The Inspiration
Just 26 MkIII 289 Cobras were made before AC collapsed in 1967 and so the enduring popular image of the marque is the Shelby 427 Cobra which became legend after winning class honours at Le Mans in 1965.
Andrew Burrows chose the rare MkIII 289 for his inspiration, not only because he regarded this as the best AC model ever made but also to differentiate his car from the majority of others available at the time. Unlike its more overtly muscular American brother, the 289 was lighter, more agile and aimed very much at the European landscape of narrow, winding roads.
With the first coil spring and wishbone chassis together with the latest lightweight V8, GD created a highly competent road and track car with superb handling. This significant development was the manifestation of the GD philosophy. The first model offered was designated GD Mk3.
The Quality
Gardner Douglas has a reputation for exceptional design, manufacturing and engineering quality. The company was established in 1990 by design engineer Andrew Burrows and within a decade had established an industry first – its GD Mk3 model was the first car of its kind to be submitted and awarded Single Vehicle Approval (SVA). The company is a founding member of both S.T.A.T.U.S. and A.S.C.M., the industry¹s guiding bodies.
In the last 10 years much has been written about the company, its people and its cars. At a time when brand is everything it is reassuring to know that a major part of the GD brand is its reputation for always putting quality first. Quality in everything – attitude, skill, engineering, delivery.
From the outset the company produced premium sports cars for individuals who wanted the very best combination of 60s era design and contemporary handling and performance. Although Andrew Burrows had designed an entirely new car to demonstrate the company¹s engineering prowess, he chose, wisely, to bring these skills to an established marketplace where there was proven demand likely to sustain a fledgling business.
It was, and remains, a market offering an extraordinary range of cars from the crude and dangerous to the highly refined. GD has built its reputation from the top end of this market where nothing is sacrificed in the pursuit of the ultimate classic performance drive. And GD has deliberately avoided the temptation to merely replicate. Rather, the company has always offered its own interpretation “in the style of” to be consistent with the advanced engineering under the skin.
Cars with Soul
At one level all sports cars are just a bunch of components, designed, assembled, tested and then driven or raced. Today the global car brands offer staggering levels of sophistication in all their models. Huge investment in research and marketing goes into these ranges and the whole business model is based on the existence of fierce competition from the other big brands. From the driver¹s perspective there is a bewildering choice of functionality in contemporary production sports cars. But not always to their liking.
Gardner Douglas offers the type of sports cars that re-engage the driver with the real experience of open driving.
Why build a sports car that seems on the face of it to imitate an historic marque from another time? There are many answers. One is that there is an enduring fascination with cars of the 60s era when many driving legends were born. The AC marque, as an example, has a big following around the world and there is a special recognition of that moment in history when British beauty and American muscle came together in one machine to take on Ferrari.
There is a ready market for reproductions of these cars especially as the 60s originals are rare and a very substantial investment today. Another reason is that the AC Cobra had real presence. By today¹s aerodynamic standards it is undeniably crude but walk up to one and its shape speaks to you in a deeply evocative language. Climb into one and you will always feel different, special, individual. These cars have soul.
