When first getting interested in Cobra kits, which lay dormant as these things do from my teenage years, it soon became clear the Hawk option was the best choice in the market.

Having visited Gerry Hawkridge at his fantastic maze of buildings full of cars I was sold on the idea, it became just a matter of time raising the money!

But which one of the options would I go for? In my teenage thirst for speed and power it was always the latter 427 Cobras, but now in middle age I much prefer the clean unaffected looks of the original 289 where it maintains the beauty of the AC design but adds the muscle of the V8.

That was before I saw the FIA up close! It was the first really successful race car, with slightly wider rear arches and modified door allowing for larger rear rubber. For me it is the perfect balance of the AC beauty and the race preparation these cars had in the 60s. So The FIA version it is!

It also means the handling is somewhat improved so the odd track day becomes more fun!