Lot 342: 2004 Superformance Shelby Daytona Le Mans Coupe

Some 40 years ago, the AC Cobra ruled the race tracks of North America. Carroll Shelby, the Texan who had won Le Mans with Roy Salvadori in an Aston Martin in 1959 was not content with simply dominating in his own back yard. They had gone to Le Mans in 1959 in the face of apparently overwhelming opposition from Ferrari but the DBR1 managed to humble the might of Maranello. It was something he felt he could develop a taste for. The problem was, when pitched against this rather more serious international opposition, the Cobra was found to be seriously lacking. Primitive suspension meant it struggled to keep up with the like of Ferrari's 250 GTO in the corners, while the Cobra's bluff shape meant that, despite its bigger, more powerful engine, the rather more slippery GTO still came past on the straights. So Shelby asked team member and young designer, Peter Brock, to craft a new body for the Cobra and the Daytona Coupe was born. It transformed the Cobra's fortunes. It was so fast that Enzo Ferrari had to get the last round of the 1964 World Sports Car Championship cancelled to stop the Daytona taking the title. How did he do this? Easy. It was at Monza. Knowing he was beaten, Ferrari withdrew from the GT class for 1965 and the Daytonas swept the field and passed into history. The Shelby Daytona here is also by Peter Brock, the chassis the work of the late Bob Negstad, who helped design the original Ford GT40 and 427 Shelby Cobra chassis, but this time starting with a clean sheet rather than having to adapt the Cobra's archaic suspension. The result is a car which looks almost identical to a Daytona Coupe despite the fact that they have not a single line or dimension in common. Of course, it is beautiful but what one notices most is its ferocious presence. From the jutting nose, past the side-exit exhaust pipes to its fabulously abbreviated tail, it sweats purpose from every inch of its composite body. The cabin is a work of art too: simple, minimalist and pure 1960s muscle car. There are small chrome-rimmed dials everywhere, a fat three-spoke steering wheel, no-nonsense switches, leather bucket seats and a '60s style handbrake. Where even good replicas/recreations often fall down is matching the performance of the original and, it's true, the new Shelby Daytona Coupe does not boast the same level of performance as an original Cobra Coupe. It's much faster than that. One brave test driver in South Africa has had one up to 207mph with more to come and when one learns what's providing the power, one knows why. It is a Ford V8 engine alright, just like the original Cobra Daytona Coupe, except this one has been fettled by ace tuning wizards, Roush Engineering. The result is a 6.6 litre power plant, giving 500bhp and 500lb/ft of torque. Superformance (the same people who build Nobles) claim it will hit 100mph from rest in 8.5 seconds. Anyone who has ever seen Bullitt or even The Dukes of Hazzard will have an idea of how a big block American pushrod engine fed by a four-barrel Holley carburettor sounds. But when that engine has forged pistons and con-rods, is balanced, blueprinted and race tuned, it takes the sound to a whole new level. Turn the key, flick on the ignition, then the fuel pump, hit the starter and wait for the bang. The engine, until now a gurgling, menacing presence under the bonnet, explodes into life and will overwhelm the rear tyres in first and second gear on a dry road unless one is careful with the throttle. At first the acceleration feels feral. Rely on the seat of ones pants rather than the tips of ones fingers for the information and one will soon be back in charge again. Discover this and the car be pushed into oversteer almost anywhere no one's looking, before rocketing up the road ahead, watching the rear Goodyears vaporise in the mirror. It is believed that this particular car, chassis 001, was the first imported into Great Britain and it was purchased by its current owners in July 2005. Having now covered a mere 3,600 miles from new, it can be said that it's just been warmed up and ready to use its 6.6 litres of raw power to its full extent. A great opportunity to purchase an undoubtedly iconic car of the future at a fraction of the new purchase price.