One more accolade for the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe: congressional approval. The federal government has recognized the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe as a true American artifact. The iconic racer is the first car recorded under the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Heritage Documentation, meaning the vehicle’s documentation and engineering record will be permanently archived in the Library of Congress.
“We’re honoured that a Shelby car is the first vehicle to attain the same status as American icons like the Golden Gate Bridge, the spacecraft ‘Enterprise’ and Mount Vernon,” said Neil Cummings, co-trustee for the Carroll Hall Shelby Trust and co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International. “This Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe represents the hopes, dreams and monumental effort of a group of hotrodders who changed the way the world perceived American cars.”
The original Shelby Cobra was quick, but it lacked the aerodynamics to race against Europe’s best at venues like Daytona and Le Mans – that is, until Peter Brock penned a slippery body for the Cobra’s chassis and quickly changed history. The Cobra had become a world-beater.
The Historic Vehicle Association recommended that CSX2287 be documented because it’s the first of the six Daytona Coupes built. It’s also unrestored. Like most of the other cars in Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, this particular one is a preserved piece of history.
