An AC Cobra Built with a 70-Kilogram Carbon Fiber Body – from Borås
It doesn't get much more unique than this.
When John Tidvall in Västerås decided to make his dream of owning an AC Cobra a reality, he came across an exciting material – Textreme. This is a carbon fiber fabric produced by the company Oxeon in Sweden's textile industry hub, Borås.
Textreme is used in a variety of fields: motorsports, sailing, and even space. However, a full car body had never been made from this high-tech fabric before.
A 100-meter roll of the fabric was delivered to Elite Projects in Hasslarp, Skåne, who accepted the challenge, which primarily consisted of dealing with Textreme's greater rigidity compared to traditional fiberglass fabric. But after some effort and a few challenges, they succeeded – creating a body that weighed just under 70 kilograms with an intriguing checkered pattern.
Instead of covering this with paint, John Tidvall chose to simply apply a clear coat, leaving all the seams visible and creating a unique appearance.
Alongside the bodywork, a Chevrolet LS1 engine – a favorite among many car builders – was rebuilt and tuned to produce around 400 horsepower. And that in a car registered at 1,200 kilograms.
A modern, 6-speed manual transmission from Tremec was added to the equation, and the result, as Bilweb Auctions inspector Peter Sundfeldt puts it, is "smooth, easy to drive, and sufficient, especially for street use."
Since the car was completed in 2018, it has only covered 260 kilometers, and now it’s time for John Tidvall to pass the Cobra on to a new owner, following the principle that "the goal is nothing, the journey is everything."
The auction ends on November 7, with an estimated price range of 850,000 to 900,000 SEK.
