First owned by former Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill
2001 AC Cobra Mk IV 'Carbon Road Series' Roadster

• Number '34' out of 37 CRS models built
• 5.0-litre Ford V8 engine
• Present ownership since 2007
• Only 15,358 miles recorded

Rightly regarded as one of the all-time great classic sports cars, the muscular, fire-breathing Cobra succeeded in capturing the hearts of enthusiasts like few of its contemporaries. Convinced that a market existed for an inexpensive sports car combining European chassis engineering and American V8 power, Le Mans-winning Texan racing driver Carroll Shelby concocted an unlikely alliance between AC Cars of Thames Ditton and the Ford Motor Company. The former's Ace provided the simple twin-tube chassis frame – strengthened and supplied with four-wheel disc brakes for the Cobra - into which was persuaded one of Ford's lightweight small-block V8s. The 4.2-litre prototype first ran in January 1962, with production commencing later that year. Production ended in 1967 after 1,029 cars had been built.

But for Brian Angliss, the Cobra story would have ended in 1967. The Autokraft boss had built up a business restoring Cobras and supplying parts, and in the early 1980s acquired the rights to the AC name plus a quantity of jigs and tooling from the old Thames Ditton factory. Keeping the overall style of the Mark III, Autokraft produced the Mark IV, which was appropriately updated to meet then current legislation and powered by a 'federalised' 5.0-litre Ford V8. Around 450 were built before Autokraft folded in 1996, largely due to costs incurred developing its new Ace model. In December 1996 the company was sold to South African businessman Alan Lubinsky, who continued production in Weybridge under the AC Car Group Ltd name. Both the Cobra Mark IV and the Ace were made, and soon a 'Carbon Road Series' (CRS) version of the former was announced, featuring, as its name suggests, a carbon-fibre bodyshell.

Number '34' out a total of 37 CRS models built, this example was owned and driven when new by the 1996 Formula 1 World Champion, Damon Hill (see magazine article on file). Its engine is a 5.0-litre Ford V8, as fitted to the then current Mustang, which drives the rear wheels via a Tremec five-speed gearbox and Hydratrak limited-slip differential. Other notable features include Halibrand alloy wheels, a wet weather hood, side screens, and a tonneau cover. The car has belonged to the current vendor since 2007 and the current recorded mileage is 15,358. Representing a very rare opportunity to own a piece of British motoring history, this beautiful limited edition Cobra is MoT'd to 2nd May 2024 and comes with a UK V5C registration document.