AC Cobra Crashes at Goodwood, Footage Is Extremely Painful [Updated]

Of course, you can't bet on the risk-related benefits of such a game without expecting an actual accident every now and then. Alas, the 2016 edition of the event, which is taking place this weekend, has just seen a painfully rare AC Cobra Le Mans Coupe involved in a serious crash.

It all happened earlier today, with the hardtop-wearing Cobra, one of nine ever built, racing as part of the Graham Hill trophy, one of the event's highlights.

The Shelby machine was driven by Karsten Le Blanc, who has been putting the racecar through its paces at various events for quite some time now. A top exec in the banking world, Le Blanc is a well-known gentleman driver, having taken part in all sorts of competitions. While the Dutch driver is usually present at classic car events, he has also taken part in modern vehicle motorsport, for instance driving a prototype racer in the British Endurance Championship.

The driver is seen locking the brakes on a deceleration area just before a bend, and although he takes his foot off the brake just before entering the grass, he once again locks them on the green zone. This caused the Cobra to lose its steering abilities, with the car plowing straight into the tyre wall.

It's enough to notice how far the racecar bounced off to understand the severity of the impact. And while Le Blanc has reportedly walked away from the impact, his machine has suffered serious damage.

Knowing how the AC Cobra's Le Mans Coupe version came to be only makes things even more painful. Back in 1962, Carroll Shelby's idea of mixing a lightweight AC chassis with a Ford small block worked brilliantly on the road. However, when the AC Cobra hit the track in 1963, it became obvious that its top speed, a key component of winning on circuits such as Le Mans, was limited by its aerodynamics.

Before the more streamlined Cobra Daytona Coupe was born for the 1964 season, a quick solution came in the form of the 1963-fielded Cobra Le Mans Coupe. This was basically a racing-spec Cobra with a hardtop and a few other small mods.

Out of the three racecars built, only two entered the Le Mans race, but one was disqualified early in the event. Nevertheless, the remaining vehicle took a respectable seventh place overall, while finishing third in the GT class. As a result, six extra racecars were built after the Circuit de la Sarthe fight, which were sold to private teams. Here's to hoping the one you'll see crashing below returns to the track soon.

Update: As one of our readers noticed (helmet tip to racefan), this is not a Le Mans Coupe, but a 1963 Cobra with a hardtop fitted later on in its life - and yet the story remains just as sad.