Carroll Shelby’s 1964 Daytona Coupe is the Moonlight Graham of the racing world.
Graham, for anyone not familiar with Field of Dreams, gets to the major leagues and plays just one inning in right field, but tragically never gets an at-bat. (He was also a real person, by the way.)
In 1964 Carroll Shelby wanted to win Les Mans, so he commissioned a Cobra Daytona Coupe with a stretched-out chassis, large enough to fit a NASCAR big block engine; it was just 2,200-lbs, and development drivers believed the car would touch 200-MPH at Les Mans. But no one ever found out. The car carrying the Shelby was involved in a damaging accident on the way to the race. Just like that, Shelby’s “secret weapon” missed its shot at primetime. Ferrari rolled first for the fifth year in a row.
All these years later, here’s your chance to own a Coupe of your own, and (if not at Les Mans) give it another shot at glory. Hillbank Motor Sports is auctioning off “Cobra Daytona Secret Weapons” for $495K a pop. Each features a lengthened chassis to accommodate that 427 big block motor and a potent engine output of 550 ponies, along with four-speed manual transmission (standard at the time). Don’t stress about that now-naked aluminum exterior — pick a race livery, it’s yours.
Find more information on the auction here.
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