After a 50-Year Hiatus, the Shelby Daytona Is Back - The Cheat Sheet
But at the top of the Cobra pyramid are the Daytona Coupes, six legendary cars that dominated international racing in 1964-’65, then seemingly disappeared from public view. While even the most tired Cobras can now fetch over $1 million, the Daytonas have become the unquestioned holy grail of American performance. Daytonas rarely go up for sale, but when the last one sold at auction in 2009, it fetched $7. 25 million. It was designed with one thing in mind: to beat the dominant Ferrari 250 GTO in the FIA’s GT class. While aerodynamics limited the hottest “base” Cobra to around 165 miles per hour, the Daytona, with its slippery aluminum body and distinctive kamm tail could reach 191 miles per hour , an astonishing figure for the era. Not only did it vanquish the mighty GTO, it became one of the first American cars to have success in international competition. And while Ferrari built nearly 40 GTOs, Shelby’s six cars make its former rival from Modena seem about as common as a used Honda Civic. Each car will be built to the owner’s specs, with a fiberglass-bodied car starting at $179,995, or an aluminum model starting at nearly twice as much, at $349,995. Because of safety and emissions laws regarding auto manufacturers, the new Daytonas... Source: www.cheatsheet.com
