1964 became one of the most pivotal periods in American road racing history. It was the year Shelby American took its fledgling racing program to incredible heights, winning races worldwide including its class at Le Mans. Those race victories fueled sales of street cars and a burst of new opportunities for the company.
While the ubiquitous Shelby Cobra roadster captured wins on American tracks, hill climbs and short European circuits, it was a handful of fastback versions of the sports car that really changed history.
“The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe helped a small American team beat a racing giant,” said Joe Conway, Co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International and CEO of Shelby American. “The tenacious Shelby American team fielded six sleek Cobra Coupes against the Ferrari juggernaut, winning the FIA Sports Car Championship on July 4, 1965. That is still the only time that an American team has captured the crown.
Fielding only 6 of these fabulously fast Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes, Shelby American conquered the dominating Ferrari team at Le Mans in 1964 for a class win and came within a hair of taking the FIA world championship that year. In fact, the car would have done so without political machinations by Enzo Ferrari, who successfully lobbied to have the final race of the season canceled. The Daytona Coupes would have easily beaten his team on the fast track of Monza and Enzo could not bear the embarrassment of the Americans doing it in front of the Italian home crowd.
The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe’s history is legendary. Shelby American’s first full-time employee, Peter Brock penned the body based on German aerodynamic studies from the 1930s. Many inside and outside the race team scoffed at the controversial styling, except for competition manager Ken Miles and a handful of true believers. Shelby allowed them to turn Brock’s vision into a slick coupe for competition.
“When Shelby American began racing the lightweight Cobra roadster, they were dominant except on the high-speed straightaways of the European circuits,” noted Gary Patterson, President of Shelby American. “Shelby American tasked Peter Brock with designing a sleeker body for the small block chassis. The result was one of the most radical and now, iconic, racecar designs of all time. Peter’s design not only yielded greater top speeds but also made the car incredibly aerodynamic and efficient.”
Shelby American began work on the first Daytona Coupe (CSX2286) in Los Angeles in 1964. CSX2286 was the first to compete, at Daytona in February 1964 while a second car, CSX2299, entered production. Sadly, it suffered a fire during a pit stop when spilled gasoline ignited beneath the car, seriously burning crew chief John Ohlsen.
He and the fabricators who had bodied CSX2286 had accompanied it to Daytona, so less experienced employees had to build the body framework for the recently arrived CSX2299. Several inadvertent changes were made by the inexperienced team to CSX2299, including a higher roof line. Those changes were not discovered until it was too late to correct them. The only body revision was a rear spoiler.
In early June 1964, the unfinished CSX2299 was loaded onto the transporter for a haul from Modena to the team’s temporary shop in Paris. When the car arrived at Le Mans, it had never been driven.
Nevertheless, it made a great debut. Wearing the number 5 and Viking Blue with white stripes, CSX2299 was Dan Gurney’s choice because the higher roof could accommodate him. For the same reason, Bob Bondurant became his co-driver.
During practice, Gurney set a new GT lap record and exceeded 185 mph on the Mulsanne Straight. The car and Coupe CSX2287 led the GT class over the Ferrari, but a rules infraction disqualified CSX2287. That left it up to Gurney, Bondurant in CSX2299.
“Running as high as third overall, Gurney and Bondurant led the Ferraris by nine laps,” explained Tracey Smith, International Director of Team Shelby. “Only eight hours from the end of the race, a leaking oil cooler forced a slower pace. A failing distributor hindered Bondurant during the final hour, and he nursed the Shelby to the flag with the Ferraris gaining. But he won the race and Carroll Shelby was now a two-time Le Mans champion. Carroll won overall as a driver and was a class winner as a manufacturer.”
Team Shelby plans to celebrate the 60th anniversary of that Le Mans with a VIP experience at the 24 hours of Le Mans this year. The club is working with Ford Motor Company to take a group of members to cheer on the Blue Oval’s GT3 class entry in the endurance race.
With only six original Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes built, the racecars are among the most coveted vehicles in the world. Worth millions of dollars each, ownership of one is almost impossible.
Fortunately, Shelby American and Shelby Legendary Cars offer a limited series of both aluminum and fiberglass continuation Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes. From the leaf spring suspension and tube chassis to the wooden rimmed steering wheel, the aluminum cars are faithful to the six built during the 1960s. While a variety of exterior colors are available, each is equipped with a premium black leather interior, special badging, modern disc brakes and a stronger frame.
“Each aluminum Coupe incorporates safety and performance improvements without sacrificing integrity, as they were built from original blueprints and measurements,” explained Vince LaViolette, Shelby American Vice President of Production. “Since each original competition car was slightly different, we chose one specification for the continuation cars that best represents all of the Coupes.”
The fiberglass version is true to the spirit of the Coupe but reimagined as if it had remained in production over the years. Each is a component vehicle that is built to order and can be finished by a customer or an authorized dealer; it is delivered as a rolling chassis.
“Sixty years after Shelby American made history, winning its class with the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe at Le Mans, that competitive spirit still burns brightly today,” added Ms. Smith. “A part of that championship DNA is part of everything at Shelby American and Team Shelby.”