AC's Cobra defined macho in the 1960s and Kevin Hackett reflects on its half century at the top of any petrolhead's wish list.
As I write this, there is a car auction taking place at Monterey, California. At the Portola Hotel, RM Auctions has 60 incredibly rare and valuable cars going under the hammer and a 1965 AC Cobra has just been sold. It has only ever had one (lady) owner and it was offered without a reserve, with its final sale price estimated by RM at US$400,000-$500,000. When the auctioneer's gavel hit the block, it sold for $720,000 (Dh2.64 million). Such is the fascination with the Cobra, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
This highly original example was bought by Flora L Darling - apparently one of life's real go-getters - in May 1965 from Hi-Performance Motors in Los Angeles. When she picked it up, the salesman is said to have remarked, "That's a mighty fast car, ma'am. Who's going to drive it home for you?" To which she looked him in the eye and replied, "I am. Why do you think I bought it, you fool?" With that, she roared away from the showroom and the car remained with her for 47 years. It's safe to say that Carroll Shelby, the man responsible for the Cobra's development and who died this year within just a few weeks of Mrs Darling's own demise, would have loved her.
According to her niece, Debra Redwine, she had served in the US Air Force during the Korean War, before putting herself through college to gain a degree in anthropology and buying a house in 1956. She ran a medical laboratory, was involved in charity relief missions in developing countries, was a competitive shooter and archer, a published author, a poet, a fine-arts painter and an accomplished silversmith. A year after buying her Cobra, she got a pilot's licence and bought her own plane. What a remarkable woman - I would love to have known her.
The Cobra was totally fitting transportation for someone with such an obvious lust for life, and RM Auctions knows this. She hadn't used the car since 1987, when her husband died, and it had remained in her garage under two dusty car covers before being found by her surviving relatives. With rusting wire wheels, cobwebs still attached, the auction house staff wheeled it onto the stage, reasoning that starting it for the first time in almost a quarter of a century should be the privilege of whoever bought it.
The auction sees another Cobra, a later 427 competition model, sell for $1.35m, and one more for $1.2m. The AC Cobra's time is now, of that there is no doubt, and values are only ever going to head in an upward trajectory. But why does this car have such a hold on our imaginations? It's far from pure, being a mishmash of British design and American V8 grunt and, if you see one on the roads of the UAE or anywhere else, your first thought is that it's a replica, a fake snake.
You only have to stand in the presence of a real one, or at least a faithful recreation, to instantly and fully appreciate why the AC Cobra is so admired. Its shape is simple yet brutally macho, reaching into the subconscious mind and taking it prisoner. It ticks all the right boxes for anyone with a love of performance cars and reminds us that cars don't need to be covered with spoilers or have gimmicky doors to stimulate the senses. It seems to be saying, "come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough", and most of us aren't.
The Cobra started out life as the pretty AC Ace, a two-door sports car that was powered by a six-cylinder engine supplied by Bristol. When Bristol announced it was discontinuing that unit to fit big American lumps in its own cars, AC was left with a supply problem, something that came to the attention of one Mr Shelby. In 1942, he was a chicken farmer, bankrupted when his second brood died from disease. But he soon found fame and fortune as a racing driver in the 1950s, even setting speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The story goes that, in 1961, he contacted AC with an idea about fitting the Ace with Ford's new V8 engine. AC said yes and history started to be made.
AC worked on the chassis in its UK factory to handle the extra power of a V8 and the space it needed under the bonnet, before shipping the cars to the US, where the newly formed Shelby American company pieced everything together. In all, it took just six months to create this new car, for which Shelby quite literally dreamed up the name Cobra.
The first model, known as the 260 Mk1, had a production run of 75 cars before being superseded by the 289 Mk2 in 1963. Its power-to-weight ratio was incredible, weighing just 920kg with 271 horses packed under its bonnet, giving it stonking levels of performance for the time. Acceleration from rest to 100kph in 5.7 seconds is impressive, even five decades on. By the time the Mk2 ceased production, 730 Cobras had been built, but Shelby was only just hitting his stride.
Racing success was what Shelby wanted, and the Cobra 289 had delivered that, but the competition was constantly upping the ante. What he needed was even more power, and it came in the mighty, muscular form of the 427 Mk3. Displacing seven litres, its Ford V8 produced 425hp and this meant a significant overhaul was required for practically every component - something that took place remarkably quickly. The body was widened to cover the fatter tyres and new Halibrand magnesium alloy wheels, while the exhaust pipes were fitted down the side of the car, screaming to the world that it was way, way tougher than the rest.
The 427's formidable power was still too much for the chassis. It was - and still is - an untamable beast, entirely deserving of the deadly serpent's name bestowed upon it. Nevertheless, some skilled drivers were able to wring its neck, setting some incredible speeds. The test driver Chris Amon clocked 160kph from rest in 8.8 seconds, and even more impressive was its 0-160-0 time of just 14.5 seconds. It was, by all accounts, the fastest and most extreme road car in the world.
