Makes › AC › 428 (Frua) · Rare production · 1965–1973 Extremely Rare
AC
428 (Frua)
Frua-bodied big-block Ford V8 GT on lengthened Cobra chassis; convertible and fastback
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 81 Built
- Years
- 1965–1973
- Engine
- Ford 428 big-block V8 · 7,010 cc / 7.0 LFactory: 428 cu in · converted
- Power
- 250 kW / 340 PSFactory: 335 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 233 km/hFactory: 145 mph · converted
- Body
- Frua
- Designer
- Pietro Frua (body)
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The AC 428 married an Italian Frua body to a lengthened version of the big-block Cobra's coil-spring chassis and a Ford 428 V8, creating a rare Anglo-Italian-American grand tourer. Only about 81 were built, of which 30 were convertibles.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
AC 428 (Frua) (Wikimedia Commons: AC 428)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
AC 428 (Frua) (Wikimedia Commons: AC 428)
Photo: Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
AC 428 (Frua) (Wikimedia Commons: AC 428)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
AC 428 (Frua) (Wikimedia Commons: AC 428)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productiontotal built, of which 30 Spiders (convertibles) | 811Strongest evidence | Factory production | Independently researched |
| Total model productionAC 428 Spiders (convertibles) built to 1973 per the Frua registry (23 right-hand drive, 6 left-hand drive); coupes not included | 292 | Registry confirmed | Registry reported |
The 81 counts all AC 428 Frua cars (coupes, Spiders and special bodies); the Frua registry's 29 counts the Spiders only (Sports Car Market and RM Sotheby's say 30).
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
AC took the coil-spring and wishbone independent suspension of the 427 Cobra, lengthened the wheelbase by six inches and sent the chassis to Pietro Frua in Italy for a luxury body. A convertible prototype was developed by Frua and AC in the summer of 1965 for the Earl's Court show. The resulting car, with styling reminiscent of Frua's Maserati Mistral, was powered by the Ford 428 big-block V8 and remained in small-scale production into the early 1970s.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard 428 (Frua).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Ford 428 big-block V83 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 84 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 7,010 cc / 7.0 LFactory: 428 cu in · converted3 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 250 kW / 340 PSFactory: 335 hp · converted3 Independently researched |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Strengthened Ford C6 three-speed automatic (as fitted to the profiled car)3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | 427 Cobra coil-spring chassis, wheelbase stretched six inches4,5 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Independent, coil springs4 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Independent, coil springs4 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 2,440 mmFactory: 2,440 mm4 Independently researched |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 233 km/hFactory: 145 mph · converted6 Independently researchedSource gives 150 mph for the 4-speed manual version. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| 0–60 mph | 5.4 s6 Independently researched |
| Standing ¼ mile | 14.3 s6 Independently researched |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Genuine cars use the Cobra 427-derived coil-spring chassis with a wheelbase six inches longer than the Cobra, Frua coachwork with very large wheel arches reaching almost to the beltline and minimal chrome, and chassis and engine number plates on the firewall (the profiled Spider is chassis CF14).
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Sports Car Market profile – 1968 AC 428 Spider by Frua Level B
- 81 total built, of which 30 Spiders (convertibles)
-
2
Pietro Frua - AC 428 Spider 1965 Level B Registro Pietro Frua · 2024-06-06
- Bis 1973 wurden 29 AC 428 Spider gebaut
-
3
1968 AC 428 Spider by Frua – profile Level B Sports Car Market
- Ford 428 V8 rated at 335 horsepower
- Ford 428 big-block V8
- rated at 335 horsepower
- strengthened Ford C6 3-speed automatic transmission
-
4
1969 AC 428 Frua Drophead Coupe, London 2011 Level C RM Sotheby's
- overhead valve V-8 engine
- Taking a 427 Cobra chassis, AC stretched it six inches
- independent coil spring front and rear suspension
- Wheelbase: 2,440 mm
-
5
1968 AC 428 Spider by Frua, Monterey 2021 Level C RM Sotheby's
- coil spring-and-wishbone chassis, added six inches
-
6
AC history, part 3: Mk. III 289 and Frua 428 Level C ac2litre.com
- top speed of 145mph (150mph for the 4 speed manual version)
- 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds
- standing quarter mile in 14.3 seconds
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