Gardner Douglas is a British low volume sports car manufacturer, based in

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

, Lincolnshire, England. Their models include replicas of the

AC Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the Unite ...

and the Lola T70.

History and development

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.

GD Mk3

Based on the AC Mk.3 289, the Mk.3 comes with two chassis options. The first utilises refurbished Jaguar suspension whereas the second "Euro" option uses bespoke racing suspension, with double wishbone coilover suspension and cast alloy uprights. The chassis is a steel triangulated backbone type with a GRP semi-monocoque body mounted on top. It's available as a factory built car or in component form for self-assembly.

GD Mk4

Demand for AC Cobra 427 replicas saw the launch of the Mk.IV. With the same proven chassis, the Mk.IV enables owners to specify sidepipes which were difficult to fit on the earlier model. Component form for self-assembly is available and allows many types of engine to be fitted including Rover, Ford and Chevrolet small block V8's. As of 2003, the standard factory fitted engine is the GM LS series V8 with five and six speed transmissions options.e

GD T70 Spyder

Based on the iconic Lola T70 from the 1960s. The chassis differs from the mk3 and mk4, it being a fully triangulated tubular

spaceframe In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame or space structure ( 3D truss) is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with ...

with alloy and GRP composite panels. The transmission is borrowed from Porsche and factory engine options are from the GM LS series of V8's, from 450bhp up to 700bhp.

GD T70 Moda

The Moda is similar to the T70 Spyder but comes with better weather protection in the form of a modular roof system. It's available as a factory built car or in component form for self-assembly.

GD 350

The 350 has the standard GD backbone chassis with a body shape loosely based on the AC Cobra. The car is limited to 50 units and is sold as a limited edition.

External links

Gardner Douglas Sports Cars
Motor vehicle manufacturers of England Sports car manufacturers Companies based in Grantham