We've already heard a lot about tubular frames, we may even have seen some. It never fails to amaze, just how light-weight they are and how much space they take up. Above you can see an example from the present time. This the Cobra technology, which is cased in the well known bodywork. Indeed, although the name 'AC' may be used, the name 'Cobra' may not.

The overall view shows a Corvette-V8, which is mounted as a mid-engine providing a good weight distribution. Opposed to the arrangement in other sports cars, the Transaxle principle is not used here, rather the gearbox, like in the Corvette, is flanged directly onto the engine. The short butt of the gear-change lever indicates a manual gearbox.

The weight-bearing frame of this convertible is the center tunnel, which also accomodates the gearbox. The engine which is mounted far to the rear, makes a very short drive shaft to the rear axle possible. The stable tubing also provides a safety factor in the event of a side-on collision. Stability is also asked for in the rear, e.g., where the roll-bar joins the rest of the bodywork.

The suspension with the double wishbone up front and the lower trapezoid, or the upper wishbones at the rear, are show in red. One can clearly see the compression movement that the springs have on the horizontally mounted push-rods. The steering rack is moved to in front of the front axle with it's outwardly spread steering arms. To provide better cooling, the mighty, fixed piston brake calipers are mounted behind the brake disc.

If a (smaller) transverse mounted engine was used, the space between the front axle and the engine, would be sufficient for the entire drive-train. A free amount of space in front of- and above the rear axle, is reserved for the fuel tank, although the position of the filler-cap points to a less secure arrangement. The passenger leg-room reaches almost to the front end of the engine. At least the passengers have been spared the high door-sills, which in coupés, almost always leads to upward opening doors. 11/13