Shelby Cars Launches 60th Anniversary Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
Each Championship edition car will include Peter Brock’s signature on the glovebox & a Carroll Shelby autograph...
Shelby Legendary Cars is launching a limited series of cars honoring the 60th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe that earned the USA’s only FIA World Championship. Unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the 10 “World Championship” cars are a street version of the famous fastback that won Le Mans in 1964 and wrestled the world championship from Ferrari in 1965.
“Peter Brock worked with Shelby American race director Ken Miles to turn the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe into a race winner,” said Lance Stander, CEO of Shelby Legendary Cars and Superformance. “We worked with Peter Brock to develop a street version like the handful of GT40’s made available to the public in the 1960s. We focused on making the interior comfortable for long drives. Every component was refined to give the car a smooth ride, from the suspension to the brakes.”
Only six original Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes were built in the mid-1960s, making the racecar one of the most coveted in the world. Worth millions of dollars each, ownership is almost impossible. In 1999, Peter Brock had the opportunity to refine the lines of his original design to create the Daytona Cobra Coupe series, which is built by Superformance.
“Shelby American took the loophole Ferrari found in the FIA rules to use a special, aerodynamic body and applied it to the existing Shelby Cobra roadster,” said Brock. “By rebodying the existing 289, we did not have to build any roadgoing versions. It’s exciting to see how well the original design has stood the test of time and is still so admired.”
The freshly unveiled Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is an evolution of Brock’s 1964 design that beat Ferrari. It is true to the spirit of the original 1960s era Coupe, but ‘reimagined’ as if the car had remained in production over the years. The car has a “front mid-engine” and rear-wheel drive layout. Air conditioning and other modern amenities round out the car’s evolution. All Daytona Coupes are built as a Shelby and receive a Shelby CSX9000 serial number.
Each of the Championship edition cars will include Peter Brock’s signature on the glovebox, along with a commemorative Carroll Shelby autograph. Hard surfaces are swathed in buttery soft leather and Alcantara. The anniversary logo will be on the custom Stewart Warner gauges and will be embroidered on the seats.
Like all Shelby Daytona Coupes, the World Championship edition is offered minus its engine and running gear for completion by a Shelby Legendary Cars dealer. There are several Ford engine options and buyers can choose between a five- or six-speed transmission.
