AKA / Kelly Motors (United States) - AllCarIndex

AKA, also known as Kelly Motors, was an American automotive manufacturer based in Anaheim, California, with operations in Riverside, California. The company was founded by entrepreneur Al Kelly around 1981 and focused on developing a sports car model known as the Kelly Python.

The project began with a leftover body shell from the Ford Bordinat Cobra show car. Stylist McKinley Thompson, who had previously worked on the Cobra project at Ford, was brought in to rework the design to fit a modified chassis based on a shortened Ford Mustang. The intention was to produce a fiberglass body, which was to be manufactured by Pacific Cobra, while final assembly would be conducted by AKA. The sales strategy involved distributing the vehicles through a network of Ford dealers, with an expected price range of $35,000 to $40,000.

Despite the ambitious plans, only three prototypes of the AKA 100, also referred to as the Kelly Python, were completed by 1985. The vehicle, however, did not enter full production, and development continued until at least 1991, when Kelly was still working on the Python.