Things We’d Rather Spend Money on Than an $11m Shelby Daytona: An F-86 Sabre
Many fancy themselves as speed freaks, but no can deny the ultimate form of speed lies not on the ground–but in the air.
Things We’d Rather Spend Money on Than an $11m Shelby Daytona: A Shelby Collection
You knew this was coming.
Shelby American has either reproduced or authorized reproductions of all its classics, from the Cobra 289 to the Ford GT40. While some of those replicas are second-rate, the Shelby-made Cobras and authorized SuPerformance Daytonas are exceptional cars for the money. We’ve always been suckers for the 289, though–easier to tame on the road than the 427.
Because of the large volume Shelby’s built up of his Cobra line since the ’90s, prices for these cars new or used aren’t absurdly high. We’ve seen genuine Shelby-built later 289s for $70,000. Just because we’re ragging on an overpriced auction car doesn’t we don’t like the name.
Misfit Shelby Hopes to Find Buyer This Time Around
We reported a couple months back about a rare 1965 Shelby Daytona up for auction at Mecum. The seller had hoped to have his car become a record-holder with a final bid between $10,000,000 and $11,000,000. The final bid was nowhere near those figures. The seller and Mecum group claim there was a post-auction offer of as much as $7,500,000, but the seller was still unsatisfied.
Here we go again. The seller is pushing the Shelby coupe on the block once again, hoping this season’s Monterey auction will bring in a willing buyer up to the seller’s financial standards.
That’s going to be a hard sell. With a shaky economy, classic American car values in the dumps, and an astonishingly high sales expectation, we find it very unlikely this car will hit the eight-figure mark. The only cars we can count hitting eleven million have been Ferrari’s revered 250 Testa Rossas and GTOs. Still, this Daytona is in marvelous condition, is extremely rare, and has real history behind it.
Shelby Whips Out Its ‘10 Snake
Shelby’s put out official pics and specs for the 2010 GT500 Super Snake. The Super Snake, unlike the regular GT500, is an actual Shelby project undertaking directly by the company staff. (The GT500 uses the Shelby name pretty much for marketing purposes.) The benefit of having the Ford/Shelby name running side-by-side is that Shelby’s own tuners can market their specials as being almost factory-grade.
Friday Flashback: When Ford Tried to Minimize McLaren
The Ford sports car has been an ongoing issue for the company to this very day. The Thunderbird was a wildly popular two-seater in the 1950s, easily outselling Chevrolet’s Corvette. Bean counters opted to enlarge the T’Bird and add rear seats, leaving GM to offer the only serious American sports car. Ford’s top brass couldn’t argue with the “Big Bird’s” growing sales figures, so it decided to support other efforts like the Shelby Cobra and the De Tomaso Pantera.
After a rough time from the mid-’70s to the ’80s, Ford mounted a big comeback. With the ’90s, Ford felt confident enough the test the supercar waters. It sought to revive the excitement from its classic GT40 race car with a fresh, high-tech design. The result was the GT90.
Image Gallery: 2009 SuPerformance Mk. III Roadster
The 2009 SuPerformance Mk. III isn’t officially a “Cobra,” as the name is trademarked and out of the tuner’s reach. The Mk. III also uses a vinylstere body for low weight and expense as opposed to traditional steel and aluminum. Among the updates are an improved radiator, air intake system, disc brakes, and suspension. The last makes Mk. III more road-friendly than the actual Cobra, but still offers immense speed up to 180 mph. (Top speed will depend on option choice.)
Image Gallery: 2009 SuPerformance Cobra Daytona Coupe
Next up in our SuPerformance gallery bonanza is the company’s pride & joy: the Cobra Daytona. A lot of advertising has been put behind the hi-po coupe–and ever more time and engineering. The SuPerformance Daytona is marketed as much on its open-end customization as on its authenticity. Among the conveniences not found in the rare original are superior shock absorbers, a road-friendly suspension, an upgraded rear-differential, tinted windows, a new custom air conditioning system, and remote entry.
-
Social Groups
-
Sponsors
-
