One of the most significant American racing cars ever built is heading to auction during Monterey Car Week. The 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, chassis CSX2300, will be offered by Gooding Christie’s with an estimate exceeding $25 million.
CSX2300 is one of only six Cobra Daytona Coupes created by Shelby American to challenge Ferrari’s dominant 250 GTO. It also played an important role in the campaign that delivered the 1965 FIA World Manufacturers’ Championship for Grand Touring cars to an American manufacturer for the first time.
Its racing history alone would make it an exceptional collector car, but this Daytona Coupe carries another unique distinction. Carroll Shelby personally owned CSX2300 from 1975 until 1998, making it the only one of the six original Daytona Coupes ever owned by the man whose team created them.
The car is scheduled to cross the block on Friday, August 14, during Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach auction. Given its rarity, competition record, Shelby ownership, and place in American motorsport history, it could become one of the most valuable American cars ever sold publicly.
Built To Challenge Ferrari
The Shelby Cobra had already established itself as a fearsome competition car by the early 1960s, but its open body created an aerodynamic disadvantage on Europe’s fastest circuits. Shelby needed a closed version capable of maintaining higher speeds while retaining the Cobra’s lightweight chassis and Ford V8 power.
Designer Peter Brock developed the Daytona Coupe around a long fastback roof and sharply cut Kamm tail. The unconventional bodywork transformed the Cobra into a far more aerodynamically efficient GT racer, giving Shelby American a credible weapon against Ferrari’s 250 GTO.
CSX2300 was the third Daytona Coupe completed and received lightweight aluminum coachwork from Carrozzeria Grandsport in Modena, Italy. It debuted at the 1964 Tour de France Automobile with Bob Bondurant and Jochen Neerpasch, winning the opening two stages before mechanical failures ended its race.
A Key Car In Shelby’s Championship Season
Rebuilt and painted in the Guardsman Blue associated with Shelby American’s 1965 campaign, CSX2300 competed at Daytona, Sebring, the Nürburgring, and Reims. It finished sixth overall and third in class at Daytona despite a slipping clutch, followed by another third-place class result at Sebring after being struck by another car near the start.
For the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometers, the coupe appeared in a distinctive white livery with blue and red stripes representing Ford of France. It remains the only Daytona Coupe known to have worn that particular color scheme.
At the 12 Hours of Reims, a connecting-rod failure threatened to remove the car from competition. Shelby’s mechanics improvised a repair, allowing CSX2300 to continue and finish ninth overall and second in class, helping secure the championship that Shelby had pursued since challenging Ferrari in Europe.
Its Racing Career Continued In Japan
The Daytona Coupes quickly became obsolete after regulation changes and Shelby American’s growing involvement with the Ford GT40 program. CSX2300 was sold in 1966 and eventually made its way to Japan, where it began a second competition career.
Driven by Tadashi Sakai, the car claimed overall victories at Suzuka and Fuji during the 1966 season. It continued racing in Japan through 1968, making it the only Daytona Coupe to pursue a serious competition program after its factory Shelby American career had ended.
The former championship contender later received a replacement Ford V8 and was registered for road use in Japan. For a period, one of America’s most important racing cars could be seen driving through the streets of Tokyo with its racing headers and side exhaust still fitted.
The Only Daytona Coupe Owned By Shelby
Automotive historian Michael Shoen eventually traced CSX2300 to Japan and helped arrange its return to the United States. In 1975, Carroll Shelby acquired the car and commissioned Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey to restore it to its 1965 competition specification.
The work included installing a correct 289-cubic-inch V8 and T10 gearbox. Shelby retained the coupe for 23 years, displaying it at major enthusiast gatherings and preserving a direct link to one of his company’s greatest achievements.
Later caretakers continued restoring and maintaining the car while preserving evidence of its racing past. Details linked to its Sebring accident and Japanese registration history were reportedly retained rather than erased during restoration.
A Potentially Record-Setting Sale
CSX2300 has remained active in historic motorsport rather than spending its retirement entirely on static display. It has appeared at the Monterey Historics, Goodwood Revival, Tour Auto, Modena Cento Ore, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Gooding Christie’s describes it as suitable for major concours events, vintage races, and road use. That versatility is appropriate for a car originally conceived as a GT capable of combining road-car foundations with world-class competition performance.
An estimate exceeding $25 million reflects the extraordinary combination of rarity, provenance, racing success, and direct Shelby ownership. Only six Daytona Coupes were built, and none of the others can claim the same journey from European championship racing to Japanese competition and Carroll Shelby’s personal collection.