'It’s AK’S first car and it has a unique Rover V8’

1986 AC (AK) Cobra replica Phil Hunt and wife, Haverfordwest

It’s a replica, an AK and I have owned it for 32 years. It has a 4.3-litre Rover V8 under the hood, the only one ever done. My friend Clive worked at Rover, in the R&D section, and he built this engine for himself. Sadly he died and his wife asked if I wanted it. Now, this engine is really unusual because it has a diesel crank in it. Not many many people know that years ago, Land Rover built a number of diesel versions of the Rover V8, but it didn’t work because the block itself couldn’t be made to be strong enough. Once the project was canned all the components were either scrapped or, how should I say, ‘recycled’.

The engine has John Eels pistons, special heads, a four-barrel Weber and that diesel crank. It puts out about 280bhp and, of course, once I got it I took the old Rover V8 out… this is much better. The car is on a 1974 plate, but is in fact a 1986 car, so it fooled people. It is AK, Ken Freeman’s, first Cobra. The company is still a thriving business in Peterborough and it deservedly has good name. I love the car, I look after it and I’ll never sell it.