CSX2287 and I have had a long and tumultuous relationship. I have been deeply involved with Cobras, Daytonas, and GT40s since I made a mistake and sold a car for much less than I should have. Once you make a really expensive mistake like that, you either hate your stupidity or you gain the kind of knowledge necessary so that you NEVER EVER make that mistake again. So I learned about these cars. I learned everything. I knew every car in the Southern California area – who owned it, who made it – just by the sound the car made as it drove.
At one point, I found out that this particular car was somewhere in Southern California, and that – if I could find it – I’d be paid a handsome finders fee.
I knew the car had been owned by “Wall of Sound” music producer turned wacky-wig murderer Phil Spector, and that it was somewhere around Yorba Linda.
And although I’d only ever talked to her once, I had met Donna O’Hara. On October 22, 2000 this very disturbed woman doused herself in an accelerant, and lit herself on fire on a horse trail in Fullerton, CA. She died a short time later, leaving behind a lot of questions, and a locked storage unit. From this storage unit, I even actually got a kitten which was named Daytona (and later renamed “Asshole”). This kitten was, apparently, born in CSX2287.
I was a cat away from a car that sold for $4,000,000. Thanks, Stacy, for giving me a cat, and not telling me where the car was. You’re a peach.
When it was found, CSX2287 instantly became the most significant Shelby barn-find ever. CSX2287 was THE prototype Daytona coupe, and the only car of it’s type constructed at the Shelby American race shop in Venice, California – the other 5 289 roadster chassis were shipped to Italy where the hand-built bodies were installed. The car was designed by Peter Brock – the same guy who, in November of 1957, sketched out a drawing of what has became one of the most iconic car designs ever – the Corvette Sting Ray.
CSX2287 was raced many times in Europe as a Shelby team car during the 1964 and 1965 seasons. In its final competition appearance it set several land speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats with Craig Breedlove behind the wheel. It then was sold as a street car to Crazy Wig, and then disappeared.
Now, after it’s reemergence and it’s questionable sale(s), this legendary car is again making history. It is now recognized by the Library of Congress as the first sports car that is also a national treasure. From MSN:
There are more than 40,000 historic buildings, monuments and land areas documented in the Library of Congress as being significant to the history of the United States, and now, a car has joined their ranks. The 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (serial number CSX2287) has become the first automobile to be recorded under the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Heritage Documentation.
With automobiles playing such a large part in American history, one wonders why it’s taken this long to recognize the significance of the car. According to Mark Gessler, President of the Historic Vehicle Association (HVA).
“It has been nearly 120 years since the first automobiles were produced in the U.S. During that time, we have implemented national programs to recognize our historic buildings, airplanes, spacecraft and vessels but not our historic automobiles. Through our work, we hope to celebrate the contribution of the industry’s pioneers, the vehicles they produced and the preservation efforts necessary to ensure future generations appreciate the unique roll of the automobile in shaping America.”
The 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe may not be the most significant car in American history, and Gessler told us that there would be others honored as well, but the HVA felt the Cobra was deserving of being the first automobile honoree.
The 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (CSX2287) was the first of six Daytona Coupes produced. More than 50 years old, it was built in January 1964 by Shelby American, Inc. in Los Angeles. Designed by Peter Brock, the Daytona Coupe enabled the Shelby American Cobra race team to win the International Manufacturer’s GT Championship in 1965. This was the first time an American manufacturer had won an international race series.
The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is impressive even by today’s standards. The Ford 289 cubic inch V8 engine with four Weber 48 mm IDM downdraft carburetors puts out an estimated 375 horsepower. Power moves through a four-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension with transverse leaf springs and four-wheel disc brakes. Top speed is in excess of 180 mph.
As with any National Historic Landmark, the documentation process for the Cobra includes a fully referenced narrative and description of the vehicle; technical drawings of important elements of the vehicle; and detailed photographs and film negatives for permanent archival in the Library of Congress.
I didn’t find the car in time, I didn’t get my name linked to it’s history, but at least I got a cat that hated me out of the deal. Lucky frinkin’ me.
You can read the rest of the article HERE.