First Drive: 2012 Iconic AC Roadster

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, First Drive, Specialty, MISC

In Which We Learn Not To Judge A Book By Its (Very Familiar) Cover

2012 Iconic AC Roadster – Click above for high-res image gallery

We admit it – we nearly got it wrong. But can you blame us? We’ve seen dozens – nay, hundreds of Shelby Cobra homages and outright knockoffs over the years, and while many of them have offered road-bludgeoning performance, precious few have been high-quality efforts, and fewer still brought something new to the table. So when images of the Iconic AC Roadster first hit our inboxes along with blustery talk of 800+ horsepower and a massive price tag, we didn’t pay much attention. Here was yet another Cobra replica whose biggest innovation appeared to be a set of awkward looking head- and taillamps. Why bother?

And then we drove it. And oddly, just as importantly, we took a peek beneath its skin, only to realize that the car’s familiar shape is something of a Trojan horse whose familiar striping job masks a shocking amount of cutting-edge technology.

Continue reading to find out what changed our minds.

Gallery: 2012 Iconic AC Roadster: First Drive