finest and most harmoniously detailed Cobra replica we have ever seen (and we used to judge at kit car shows!), this Dax is nicely run in and ready to be really enjoyed. The suspension is set up perfectly for UK roads and can be stiffened for track days if desired. Weather equipment, or at least a tonneau cover, might be a worthwhile addition to avoid stress if taking it any distance from home in English weather.

With even AC Aces now fetching £250,000 and 289 Cobras nudging £1m, top quality replicas like this, displaying phenomenal attention to detail, can only increase in value – and with the full SVA test just 1100 miles ago, this has all the style with the reassurance of buying a new car. We feel it should achieve £45-55,000 – a bargain if you were to count the hours that went into its build.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller in Paignton; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.