The concept of Italian styling coupled with American V8 horsepower was well established by the late 1960s and no doubt influenced AC Cars' decision to reconfigure its fire-breathing Cobra sports car as a luxury Grand Routier.

A Cobra MkIII coil-suspended chassis was extended by 6" in the wheelbase and despatched to Italy to be clothed in elegant steel coachwork by Pietro Frua, the result looking not unlike the latter's Maserati Mistral.

The first car, a two-seater convertible, was completed in time for the 1965 Earls Court Motor Show, while the following year's Geneva Salon saw the launch of an even more sensational fastback-styled coupé.

Although the 428ci (7-litre) Ford Galaxie engine that gave the model its name produced less power than the Cobra 427's, the 345bhp on tap was capable of delivering all the performance that customers desired.

Shrugging off the car's 1,416kgs weight and seemingly unhampered by the automatic transmission, as fitted to the majority of cars, this stupe...