Irvine, CA - On Monday, April 21, Shelby Distribution USA presented automotive legend Carroll Shelby with a custom Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. This unique gift was made possible by Amy Boylan and the team at Shelby Automobiles in Las Vegas and Lance Stander and the employees at Shelby Distribution USA in Irvine, CA. "It was fantastic to have the opportunity to honor Carroll Shelby with this special car," said Stander. "We hope he enjoys driving it as much as we enjoyed giving it to him."

Painted in the same "Guardsman Blue" of the original cars, Carroll's Daytona Coupe also features the number 98 that represents chassis #2300 that Shelby himself owned up until 1999. Power comes from a Roush 427SR V8 with 480 horsepower and 515 lb-ft torque. Unique to Carroll's Daytona Coupe is a shifting system that utilizes paddles and buttons on the steering wheel. Developed by MasterShift (www.mastershift.com) of San Diego, the Art Carr 2004R 4-speed automatic transmission can be up shifted via paddles and downshifted using two buttons on either side of the steering wheel. The system also has safety features including a one second delay from Drive to Neutral as well as a speed sensor to prevent the car from being shifted into reverse or park unless it is completely stopped. Installation of the engine, transmission and paddle shift system was handled by Exotic Auto Restoration of Costa Mesa.

History of the Daytona Coupe

The original six Daytona Cobra Coupe factory racers enjoyed a short but impressive racing career: Originally built for the 1964-65 for the 1964-65 racing season using 289 Shelby Cobra roadster chassis, these were America's answer to Ferrari's highly successful 250 GTO. In their first year of competition, the Daytona Coupes won the GT class at Sebring and then placed 4th overall at Le Mans. They proved to be so competitive that Ferrari officials, fearing a loss of the championship, managed to get the Monza, Italy final round cancelled, knowing the Daytona's would win the race and the Championship. Consequently, Ferrari claimed the 1964 FIA World Manufacturer's Championship. The following year Enzo Ferrari, realizing he would lose to the Daytona's, pulled his factory support from the GT program, paving the way for the Daytona Coupe walkover. In 1965, the ex-Shelby Daytona Coupes of the UK's Alan Mann racing team won the FIA's World Manufacturer's GT title with ease.

Recreating the Legend

Almost 40 years later, Superformance has re-created this nostalgic player in American racing history. The Coupe is a Carroll Shelby licensed product and was designed by some of the original team, including Peter Brock and Bob Negstad. The Coupe boasts amazingly sleek lines and a contoured body which is slightly larger than that of the original race car. The original suspension was further engineered and improved and the interior space was optimized for more room. Addding value to this impressive Daytona is the fact that it is also eligible for the Shelby American Automobile Club owners registry, capturing each chassis number as a part of American history.

Superformance Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe Standard Equipment*

• A complete factory-assembled rolling chassis.
• Show quality PPG paint finishes with many standard colors - custom colors also available.
• Fully independent front and rear suspension.
• Bilstein® coil over progressive shocks with H&R Springs®.
• Tubular space frame constructed of mild steel.
• Power assisted rack & pinion steering.
• Four-wheel vented disc brakes, power assisted.
• PBR® calipers.
• Aluminum radiator / oil cooler with dual electric fans.
• Oil cooler and braided lines.
• Stainless steel fuel tank. 20 gallon.
• Vinylester and glass composite body.
• Custom TFE air conditioning system.
• BTR / Dana HydraTrac limited slip differential.
• 18" cast Alloy wheels and tires.
• Tinted front, side and rear windows.
• Remote door locks and immobilizer system.
• Unique under car exhaust -side pipes.
• Black leather and Alcantra interior.
• Retractable 3 point seat belts.
• Stewart Warner electronic gauges.
*Some components and features are subject to change

After today's GT40 lovefest, I figured I should get myself motivated to head down to my building's parking garage and send you pictures of this. It's a Superformance Shelby Daytona Coupe replica that definitely looks (and sounds) the part...probably built better than the originals too. It's been sitting for awhile due to the winter weather, so it's covered in dust and fingerprints. I don't know whether to applaud the guy for leaving it visible for the world to see or to give him a wag of the finger for letting it get like that.

Anyways, the guy who owns this car has fantastic taste as previous residents of this spot were a Lotus Elise and loaned Lamborghini Gallardo. The interior is covered in sumptuous cross-stitched leather, but it was far too black inside and the lighting far too piss-poor for me to have any hope of getting a shot. There's also a brilliant red '61 Lincoln Continental convertible in the lower level of the garage, but it's under a cover. Enjoy the Daytona for now.

Signed, 1300ccsOfFury!

With the cheapest "Buy it Now" price of a Ford GT just below $150,000 — and the last GT having rolled off the Saleen Special Vehicles line back in September — what's a speed-craving cheapskate to do? They can write a check for around $70,000 to replicar builder Superformance, and roll out with a new SPF GT40 MKII A (sans engine, of course). Rather than wallowing in Ford's new tech, they'll be getting a car that's closer to the Ford GT's antecedent, the Le Mans-winning GT40. The Superformance car is built from the original blueprints drawn up by Ford Advanced Vehicles, the FoMoCo division responsible for the mid-60s racer. The SPF even comes with a driver-side "Gurney bubble" set into the pressed-steel roof, to accommodate the helmets of those, like big Dan, who happen to be tall in stature. As for the drivetrain, which will cost extra, might we suggest something in a 427? – Mike Spinelli

Superformance SPF GT40 - Familiarity Breeds Perfection [Kit Car]

Related:
Update on Superformance Brock Coupe [internal]