In the end, though, the 427 never made it as a competition car because AC didn't manage to build the 100 required for homologation by the FIA in time. Sales were inexplicably slow, and after 343 Mk3s were built, that was it for the Cobra. It's estimated, however, that there are more than 50,000 replica Cobras in existence, making it the most replicated automobile of all time, by a huge margin. Why?
Like many cars, the Cobra has steadily gained in popularity over the decades. With a total production run of just 1,073, demand for the model soon outstripped availability, so the only way for enthusiasts to live the dream was to build their own. And the Cobra's simplicity of design and construction, along with the plentiful supply of Ford V8 engines, meant that was entirely feasible for those with enough mechanical know-how and space in the garage.
The reputation of the Cobra for wild performance and visceral thrills was partly down to the widely held belief that it was solely responsible for the UK's enforcement of a 70mph (112.6kph) speed limit. What actually happened was that AC, being just a couple of weeks from entering its re-bodied and re-engineered Cobra Coupé at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1964, thought it best to see what top speed it was capable of achieving. So the racing driver Jack Sears took one for a run on the M1 motorway in England.
This was not unusual for manufacturers back then, at a time when the country's motorways were practically empty. Sears reached what he thought was the car's terminal speed, went back to base and told the engineers what revs he'd pulled. The boffins worked out, from the axle ratio, size of tyres, etc, that he had hit 185mph (298kph). Sears' co-driver, Peter Bolton, repeated the exercise and hit the same speed, all taking place before 5am.
By lunchtime the same day, Sears was contacted by a journalist for the Sunday Times, who'd heard from the nephew of AC's then boss, Derek Hurlock, about the high-speed antics. The paper ran the story, it hit the headlines and the press went into meltdown, decrying the test run as an irresponsible stunt; an example of how Britain had decayed.
Shortly after this, the 70mph limit was enforced, but the truth of the matter was that the government had been planning the limit long before most people had even heard of AC or its Cobra. But, as the saying goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity, and the story only added to the Cobra's legend.
AC eventually went bust and the name has been passed from pillar to post over the decades, with various attempts made to restart Cobra production.
The resulting cars can, unusually, be viewed as originals, and the standards of construction are light years ahead of the models built in the 1960s. The Mk4, built between 1983 and 1996, was superb in almost every respect, but the state of the world economy (sounds familiar) put paid to any long-term success.
The company lives on, known as AC Heritage, still making 289 and 427 model Cobras, using the original 1960s factory tooling, with tubular chassis that bestow upon them period correctness and a direct bloodline. These "Continuation" models cannot be named Cobras, though, because of a legal objection by Shelby, but that doesn't mean they're not the real thing and they represent sound investments for the future.
In these days of faltering economies and nanny-state interference on almost every level of life, the raw, uncompromising AC Cobra represents a halcyon time of carefree existences, when humans were able to push limits to their often illogical conclusions without fear of retribution. It's a car that will never date and, 50 years after Shelby built the first one, it remains more deeply desirable than ever. This snake, whether real or fake, will never become extinct. Happy birthday, Cobra, we're glad you haven't lost your fangs.
khackett@thenational.ae
ORDER OF PLAY ON SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - 4pm (UAE)
Gael Monfils (15) v Kyle Edmund
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Magdalena Rybarikova
Dusan Lajovic v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 - 4pm
Adam Pavlasek v Novak Djokovic (2)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Gilles Simon
Angelique Kerber (1) v Kirsten Flipkens
Court 2 - 2.30pm
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Marcos Baghdatis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Christina McHale
Milos Raonic (6) v Mikhail Youzhny
Tsvetana Pironkova v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
- 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
- 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
- 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
Fourth-round clashes for British players
- Andy Murray (1) v Benoit Paire, Centre Court (not before 4pm)
- Johanna Konta (6) v Caroline Garcia (21), Court 1 (4pm)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Joe Root's Test record
Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
RIDE%20ON
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Larry%20Yang%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Jackie%20Chan%2C%20Liu%20Haocun%2C%20Kevin%20Guo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
WIDE%20VIEW
%3Cp%3EThe%20benefits%20of%20HoloLens%202%2C%20according%20to%20Microsoft%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EManufacturing%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Reduces%20downtime%20and%20speeds%20up%20onboarding%20and%20upskilling%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngineering%20and%20construction%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Accelerates%20the%20pace%20of%20construction%20and%20mitigates%20risks%20earlier%20in%20the%20construction%20cycle%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHealth%20care%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Enhances%20the%20delivery%20of%20patient%20treatment%20at%20the%20point%20of%20care%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEducation%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Improves%20student%20outcomes%20and%20teaches%20from%20anywhere%20with%20experiential%20learning%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
