At any car auction, a 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe is expected to fetch a hefty sum of money. After all, it’s not that often where one of these extremely rare cars become up for grabs.
The recent Mecum Auction in Monterey, California saw six 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupes go up for auction with one of them fetching a bid of a staggering $7.25 million – the largest ever bid for a US car at any auction in history. The auction, which was held as part of the festivities of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, attracted a huge audience, some of which were serious bidders while others were only there to enjoy the occasion.
While there were a host of rare and vintage cars that also went up for auction, the clear star of the event was none other than the Cobra Coupe, specifically, the CSX2601, which is only one of just six models build by Carroll Shelby in an effort to go head-to-head with the Ferraris during the FIA World Manufacturers Championship. Now, 44 years after the car won the World Manufacturers Championship in 1965 in Reims, France, it was sold in the US for a whopping $7.25 million.
It goes without saying that the amount of money spent purchasing this one-of-a-kind car goes a long way in validating its legacy as a classic must-have among car enthusiasts, regardless of generation.
In 1965 the most prestigious racecar in the world, was a fastback version of Carroll Shelby’s Cobra. Designed by Peter Brock, the Shelby Daytona Coupe was the latest offering from the American racing driver and was also responsible for winning the 24 Hours of Lemans, and ultimately the World Manufacturer’s Championship that same year.
In order to celebrate this historic automobile, Shelby is unveiling a special edition: the Shelby Daytona Coupe Le Mans Edition. The car is powered by a 530 HP V8, and there will even be a racing version with 560 HP. The special editions come with modern touches like 18 inch wheels and tires, suede Momo racing steering wheel, Alcantara seats with "Le Mans Edition" embroidery, "Le Mans Edition" gauges with a 200 mph speedometer and a tachometer that goes up to 10,000 RPM,
Press release after the jump.
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You know how difficult is to find a 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe? There are only six original cars in the world. They rarer than a Bugatti Veyron and costs multiple times more — that is if you can even find a person willing to part with one. Their wins include Le Mans, Sebring, and Daytona, and it even set some land speed records along the way.
Shelby Distribution has announced that it will offer replicas of the celebrated GT. Just like the originals, the new Shelby Daytonas will be built around an aluminum body. But with time also comes improvement, and the coupe will utilize the updated suspension system that can be found in the MkII version of the Superformance Coupe.
Just like the Shelby Cobra, there are kits already available to build replica Dayton Coupes. But unlike most of them, this one is built by Carroll Shelby’s Shelby Distribution. That means these Daytona Coupe will be official cars listed in the Shelby Registry.
Is true that the original Type 65 Coupe has been limited to only six units. And even if the car never entered production, the Type 65 made history in 1965 when it won the FIA Championship for America. But the fact that there were only 6 units and the car never entered production, this is not a reason for all the car’s lovers to own a Type 65. Not an original one, but a kit car made by Factory Five.
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While racing in Europe and North and South America throughout the 1950s, Caroll Shelby cherished one dream; building the world’s fastest sportscar. By 1956 he had already come up with a name for his car, it would be named Cobra. Soon after his 1959 24 Hours of LeMans victory for Aston Martin, Shelby was struck by heart problems. Reluctant to do so, he was forced to give up motor racing as a driver. This did give him time to make his dream come true.
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