In 1963, Carroll Shelby's new Cobra had established its supremacy on the short road courses of America, but Shelby and Ford shared a more ambitious goal: to beat Ferrari on the world stage and became the first American team to win the coveted F.I.A. (Federation Internationale de Automobile) World Manufacturers Championship for GT cars.
An experimental coupe body, designed by Peter Brock, was built on an existing Cobra chassis, immediately increasing the top speed by 25 mph. The new car won the GT class at its first race, the Daytona Continental, Team Shelby narrowly missed winning the 1964 Championship. By 1965, they were not to be denied and, on July 4th, 1965, Bob Bondurant drove this Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, CSX2601, across the finish line at the 12 Heures du Reims in France to secure the F.I.A. Championship.
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