A 1995 Ford Mustang Race Car Driven by Paul Newman Heading to Auction
You may not be a Hollywood legend (yet, anyway), but now you can drive like one.
A Ford Mustang Cobra IMSA race car that Paul Newman shepherded around the track during the 1995 Rolex Daytona 24 Hours will be put up for bid by Mecum Auctions this fall. The late Oscar winner didn’t just complete a few laps in the car, either; he helped pilot it to a class victory in the race.
Newman may be best known for his exploits on the screen and stage, but he was a passionate auto racing enthusiast. It was a love that the actor discovered while training for the 1969 film Winning and one he’d follow for the rest of his life. He was an active participant in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events throughout the 1970, drove in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 (where he finished second), and even took the pole at his last professional race in 2007, one year before his death.
Paul Newman’s Ford Mustang Cobra IMSA race car
Mecum Auctions
But one of his more interesting racing experiences has to have been at Daytona in 1995. A little over a month prior, the Newman film Nobody’s Fool was released and producer Paramount decided to use some of its leftover publicity budget to sponsor an entrant in the endurance race. That car was a Roush Racing Mustang Cobra that would be driven by the Newman, Tommy Kendall, Mark Martin, and Michael Brockman. It would prove to be more than just a speeding billboard when it won the GTS-1 class and placed third overall.
The car looks identical to how it did circling on an early Florida weekend 31 years ago. It finished primarily in white and wears the “Nobody’s Fool” logo and the number 70, which was chosen to celebrate Newman’s just-passed 70th birthday. Even the dirt on the vehicle is authentic. The Mustang Cobra was fitted with new body panels when it was put on display following the event, but has since been re-fitted with its original dirt-caked components.
Inside Newman’s Mustang Cobra IMSA race car
Mecum Auctions
The car is equipped with a naturally aspirated 6.0-liter Roush-built V-8 mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The beefy mill pumped out around 750 hp brand new, according to CarScoops, which was in excess of 500 hp more than that year’s Mustang Cobra road car.
Mecum hasn’t published an auction estimate, but the vehicle seems certain to fetch top dollar considering its pedigree. It will cross the block on Saturday, September 26, as part of the auction house’s Nashville 2026 sale.
Click here to see more photos of Paul Newman’s Ford Mustang Cobra IMSA race car.
Mecum Auctions
