The Python is a relatively unknown make of car. It originally started in the early 1970s when Ford contracted a designer named Borgianelli to design a successor to the AC Cobra

AC Cobra

The AC Cobra, also known colloquially as the Shelby Cobra in North America, is an Anglo-American sports car that was produced during the 1960s.-History and development:...

. The mold

Molding (process)

Molding or moulding is the process of manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a pattern....

 was created by BF Goodrich in the late 70's, but due to the increase in gasoline prices at the time, Ford discontinued development of the model.

In the 1980s, Alvin A. Kelly bought the mold, and started a company (A.K. Automotive, DBA Kelly Motors) to build and sell these cars as high performance sports car

Sports car

A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....

s. The car was advertised as "An Original two seater luxury convertible

Convertible

A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...

 supercar

Supercar

Supercar is a term used most often to describe an expensive high end car. It has been defined specifically as "a very expensive, fast or powerful car"...

". The company started out in Riverside, California

Riverside, California

Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...

, but shortly moved to Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...

.

Unfortunately, due to financial issues, the company ceased production after making fewer than 20 cars. At this point in time, there are fewer than 12 left in existence.

This car is often confused with the Cobra replica company 'Python

Python (automobile maker)

Python is a Cobra replica company founded by George Vidovic in Melbourne, Australia, in 1981. This company has no relation to the Python automobile created in the 1980s by Kelly Motors at Riverside, California and later at Fort Collins, Colorado....

', started by George Vidovic in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Australia, in 1981.