The AC Cobra GT Coupe is the first mass-produced snake-shaped sports car.

The AC Cobra has been offered with a variety of different engines, radically different fender widths, and even a carbon fiber body during its 62-year production run, but incredibly, the new Cobra GT Coupe is the first true AC Cobra to feature a coupe body.

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Essentially a closed-roof version of the new Cobra GT Roadster, the Coupe is a radical attempt to update an iconic model in a Morgan-like manner, using a modern aluminum chassis and technology while retaining the classic silhouette. The Coupe is offered as a track-only Clubsport edition with a 799 hp (810 PS) supercharged V8 engine and is limited to just 99 units.

Related: AC Cars unveils modern Cobra GT roadster, blending classic appeal with 654 horsepower

The series-production GT coupe, with a choice of a naturally aspirated 450 hp (456 PS) V8 or a 720 hp (730 PS) supercharged V8, will start at £325,000 ($417,000) plus taxes. Each car will be built in AC’s UK workshop and feature a carbon fiber body that is longer than the original Cobra to make it more comfortable and user-friendly for modern drivers.

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It’s no secret that Carroll Shelby and Peter Brock built a fastback Daytona Cobra in 1964 to improve Le Mans convertible speed, but AC says the GT Coupe was inspired by AC’s own conceptually similar but far less famous A98 coupe that debuted earlier that year.

Both cars feature the Kammtail design, which the new GT also adopts, but unlike the A98 and Daytona, which combined the slash rear treatment with a new front end to block the wind, the new Coupe retains the classic cobra front end with two round headlights.

Shelby’s Daytona didn’t compete in the 1964 Le Mans race because it wasn’t completed in time, but the A98 did. Unfortunately, it suffered a tire blowout, which resulted in a crash. But the A98 is more famous for allegedly setting the 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limit on Britain’s new motorway network.

AC used the M1 motorway to test the top speed of its Le Mans cars before the race, reaching 185 mph (298 km/h) in testing, and although no laws were broken as there was no speed limit, the story attracted media attention. Jack Sears, a driver at the time, told car In an interview, the British government’s decision to introduce a temporary 70 mph speed limit in 1965 and make it permanent in 1967 had nothing to do with this, but we may never know for sure.