You hear phrases like “incredible offering,” “ultimate collectible,” or “historically-charged item” a lot in conversation about certain vehicles. It’s rare to find one for which all these apply—and a bunch of others, as well.
One such vehicle is “Daisy.” Dubbed “the last Cobra Shelby” ever made, and formally known as “Project Daisy”, it was meant to be a production car that would start deliveries in 2007. It never made it to that stage because of the economic crisis, but at least we still have the 2004 concept. The same concept, a fully functional, registered, and road-legal 2004 Cobra Shelby, is about to cross the auction block soon.
“Daisy” has been listed with Mecum Auctions and will go under the hammer as the main attraction at the Monterey 2021 event, which will take place between August 12 and 14. The current owner is Chris Theodore, former Ford VP of Product Development and one of the leading members on the project, alongside Carroll Shelby himself. He bought it in 2007 at an auction (Ford had disabled it by then), restored it and registered it, and is now hoping someone else will have a chance to share this piece of automotive industry.
In this one instance, this description is not an exaggeration. Unlike most concepts, the 2004 Cobra is fully functional, with working suspension and brakes, and more importantly, the awesome 6.4-liter, 605-hp valve aluminum V10 engine with dry-sump lubrication developed specifically for it. The V10 engine sends the power to the rear wheels through a Ricardo 6-speed manual transaxle borrowed from Ford GT; sections of the body are also borrowed from the GT. The interior is mostly billet aluminum on the dashboard, which gives it a retro-futuristic feel.
Shelby was directly involved in the development of “Daisy.” The legendary auto designer also drove the concept vehicle for more than 150 miles (241 km) at Irwindale Speedway in California, ahead of the debut at the 2004 Detroit North American International Auto Show. On the occasion, Shelby said he was proud to have built a new Cobra.
The listing mentions that the Cobra concept is offered with Shelby’s autograph in the engine bay, a letter of authenticity from Ford, a build book, and a promotional brochure, alongside photos of the build process and the Shelby test drive. “Daisy” is in excellent condition, though it does show signs of use like wear signs on the steering wheel and some chips and cracks in the paint.
Theodore bought the then-non-functional concept for $825,000. When he took Jay Leno on a drive a while back, auto expert Donald Osborn estimated he could fetch as much as $3 million if he had it registered. That should offer you an idea of how much it could go for since the listing doesn’t give a price estimate.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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