Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

In the first half of the 1960s Ferrari's domination in the GT-class was absolute; no other manufacturer had won the class at Le Mans since it was established in 1959. Coincidentally that was exactly the same year that Carroll Shelby snatched the overall Le Mans win away from Ferrari in his Aston Martin. Since then the chicken farmer from Texas had set up shop for himself and at the start of the 1964 season he had his sights firmly set on the GT World Championship. He knew very well that beating Ferrari would take something special, so he had stylist Pete Brock design a slippery version of the highly successful AC Shelby Cobra. The end result was the now legendary Cobra Daytona Coupe, which was named after the track it made its debut on. The breathtaking machine was a whole 20 mph faster than the Roadster on the back straight of Riverside. At Le Mans it ended Ferrari's reign in the GT-class and finished a highly commendable 4th overall. In the following one and a half season, the Cobra Daytona dominated. In 1965 the Shelby American team was crowned World Champion. Rule changes rendered the cars obsolete, ending the program prematurely.
Today all six Cobra Daytonas are accounted for and remain as one of the most important racing cars to come out of the United States. Back in 2000 one sold for $4 million and this May another will be offered at auction and it could sell for in excess of $10 million. Both these cars and two others (including the 1964 Le Mans winner) are included in our spectacular 30-shot gallery, which serves to illustrate an in-depth article that includes both the general history and a brief look at all six cars separately.

1964 - 1965 AC Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe - Images, Specifications and Information

Regards,
Wouter Melissen