AC 428

The AC 428 was a British grand touring car that AC Cars built from 1965 to 1973, also called the AC 428 Frua after the Italian carrozzeria that designed and made its steel body. It began life as the AC 427 and was built on an AC Cobra 427 Mark III chassis extended by 6 inches, with fully independent coil spring suspension and a Ford FE V8 sold as the 428. Only two cars were built with the 427 engine. The drophead coupe was first seen at the 1965 Earls Court motor show and a fastback coupe followed in 1967. Chassis were built at Thames Ditton, shipped to Turin for the body and sent back for the powertrain and trim, and the costs meant the cars could not be sold at a profit. Production totalled 81 cars, 51 fastback coupes and 30 drophead coupes. Autocar recorded a top speed of 141 mph for a coupe in 1968.