1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona

The Shelby Daytona Coupe is perched at the pinnacle of the Cobra legacy and reins as one of the most successful and beautiful GT coupes ever created. Its legacy is intertwined with Carroll Shelby, one of the most successful American sports car drivers of his era, with Sports Illustrated naming him their 'Sports Car Driver of the Year' for 1956. He won three national championships and set many records during his eight-year career, including winning 19 straight races. The highlight of his racing career was winning the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1959, co-driving an Aston Martin DBR1 with Englishman Roy Salvadori.

After retiring from driving in October 1960 for health reasons, he pursued his dream of manufacturing his own sports car. Several years earlier, in 1957, he arranged for three Corvette chassis to be sent to Scaglietti in Italy for a new prototype sports car he was planning. The project was eventually canceled by GM, but it whet his appetite to pursue the concept of building his own car, utilizing light and powerful American V8 engines.

The Shelby Cobra

In 1961, an opportunity arose when the Bristol Aeroplane Company stopped building automobile engines, and the sales of the Ford Zephyr engine were declining in September 1961. Charles Hurlock of AC agreed to supply Shelby with the chassis on credit and Dave Evans of Ford Motor Company provided the 221 cubic-inch and 260 cubic-inch V8 engines with transmission - also on credit. The union of the AC chassis and Ford engine birthed CSX0001 (Carroll Shelby Experimental), marketed as the Shelby AC Cobra, then AC Cobra, and eventually, the Ford Cobra. Power was initially from the 260 cubic-inch engine, followed by a Windsor Ford 289 CID V8, and then the 427 CID V8. The Shelby Cobra had a 90-inch wheelbase, was 151.5 inches long, had a width of 61 inches, and stood 49 inches tall. The Mark III with the 427 engine rested on a new chassis comprised of 4-inch main tubes and the previous leaf springs suspension was replaced by coil springs. They had a larger radiator opening and wider fenders.

The AC Cobra enjoyed a successful racing career on American racing tracks in SCCA Sports Racing Class and the U.S. Road Racing Championship. In Europe, further development was needed to successfully compete in the GT category, especially against such tenured marques like Ferrari, especially on high-speed circuits such as Le Mans, with its legendary Mulsanne Straight. To that end, the development of the Shelby Daytona Coupe began.

Although the roadster version of the Cobra was highly developed and sophisticated, it would take a team of talented engineers and designers to maximize the vehicle's potential. Its main Achilles Heel was its aerodynamic properties and lack of stability at speed. This was not an issue on American short tracks, but its lack of aerodynamic efficiency was detrimental on the long straights of European tracks. Ample time and financing were in short supply, so the team had to rely on youthful optimism, creativity, and trackside experience. Along with Carroll Shelby, the team consisted of British racer Ken Miles, a young designer named Peter Brock, and engineers Dave MacDonald, John Collins, Bob Negstad, Phil Remington, and John Ohlsen.

An enclosed version of the roadster was explored, but more was needed to contest the refined GT racers from Europe.

Peter Brock

Peter Elbert Brock enrolled at Stanford University in the engineering department but later dropped out to attend what was then called the Art Center School (later known as the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California). While attending Art Center School, he was hired by General Motors' GM Styling design department and eventually created sketches that would ultimately become the basis for the design of the next Corvette, the Corvette Stingray. The production Sting Ray was introduced in 1963, approximately four years after Brock had left GM.

In 1961, Brock was hired by Carroll Shelby to run the Carroll Shelby School of High-Performance Driving. He was the company's first paid employee and would remain with the company until the end of the 1965 season. During that time, he performed a myriad of tasks including creating logos, car liveries, ads, and merchandise. Additionally, he created designs for Shelby Mustang GT350 components and designed race cars for Shelby that included the Nethercutt Mirage, Lang Cooper, DeTomaso P70, and the Shelby Daytona Cobra.

At the close of 1965, Brock started his own design firm and motor racing team, Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE).

Shelby Cobra Daytona Design

Aviation inspired the design themes of the 1950s and 1960s, with rounded and curvaceous bodylines, teardrop shapes, and gently sloping windscreens. The design sketches penned by Brock went a step further with the addition of a Kamm-tail rear end, a long and lowered hood line, a compact interior with doors ending just inches away from the rear tire, and a low overall stance. With approval from Shelby, Miles, and Ohlsen, a wooden buck was created using Skip Hudon's crashed Cobra (CSX2014). The rolling chassis was sent to Cal Metal Shaping to be clothed in aluminum coachwork.

