15 Manliest Cars On The Road
1. AC Cobra
The car was virtually unmatched by anything else on the track or the street, and its performance is still formidable over four decades later.
Whether equipped with a 260 cubic-inch, small-block V8 or the fearsome 427, the AC Cobra is our manliest car for its aggressive and timeless looks, untamed character and association with Ol’ Shel’.
This is performance motoring at its most elemental. There’s 415bhp and 380lb ft of torque from its 4,727cc five-bolt Ford V8, a four-speed Borg Warner T10 transmission (original, as is the differential), and independent suspension all round, with a single transverse leaf spring front and rear.
With a weight of 2,172lb, the power-to-weight ratio is getting on for 442bhp per ton. Simple bucket seats, an aluminum dash with its big Smith instruments and an ageing wood-rimmed steering wheel. The inside of the doors is the other side of the outside. In fact the doors and the bonnet are the only pieces of bodywork that are not original.
