AC Cobra Daytona Coupe continuation by McCluskey - Photo and info ~ Blog Car Classic

Price:

303 537 EUR (399 000 USD)

Year: 1964

Location: North America

Mileage: 0 km (0 ml)

Chassis N.: Upon request

Colour: Dark blue

Interior: Black

In 1963, Carroll Shelby realises that he cannot beat Ferrari in the World Championship with the Cobra roadster. He needs a faster car and thus ask Pete Brock, former General Motors engineer who worked on the Chevrolet Stingray, to work on a coupe version of the Cobra.
During the first race of the car in Daytona (where it takes its name from), the Cobra coupe dominates half of the race before a fire starts in the pits and forces the team to retire. During the 12 hours of Sebring, the Cobra Daytona grabs its first win in GT class and finishes 3rd OA. Two others Daytona coupe are built to enter the 1964 24 hours of Le Mans. Dan Gurney and bob Bondurant bring another win to the Daytona with a first place in GT class ahead of the Ferrari GTO, and 4th OA. Despite these excellent results, Carroll Shelby misses the world championship title. But the next year in 1965, Shelby is world champion with 7 wins of the Cobra Daytona out of 13 races. Ferrari is beaten !

Only 6 units of the Cobra Daytona have been built by Shelby. The rarity of the car combined with the myth the car became winning the world championship ahead of the non less famous Ferrari 250 GTO, explains the price of the car today. The last car offered in an auction in August 2009 changed hands for USD 7.25 Millions

For those who dream to own a Cobra Daytona and race it in the historic events, Shelby has allowed the building of 21 Cobra Daytona built by McCluskey. McCluskey is well known for his restoration work on 3 of the 6 original Cobra Daytona. Caroll Shelby himself naturally approached McCluskey when he decided to have a new team racing in vintage events with 5 Cobra Daytona continuation (the original ones having reached incredible prices).
McCluskey has first built continuation Cobra Daytonas on original 289 Roadster chassis. He then built entire cars from scratch. These cars are fully compliants with the original specifications, the Shelby Registry confirming that "the continuation coupes are exact in their construction, right down to the number of rivets used". Only 21 continuation cobra Daytona have been built by McCluskey, the unit we are offering beeing the last built. The aluminium body and the chassis are already finished. The car is waiting for an engine and the interior.
Unlike the replicas or continuation models built by Superformance which are high quality cars but only modern vision of the original car (they are larger, have modern accessories, ...), the car we offer is strictly identical to the original one, and will be delivered in FIA specifications, with HTP FIA papers, allowing the car to enter any major historic events.

Besides the aluminium body fully compliant with the original one, the car will be delivered with a racing vintage 289ci HiPo engine rated at 420 HP (500 HP on request) and a Borg Warner super T10 4 speed gearbox as the original. The chassis is of course an exact rebuilt of the original as the suspension layout, the magnesium wheels, the Girling brakes ...All the parts are new (NOS) or new ones custom rebuilt .The car will be inspected by the FIA in the USA prior shipping to Europe so as to validate the specification of the car. We are thus sure to get the FIA HTP papers once the car is in Europe.

This is the last McCluskey Cobra Daytona (VIN CSX26xx and delivered with a MSO from Carroll Shelby) and a trully unique opportunity to drive a Cobra Daytona that 100% matches the original, with FIA papers, and elligible for any major historic event. And for a price 20 times lower than an original !

This superb car is available in the US. The price includes shipping for any european country, all european or swiss taxes, HTP FIA papers, and a european road registration (for our french customer the car will come a regular french carte grise).