Dresden, Germany - The British sports car maker AC Cars is reviving the legendary Cobra Mk VI retaining the basic shape of the 1960s racer, but fitted with a powerful 437 horsepower Corvette engine.

AC has formed a partnership with the east German firm Gullwing, based in Heyda near Dresden, where the car will also be built, according to Germany's auto-motor-sport magazine.

The new vehicle comes with a handmade aluminium body and other lightweight materials that lower the weight to 1,025 kilogrammes. Other features include a limited-slip differential, a high-performance suspension and four-pot Porsche brake callipers linked to vented 13-inch discs in the front and 14-inch discs to the rear.

Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h is in 3.3 seconds. The original Cobra was fitted with Ford engines, but customers now have the choice of the 6.2-litre LS3 Corvette engine in the GT version or the 647 hp engine in the GTS.

The options also include a new hardtop with Gullwing doors that turns the Roadster into a two-seater coupe. The Gullwing doors give wide access to the interior with leather seats and luxury carpeting. Air conditioning is also an option.

No details of the price have been made available so far.