AC Cobra crash at Goodwood Member’s Meeting – Video

 

Dramatic footage of Karsten Le Blanc’s AC Cobra crashing headlong into a tyre wall at Goodwood Member’s Meeting during the Graham Hill trophy.

Karsten Le Blanc’s AC Cobra History Lesson:

Back in 1962, Carroll Shelby’s idea of mixing a lightweight AC chassis with a Ford small block worked brilliantly on the road. However, when the AC Cobra hit the track in 1963, it became obvious that its top speed, a key component of winning on circuits such as Le Mans, was limited by its aerodynamics.

Before the more streamlined Cobra Daytona Coupe was born for the 1964 season, a quick solution came in the form of the 1963-fielded Cobra Le Mans Coupe. This was basically a racing-spec Cobra with a hardtop and a few other small mods.

Out of the three racecars built, only two entered the Le Mans race, but one was disqualified early in the event. Nevertheless, the remaining vehicle took a respectable seventh place overall, while finishing third in the GT class. As a result, six extra racecars were built after the Circuit de la Sarthe fight, which were sold to private teams.