- Special edition cars built to movie specs
- 100 total Shelby Cobra roadsters and Daytona Coupes, as well as GT40s will be built for fans worldwide.
- Shelby cars will bear a special Shelby CSX serial number and GT40s get a CSGT40 P series chassis number.
- Each special edition car will include documentation and be included in the official Shelby Registry.
LAS VEGAS – Nov. 14, 2019 – A new line of vehicles from Shelby American, Shelby Legendary Cars and Superformance called the “Cinema Series” will celebrate some of the greatest icons of film. The initial group will include Shelby Cobra roadsters, Daytona Coupes and GT40s as seen in the epic movie “Ford v. Ferrari.”
Based on vehicles successfully raced by Ken Miles, Chris Amon, Lloyd Ruby, Denny Hulme, Bruce McLaren, Dave MacDonald and driven by Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) only 100 total cars in the series will be offered worldwide. Each vehicle will be based on a car shown in the movie and come with complete documentation. The Shelby roadsters will bear a CSX8100-8199 serial number and the Daytona Coupes will have CSX9199-299; the Ford GT40s (MkI and MKII) will have a CSGT40-P series chassis number.
“The epic story of Shelby American and Ford taking down the powerhouse Ferrari was worthy of a blockbuster film and a line of commemorative cars,” said Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American. “The heroic struggle on the racetrack thrust American automobiles onto the world stage, gaining critical respect to compete internationally. Everyone is so excited about ‘Ford v Ferrari’ that we’re celebrating it with these special cars, which are the ultimate movie souvenir.”
Carroll Shelby was a racing superstar, winning sports car races worldwide. When he retired due to health issues from driving, he turned to building automobiles. His first car, the Shelby Cobra, combined the lightweight AC roadster with Ford Motor Company’s new small block engine. It was fast, reliable, light and nimble.
Carroll Shelby planned to race the Cobra from the beginning and his cars dominated sports car racing in the 1960s. The competition roadsters and Coupes were piloted by legends including Ken Miles, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Dave MacDonald, Allen Grant and Bob Bondurant. They won America’s only FIA sports car championship in 1965.
The success of the Cobra program encouraged Ford Motor Company to turn the GT40 program (or Ford GT as it was initially called) over to Shelby American after the car continually failed in racing. Led by Carroll Shelby, Ken Miles and Phil Remington, the men did what many thought impossible and dethroned Ferrari at tracks worldwide, including the crown jewel of Le Mans in 1966. Ford’s GT40 ended up winning Le Mans overall for four consecutive years, an incredible feat that has never been repeated by any American car company.
Their story was so compelling that Fox Studios turned it into the film directed by James Mangold with stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale. The production company approached Lance Stander of Shelby Legendary Cars/Superformance to supply vehicles for the movie. Key scenes featured Shelby Cobra roadsters, Daytona Coupes and GT40’s from Stander.
“I’ve worked on many exciting projects since I began offering Shelby and Superformance Cars,” said Lance Stander, CEO of Shelby Legendary Cars, Superformance and Hillbank USA. “Nothing has been as exciting as the opportunity to supply cars for Fox Studio and Disney’s ‘Ford versus Ferrari’ movie. I really enjoyed working with them and the film is simply incredible. I believe it is the best ‘car movie’ ever.”
The Cinema Series Shelby cars will be built to the same specs as those supplied to the movie. They are offered as a turnkey car with Avon CR6 ZZ tires, minus the engine and transmission; final finish can be completed by the customer or an installer.
The Shelby Cobra roadsters are:
- The blue 1962 “Carroll Shelby” edition based on CSX2000, the first Cobra driven by Matt Damon in the film
- The white 1963 “Ken Miles” edition based on the initial street Cobras converted for racing; this model will include a Carroll Shelby Autographed (engraved) wrench and a spare cracked race windshield as seen in the movie
- A red 1963 “Dave MacDonald” edition that resembles a Cobra driven by Dave’s son Rich MacDonald in the film while portraying his father
The other car models include:
- The blue and white stripe and orange flashes “Ken Miles” edition MkII big block GT40 based on chassis P/1015 that was driven to victory at Daytona in 1966 and competed at Le Mans
- The 1966 black “Amon/McLaren GT40 (based on chassis P/1046) awarded victory at Le Mans by the ACO
- The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is available in aluminum like the original cars or as a modern evolution in fiberglass; this edition will wear the same livery as CSX2299, the car that won its class at Le Mans in 1964
All the cars used to film the movie were sold by Stander’s company within 48 hours of their availability to the public; Carroll Shelby International board member Aaron Shelby and his brother Randall, (grandsons of the icon), each purchased one. Peter Miles, son of Ken Miles purchased the Cobra driven in the movie by Christian Bale starring as his father Ken; Rich MacDonald bought the “Dave MacDonald” Cobra driven in the movie.
“It’s wonderful to see Shelby American’s success played out on the big screen,” said Aaron Shelby. “While the people in the movie certainly draw a lot of attention, it’s the cars of that era that everyone dreamed of driving. That’s why Shelby American partnered with Superformance for a limited run of special Cinema Series vehicles. Getting behind the wheel of one of these cars celebrates the story of everyone who made America a winner as part of that team.”
The Shelby Cobra roadster in fiberglass will start at US$98,995. The fiberglass Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe will start at US$179,995. The GT40 will begin at US$189,995 and the aluminum Daytona Coupe will start at US$395,995. The Shelby cars will be built to order and delivered with a Shelby American serial number for documentation in the Shelby American Worldwide Registry. Orders are now being accepted. For more information, visit www.shelby.com, www.shelbylegendarycars.com or www.superformance.com.
About Shelby American, Inc.
Founded by legend Carroll Shelby, Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI:PK), manufactures and markets performance vehicles and related products. The company builds authentic continuation Cobras, including the 427 S/C, 289 FIA, 289 street car, Daytona Coupe and Shelby Series 2 component vehicles; it offers the Shelby GT, 1000, Super Snake, and GT post-title packages for the 2005-2019 Ford Mustang. Shelby American also offers the Shelby Raptor, Shelby F-150 Super Snake and Shelby F-150 trucks. Heritage cars include the continuation 1965 Shelby GT350 competition model, 1967 Ford Shelby Super Snake and 1968 Ford Shelby GT500KR. For more information, visit www.Shelby.com.
###
Media Contact
Scott Black of TimePiece PR & Marketing
(214) 520-3430 ext. 303 or sblack@tprm.com