Photo: Shelby American
With the Daytona Coupe, the racing outfit headed by Carroll Shelby became the first American automaker to win the World Sportscar Championship, albeit only the GT Division III class. And it did so with the Ford 289-cu.in. V8, not the big-block eight-cylinder monster fielded in NASCAR back in the mid-‘60s.
And if it weren’t for an accident, the Daytona Coupe would have been let loose on the track with an almighty 427-cu.in. V8 under its hood. Shelby American finished chassis number CSX2286 just in time for Le Mans in 1964, but the truck carrying the lengthened and more powerful Daytona Coupe didn’t get to its destination.
The car was damaged in the crash, and Shelby couldn’t repair it in time for the 24-hour race. Therefore, the project was abandoned altogether. Fast-forward almost half a century, and Shelby American announced that it would re-create CSX2286 in ultra-limited numbers.
Only six continuation vehicles will be manufactured, following the exact specs of the Daytona Coupe 427 fabricated by John Ohlsen. Almost 3 inches longer than the 289-equipped car, the 427 needs the additional length in order to accept the medium-riser big-block motor.
Built by the Shelby Engine Company, the 427-cu.in. V8 in the reproduction promises to develop more than 550 all-American horsepower. The grunt is sent to the rear axle through a period-correct four-speed manual transmission, and each of the turn-key continuation vehicles will be assigned a CSX2000 series serial number for documentation in the Shelby registry.
The car pictured in the gallery is CSX2603, finished in polished aluminum and sporting the number 4 and a pair of white stripes with a single blue. The visuals mirror the number and stripe scheme of the CSX2286 crashed in '64.
“This is an incredible opportunity to own a very rare collectible Shelby heritage race car,” comments Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American. “Like the six small-block cars built in the 1960s, these 427-powered Daytona Coupes will be a lasting tribute to another innovative Shelby racecar that would have caught the racing world off guard. These Coupes will be every bit as much a ‘secret weapon’ as Carroll had hoped for in 1964," he added.
The car was damaged in the crash, and Shelby couldn’t repair it in time for the 24-hour race. Therefore, the project was abandoned altogether. Fast-forward almost half a century, and Shelby American announced that it would re-create CSX2286 in ultra-limited numbers.
Only six continuation vehicles will be manufactured, following the exact specs of the Daytona Coupe 427 fabricated by John Ohlsen. Almost 3 inches longer than the 289-equipped car, the 427 needs the additional length in order to accept the medium-riser big-block motor.
Built by the Shelby Engine Company, the 427-cu.in. V8 in the reproduction promises to develop more than 550 all-American horsepower. The grunt is sent to the rear axle through a period-correct four-speed manual transmission, and each of the turn-key continuation vehicles will be assigned a CSX2000 series serial number for documentation in the Shelby registry.
The car pictured in the gallery is CSX2603, finished in polished aluminum and sporting the number 4 and a pair of white stripes with a single blue. The visuals mirror the number and stripe scheme of the CSX2286 crashed in '64.
“This is an incredible opportunity to own a very rare collectible Shelby heritage race car,” comments Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American. “Like the six small-block cars built in the 1960s, these 427-powered Daytona Coupes will be a lasting tribute to another innovative Shelby racecar that would have caught the racing world off guard. These Coupes will be every bit as much a ‘secret weapon’ as Carroll had hoped for in 1964," he added.
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