CSX 2287

Chassis number CSX 2287 was the first of six Daytona Coupes produced. It was the only one built in California as the other five examples were constructed in Modena by Carrozzeria Gransport. Ken Miles tested CSX2287 at Riverside where it proved faster than the King Cobra, traversing the short track nearly four seconds faster than the roadster. The vehicle's ultimate test and proof of concept would occur a few weeks later at the Daytona International Speedway during the Continental 200km race. Driver Dave MacDonald, joined by driver Bob Holbert, set a new track record during practice and qualified the car on the grid. During the race, the car completed 209 laps before catching fire during a pit stop. After the race, the car was repaired in preparation for the upcoming 12 Hours of Sebring. As the checkered flag fell at Sebring, the Cobra Daytona Coupe had won its class and placed 4th overall, behind Ferrari prototypes, but outpacing the Ferrari 250 GTO entered by the North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.).

CSX2287 was later entered at the 1964 LeMans race but was disqualified. Before its racing career came to a close, it established 25 different speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats where it was driven by Craig Breedlove. Drivers who piloted the car during its racing career included Tom Payne, Bob Johnson, Phil Hill, Jochen Neerpasch, Jo Schlesser, Innes Ireland, Chris Amon, André Simon, and Maurice Dupeyron.

The car was sold to Jim Russell in 1966, who later sold it to Phil Spector. In 2001, it was discovered in a barn of Donna O'Hara who had inherited the car from her father, George Band. Mr. Band was Spector's bodyguard who had acquired the car in the 1970s for $1,000.

After Donna O'Hara passed away, and following a lengthy legal battle for ownership, the car was purchased by Dr. Fred Simeone and put on display in the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.

CSX 2286

Chassis number CSX 2286 was given a chassis that was three inches longer than its siblings, in preparation for housing an all-aluminum 427 V8 engine. It was Carroll Shelby's hope that the aerodynamic body coupled with the lightweight and powerful Ford V8 would propel the Daytona to speeds in excess of 200 MPH. Since this potent combination would put it in direct competition with Ford's GT40 project, the request for the engine was denied. Instead, a 390 CID V8 was sourced and installed in the engine bay by Ohlsen in Italy. The car was not completed in time to compete at the 1964 24 Hours of LeMans, so Shelby fabricated a story stating that the car had been damaged while en route to France.

Shelby planned on having the car ready for Monza, the last race of the season, but that never happened. The car returned to the United States in an unfinished condition and eventually fitted with a 289 V8 engine in regular wheelbase configuration. The car returned to Europe in 1965 where it was driven by Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant at LeMans, but issues with the clutch forced early retirement. This happened during the 15th hour after it had been running as high as 3rd overall and had set a GT lap record. After the 1965 season, 2286 was used in the 'Cobra Caravan' which traveled across the country to publicize Ford's racing successes.

CSX 2299

Although chassis number CSX 2286 did not contest the 1964 24 Hour of LeMans, Shelby entered CSX 2299 with John Ohlsen managing the team, and drivers including Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant. It was the second coupe built, the first to wear Italian coachwork, and during its racing career, would complete in a total of ten FIA events in 1964 and 1965. It scored a debut class victor at LeMans in1 964, followed two months later by Dan Gurney earning a GT victory at Goodwood. Early in 1965, victories at the Daytona 2000 km and Sebring 12 Hours were also added to the car's history. It returned to LeMans in 1965 where it earned another class victory, this time driven by Jack Sears and Dick Thompson.

The car was later owned by Larry H. Miller and currently resides at the Miller Motorsports Park museum in Tooele, Utah.

CSX 2300

Bob Bondurant and Jochen Neerpasch drove chassis number CSX 2300 at the 1964 Tour de France. It performed admirably during the opening rounds but suffered problems on the second day of the race. It was forced to retire during Day 3 of the race, ultimately allowing Ferrari to finish the 1964 GT Championship season with 84.6 points over Shelby's 78.3 points.

The car returned in 1965 to contest the World Sports Championship, arriving at the 1000km of Nürburgring under the Ford of France banner (leased from Alan Mann - Ford's European factory outlet) wearing white with a French tricolor flag running through the middle. At the helm were drivers André Simon and Jo Schlesser who finished 3rd in the GT III category and 12th overall. After the race, the car returned to Alan Mann Racing where it was re-painted in the traditional guardsman blue metallic color and white stripes of the 1965 Shelby American team. The Nurburgring was the only time it wore the white livery.

The final outing for CSX 2300 was at Reims 12 Hours where it placed second in class and ninth overall, driven by Jack Sears and John Whitmore for Alan Mann Racing.

