Carroll Shelby’s Personal Shelby Daytona Is Headed to Auction
If this legendary race car was good enough for an automotive icon, it’s good enough to add to your own collection.
A 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona once owned by Carroll Shelby himself will be auctioned off by Gooding & Christies next month at Pebble Beach. The stunning example was one of the fastest vehicles of its era and is expected to fetch an eight-figure gavel price.
Shelby had a hand in building some of the greatest performance vehicles of the 20th century, but even among such an elite group, the Cobra Daytona is near the very top. The coupe, which was based on the Cobra roadster, was designed and engineered specifically to help Ford beat the Ferrari 250 GTO, the reigning GT car of the time. The Detroit giant began racing the car in 1964, when it came in second to Ferrari in the FIA GT championship, but would claim victory the next season, making it the first American to win a title on the international scene. Ford and Shelby would move on to the GT40 soon after, because of which just six examples of the Cobra Daytona were built.
Carroll Shelby’s 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona
Gooding Christie’s
The example up for sale, chassis no. CSX2300, was the third of the six and was completed in late 1963, according to the auction house. It would make its competitive debut at 1964 Tour de France Automobile and played a vital part in Ford’s 1965 championship. It’s also the only member of the sextet to continue to take the track after the season, racing successfully in Japan through 1968. Shelby himself acquired the car in 1975 and would hold onto it until 1998, when Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey returned it to its 1965 specification. It was the only example of the car ever owned by its creator.
The body of Shelby’s Cobra Daytona, which was designed by Peter Brock, is finished in a gorgeous coat of metallic blue topped with twin white racing stripes and all the requisite racing graphics, including no. 12 gumballs. It is powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 that was rated for 385 hp and 341ft lbs of torque when it left the factory. It was capable of reaching a top speed of 180 to 196 mph, depending on the gear ratio and track setup used on the day.
Inside the Shelby Cobra Daytona
Gooding Christie’s
Unsurprisingly, the only Cobra Daytona ever owned by Shelby won’t come cheap. Gooding & Christie’s expects the car to sell for in excess of $25 million when it hits the block as part of its annual Pebble Beach sale. If it does indeed go for that much, it would be one of the most expensive cars to ever sell at auction.
Click here to see more photos of Carroll Shelby’s former Cobra Daytona.
