Well, the auction did take place but things didn't go according to plan, to say the least. Organizers hoped the car would surpass the $11 million paid for a 1961 Ferrari California Spyder and that it would fetch between $12 and $15 million, but they failed.
According to Discovery HD via autoblog, bidding started at $4 million and started to climb, but stalled at $6.8 million, not enough to reach the reserve price. As a consequence, the 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe CSX2601 “stepped” off the stage to be re-auctioned at a later time.
Mecum Auction President Dana Mecum, however, is confident he will eventually sell the rare piece.
"I'll think we'll get a deal done by the end of the weekend," he was quoted as saying by the aforementioned sources.
To refresh your memory, the 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra was one of six models particularly built by Carroll Shelby to race against Ferrari in the FIA World Manufacturers Championship for the GT class. The car features a coupe body designed by Pete Brock and based on an older Cobra chassis, modifications that attracted a speed increase by 25 mph. Following the win it recorded in the first race, five more models were built, including the one to be auctioned in May.
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