The car spent several years in Japan before it was re-acquired by Carroll Shelby for his personal collection. In 2000, it was sold at auction and now is in the care of a German enthusiast.

CSX 2601

Chassis number CSX 2601 competed in eight races during the 1965 season, with accolades including a GT class victory at the Nurburgring 1000 km piloted by Bob Bondurant and Jochen Neerpasch. Bob Bondurant and Jo Schlesser won the 12 Heures du Reims in France, securing Shelby with the F.I.A. Championship.

CSX 2601 was owned by Bob Bondurant until 1969. After passing through several caretakers, the car was sold at Mecum's Monterey auction in 2009 for the sum of $7.25 million, earning it the title of being the most expensive American car ever sold at auction. The winning bidders were members of the Argentinian Perez Companc family.

Chassis CSX 2602

Chassis number CSX 2602 was the final Cobra Daytona constructed. It was loaned to Scuderia Filipinetti for the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans and driven by Peter Sutcliffe and Peter Harper. The car did not finish the race.

In total, CSX 2602 raced in five events and helped secure the necessary points for Shelby to capture the FIA Championship over Ferrari.

Chassis number CSX 2602 currently resides in Japan.

The Accomplishments of the Shelby Cobra Daytona

During its inaugural racing season in 1964, the Shelby Cobra Daytona nearly dethroned Ferrari for the GT championships victory. Despite the minimal preparation, limited resources, and skeleton crew, the Shelby Cobra Daytona was able to compete amongst Europe's greatest and seasons teams, besting them in 1965. The accomplishments are made even more impressive when considering Shelby American's commitment to the Cobra roadster program (including SCCA, NHRA, and auto-cross competition), their involvement with the GT40 program, and the Shelby Mustang.

by Dan Vaughan

Chassis number: CSB 3054

This car is a result of a secret project undertaken by Pete Brock, the Shelby American director of special projects. After designing the 289 Cobra Daytona Coupe, Mr Brock then designed this car as a coupe version of the 427 Competition Cobra. It was designated the Type 65 Coupe and came to be known as the 427 Daytona Super Coupe or, in short, the Super Coupe.

Originally started only as a 427 chassis and completed on 3/13/65, it was shipped to Slough, England for construction of a coupe body by Radford Coachbuilders. This project was canceled before fully completed. It was shipped back to Shelby American in late 1965 and stored at the Shelby facility in unfinished condition.

The car was sold by Shelby American and after several owners, Craig Sutherland had Mike Dopudja of Englewood, Colorado complete it in 1980 with consultation by Pete Brock. During this time the car was test driven by a number of people including Dick Smith, Bob Bondurant, Brian Redman, Mike Dopudja and Bob Hindson.

The completed Super Coupe was unveiled at the Riverside vintage races in April of 1981. It was then vintage raced for a number of years with Dick Smith as the primary driver.

After being sold again in 1987 the Super Coupe then underwent a major group up mechanical and cosmetic restoration over a period of years.

The Super Coupe is the only 427 Competition Cobra Coupe. Aimed at international endurance racing, it would have been a formidable competitor at Daytona and Le Mans.

Coupe
Chassis number: CSX 2286

Even though 2286 is the lowest chassis number of the six Daytona Coupes built, it was the last Coupe completed.

It was originally intended to place a 390 cubic-inch alloy V8 in 2286, so during construction at Carrozzeria Gransport in Modena, Italy, the body and frame were stretched to accommodate the big-block motor. These modifications caused a delay in the completion of this coupe.

2286 was ready for the 1964 LeMans race, but was badly damaged when the truck transporting it from Italy to LeMans was involved in a crash.

During the winter of 1964-1965, Shelby's organization began to focus on the GT40 program and started to experiment with a 427 cubic-inch V8 in the mid-engine GT40. It soon became obvious that a big-block front-engined Cobra Coupe was not the way to go, so 2286 was converted back to standard frame and body lengths and a 289 cubic-inch motor was installed for the 1965 season. In this form, 2286 was raced only once by Shelby-American.

2286 was raced at the 1965 LeMans 24 Hours driven by Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant. During the 15th hour, running as high as 3rd overall and having set a GT lap record, the car experienced clutch failure and left the race prematurely.

After the 1965 season, 2286 was used in the 'Cobra Caravan' which traveled across the country to publicize Ford's racing successes.

- One of six coupes and the last constructed, as this chassis was used as a template

- Ran as high as 3rd overall at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans before retiring after 15 hours due to clutch failure

- During the race, this car set the fastest time in the GT class at 3 minutes 48 seconds

Drivers:

- Dan Gurney

- Jerry Grant

Coupe
Chassis number: CSX 2287

There were only six of these iconic race cars ever created. They achieved many important victories thanks, in part, to their streamlined design, power, and reliability. They beat the legendary Ferrari GTOs to win the 1964 and 1965 World Championship of Makes. At Bonneville, this car set numerous speed records.

This Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe has chassis number CSX 2287. It set records at Bonneville on November 4th of 1965. It traveled 1931 miles in 12 hours and did-so at 150 miles per hour. It set a total of 23 World Stock Car Speed and Endurance Records. It even broke records that had been set in 1936 by the Bugatti Type 57G 'Tank'.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: CSX 2601

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.

Coupe
Chassis number: CSX 2602

The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, based on the original AC Cobra roadster chassis, was built specifically to compete against the Ferrari 250 GTO. Six Daytona Coupes were built between 1964 and 1965 and Carroll Shelby became the first American constructor to win the FIA World Sportscar Championship in 1965. The first prototype was built entirely at the Shelby American race shop in Venice, California and the rest were completed at Carrozzeria Gransport in Modena, Italy.

This is the fifth coupe built and it competed in six races at Daytona, Sebring, Monza, Spa, Nurburgring and Le Mans and its drivers included Phil Hill, Jack Sears and John Whitmore. The car was painted blue with white stripes for most of its career and raced by the Shelby Team in the USA and by Allan Mann Racing in Europe except at Le Mans when it ran in the distinctive red and white livery of Scuderia Filipinetti. Georges Filipinetti entered the car under his own name and it was driven by Peter Sutcliffe and Peter Harper until the 10th hour when a blown engine put them out of the race. After Le Mans, the car was returned to Alan Mann Racing and repainted in the Shelby American team colors and never raced again.

Carroll Shelby scored a victory for Aston Martin at the grueling 24 Hours of LeMans in 1959. Soon after, he was struck by heart problems and forced to retire from the driver's seat. This freed up time to pursue his other passion, building the world's fastest sports car. That dream would be realized years later, adopting a powerful Ford engine into a nimble, British sports car. The car was named the Cobra.

John Tojeiro had designed and produced a small sports car that he sold under the name of AC Ace. The cars had a tubular chassis and powered by Bristol 2-liter six-cylinder engines. With its lightweight body and good handling characteristics, it was an ideal vehicle for racing. Many of the owners entered the Ace in competition and enjoyed moderate success.

When Bristol announced they would no longer offer the engine, Tojeiro was left without a power plant to propel his cars. As a result, the end of AC Ace production was announced. When Shelby found out about this, he contacted Tojeiro and convinced him to continue production by outfitting the cars with Ford Fairlane engines. Shelby traveled to the UK to supervise the construction of the prototype chassis. The main problem with the engine was the high amounts of torque produced. The engine produced almost twice as much power as the engine it was replacing and yet it weighed less. The rear end was modified to handle this increase in power. After thorough testing and fine-tuning, 100 examples were ordered.

Right around the same time, General Motors was getting ready to introduce the Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray. In 1962 the Shelby Cobra and the Stingray made their debut at the Riverside 3-Hour race. During qualifying, Shelby Cobra himself drove one of the newly created Cobra's, beating the Stingray's best time by over four seconds. During the race, Bill Krause was leading the competition by more than 30 seconds when he was forced to retire due to mechanical difficulties. The Sting Ray went on to win the race.

For the following season, Shelby took part in the first US manufactures' championship which he easily dominated. His Shelby Cobra's went on to secure 111 points by winning six out of the seven races. Ferrari had accumulated 28 points and Chevrolet amassed only 19. The Cobra had proven it was a very capable machine. Shelby turned his sights to international competition.

Ferrari was the ruling force for GT cars in the FIA World Championship Series. Their powerful engines and carefully crafted vehicles were suitable for the high-speed tracks where most of the races were held. The Shelby Cobra, too, was a fast car but was at a disadvantage on these types of tracks due to the design of the body. As a result, the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe was born.

The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe was created by Pete Brock who was given permission by Shelby to re-body a 289 Cobra in a closed-cockpit configuration. It was hand fabricated out of aluminum over wooden cross-section templates. The back of the vehicle featured a chopped-off Kamm-back tail and devoid of any spoiler. The main purpose of this endeavor was to improve aerodynamics. A test run in October of 1963 proved that the Daytona Coupe had a lower center of gravity, less drag, and a higher top speed by about 20 mph. Its racing debut was at Daytona and thus, the derivative of its name. For the first half of the race the Daytona dominated but fire in the pits forced the team to retire prematurely. A visit to the 12 Hours of Sebring gave the Cobra Daytona its first racing victory where it finished first in the GT class and third overall. Up to this point, only one car had been created, CSX 2287. By the Le Man's race, two examples had been created, CSX 2287 and CSX 2299. Eventually, a total of six examples would be constructed. Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant drove the Daytona Coupe to a GT class win at LeMans and finished fourth overall.

