The UK's AC Cars have announced it will reveal its new Cobra GT model in April and that it will be built at its new headquarters in Donington. If the words are scratching in your brain and linking the word 'Shelby,' that's because the original AC Cobra was what became the Shelby Cobra.

While Shelby was doing crazy things to the AC Cobra and then the Ford Mustang, AC continued building the car, then other luxury sports models up until the 1980s before going radio silent. To cut a long story extremely short, the name has hung around, but it hasn't been until recently that AC announced a proper return.

The new Cobra GT Roadster is a result of assembling a team of world-class engineers and the return comes as an exclusive high-performance roadster built (previewed above and below) in the UK using modern competition-derived engineering. It's an all-new car but, as you can see, it does everything it can to evoke the original even though it uses none of the original parts.

The result, AC Claims, is a timeless car featuring the latest materials and technology like the "augmentation of analog instruments with Digital Glass displays" while keeping things old school with hand-finished unique elements to the interior. And that's before getting to the power figures.

The new Cobra GT Roadster makes 645 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque from a V8. The total weight comes to 3,307 pounds even with electric windows, climate control, and a fully-fledged infotainment system. That's definitely something Carroll Shelby would nod his head in approval about. AC promises a full list of features and options at launch.

"The design challenge was a delicate one: to bring the AC Cobra back into a century of technology and advanced ergonomics, yet with a natural evolution that would not betray the car's past," says Samuel Chuffart, the Global Design Director of Icona Group. "The finished roadster catches up on more than 50 years of progress, to offer a truly Iconic everyday supercar with unmatched power and glamour."