The AC Cobra is a hybrid American sportscar consisting of a British roadster with an American engine and transmission. In 1961 Carroll Shelby took a dated AC Ace sports car and installed a Ford V-8 engine with a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed transmission. The resulting car made history. Designed as a Corvette-killer it was one of the fastest cars available at the time. They were produced and sold by Carroll Shelby International Inc.