Ferrari went on to capture the manufacturer's title, though only by the slightest of margins. The Shelby team missed the World Manufacturers Championship by just a few points. The Daytona Coupe probably would have won the title if the Italian Monza race had not been canceled. By this point, four Daytona Coupes were ready for competition. Throughout the season, the Daytona Coupes had led the Ferrari's in most of the races. Mechanical difficulties were often the only factor that allowed the Ferrari's to beat the Daytona Coupes. By fielding four racers, the success of the Daytona Coupe was almost certainly guaranteed had the race not been canceled. In 1965 Ferrari did not compete in the GT World Championship. They were unable to field a legal replacement for the 250 GTO.

For the 1965 season, the Daytona Coupes won eight of the eleven races. They repeated their victory's in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965. Rule changes at the end of the season made the Cobra Daytona Coupes obsolete. The Lola-based Ford GT40 program was progressing with much success. The decision was made to shift resources over to the Ford GT40 program. At the close of the season, the Coupes were left with Alan Mann in England but tax fines forced the cars to be shipped back to Shelby in the United States. It took years to sell the racers but eventually, they were sold. Two of them reside in the Shelby American Collection museum in Boulder, Colorado. In modern times, their demanding price for one of these rare vehicles is estimated to be in the millions.

by Dan Vaughan

The formula for the success of the Cobra came through a man named Carroll Shelby adapting a powerful Ford engine into a nimble, British sports car.

A.C. Cars of Thames Ditton in Surrey, England had been producing the Ace since 1954. It was designed by John Tojeiro and featured an independent suspension by transverse leaf springs. The tubular frame body of the vehicle took its styling cues from Ferrari. The original engine used in the Ace was a 1991 cc, over-head-cam engine designed by John Weller, the founder of AC, in the 1920s. In 1956, an optional Bristol engine became available. This was a BMW derived, 1971 cc six-cylinder engine that was capable of producing 125 horsepower. With the Bristol engine, the Ace captured many victories on the race tracks around the world. It even won the SCCA Class E championship three years in a row.

In 1959, Bristol ceased its six-cylinder engine production. When Bristol stopped supplying A.C. with the engine, the production of the Ace ceased. Carroll Shelby quickly negotiated a deal where A.C. would supply him with the chassis. Now all Shelby needed was an appropriate engine. In 1961, Ford introduced the 221 cubic-inch small-block engine. This was a new lightweight, thin wall-cast, V8 engine that produced 164 horsepower. Shelby approached Ford about the use of the engine for the 2-seat sports car. Ford agrees.

In February of 1962, a 260 HiPo engine and Borg-Warner four-speed manual gearbox was fitted into the aluminum-bodied Cobras. The AC Shelby Ford Cobra was complete.

In April of 1962, the first Cobra with chassis CSX 2000 was painted yellow and shipped to the New York Auto Show where it appeared on the Ford display. The vehicle was an instant success and attracted much attention. Orders came faster than Shelby could build. The prototype CSX 2000 was continuously being repainted for magazine reviews. The purpose was to create an illusion that more Cobras existed.

In 1963 the engine size increased to 289 cubic-inches. Rack-and-pinion steering was added to the vehicle.

Two Cobras were entered into the grueling 24-Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Carroll Shelby himself drove one of the vehicles. Ford had refused to provide an engine so Shelby, with the help of A.C. cars and Ed Hugus, prepare the cars. One of the Cobras managed to capture a seventh-place finish, a major accomplishment.

Dan Gurney became the first American driver to win an FIA race in an American car when he won the Bridgehampton 500KM race in September of 1963 while driving a Cobra.

In 1964, the Cobra returned to LeMans where it finished fourth overall and first in the GT class.

Near the end of 1964, the Cobra 427 was unveiled to the press. If featured a new tubular, aluminum body, coil spring chassis, and a 427 cubic-inch, 425 horsepower engine. The car was able to go from zero to 100 mph and back to zero in less than 14 seconds.

In 1967, the last 427 Cobra was built and in 1968, the last 427 Cobra was sold by Carroll Shelby.

Ford had shifted their resources to the new GT40 and modified Mustang programs. In 1966, three GT-40 Mark II's crossed the finish line at Le Mans capturing first, second, and third.

by Dan Vaughan