DREAM CARS // SHELBY'S DAYTONA COUPE - CSX2601

I used to have a picture of this car stuck to my refrigerator. Something I had cut out of a magazine, Shelby’s Daytona Coupe was a daily reminder that no matter how far I strayed, there would always be a few things that represented who I was and where I had come from. A Ford fan from a young age (my first car was an SN95 Mustang), Shelby’s Daytona Coupe sits high atop my list of dreamcars. Purpose built to take on Ferrari in the FIA's GT class, the Daytona Coupe was as a success both on and off the track.

Having won three of the eight FIA races it was entered in, the CSX2601 (pictured above) was responsible for helping Shelby clinch the World Manufacturers Championship in the GT III class. Once piloted by Bob Bondurant, the Daytona Coupe has since been fully restored to original condition and now sports its Reims livery. Additionally, Bondurant was reunited with the car this past week at his high performance driving school in Chandler, AZ. Joined by Peter Brock, the man responsible for designing the coupe, Bondurant took the CSX2601 out on the track for a few hot laps, the first time he had driven the car in more than 20 years.

Though it is unlikely I will ever be the proud owner of a Daytona Coupe, when news came that chassis number CSX2601, the fourth of only six Daytona’s ever built, was coming up for sale, I decided a post here on ColdTrackDays was necessary. I mean come on, maybe one of our readers will seize the opportunity, purchase this piece of motorsport history, and as a token of appreciation for having heard about the sale here on CTD, allow me a little face time with Shelby's Daytona Coupe... Hey, a guy can dream right? // 03.12.2009 [comments]