Shelby Daytona 50th Anniversary

Originals are many millions but Shelby now offers a 50th special for just a few hundred thousand...

There's not a great deal of information available on the Shelby Daytona 50th Anniversary. Arguably there doesn't need to be. Everyone knows the car and its importance by now, even if it's through the Superformance replicas.

Ally or fibreglass? Your choice!

In 1965 the Shelby won the FIA International Manufacturers' Championship for GT cars with the Daytona. It was the first time an American manufacturer had won, and it beat Ferrari in the process. Peter Brock's design made the Cobra markedly more aerodynamic and efficient, finally giving it the pace to take on the Europeans. That it made the car incredibly pretty will surely have helped the Daytona's reputation too.

To mark the occasion 50 years on Shelby is creating 50 Anniversary cars. Other than being signed by Bob Bondurant, it sounds like each one will be different. The Shelby brochure offers the choice between fibreglass ($180K) and aluminium ($350K) finishes and a wealth of engines: "289 or 427? Or perhaps 5.0? Carbureted [sic] or Fuel Injected". You would want to keep carbs, right? And as much power as possible, obviously...

That's about it really. A beautiful, very cool car, resurrected for a big anniversary. Cheaper than an E-Type Lightweight too.