Carroll Shelby's own Shelby Daytona could fetch $25M
A 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona once owned by Carroll Shelby will be auctioned by Gooding & Christie's at Pebble Beach next month, with an estimate above $25 million. The chassis, CSX2300, is the only Cobra Daytona ever owned by its creator, making carroll shelby8217s own shelby race car a landmark collector offering.
Key Takeaways
- Gooding & Christie's will offer Carroll Shelby's 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona at its annual Pebble Beach sale next month.
- Chassis CSX2300 is the third of only six Daytonas built and the sole example ever owned by Shelby himself.
- The auction house expects a gavel price in excess of $25 million, which would place it among the most expensive cars ever sold at auction.
- Shelby acquired the coupe in 1975 and kept it until 1998, when specialist Mike McCluskey restored it to 1965 specification.
Why does Carroll Shelby's own Daytona matter now?
Among the handful of Shelby Cobra Daytonas, this one stands apart for provenance. According to Robb Report, it is the only member of the six-car run that its creator personally owned.
That history elevates CSX2300 beyond rare racing hardware into a trophy asset for collectors who chase blue-chip cars the way others chase trophy homes. Readers tracking high-end acquisitions can also browse BlasterPost's luxury real estate and dream homes coverage for parallel market moves.
What racing history does chassis CSX2300 carry?
Completed in late 1963, the coupe made its competitive debut at the 1964 Tour de France Automobile. It later played a vital role in Ford's 1965 FIA GT championship season—the campaign that made Ford the first American squad to win that international title.
It was also the only Daytona to keep racing after that championship year, competing successfully in Japan through 1968. The model itself was engineered to challenge Ferrari's 250 GTO; just six examples were built before Ford and Shelby shifted focus to the GT40.
What will buyers get under the metallic blue skin?
Peter Brock designed the body, finished here in metallic blue with twin white racing stripes and No. 12 graphics. Power comes from a 4.7-liter V-8 rated at 385 hp and 341 lb-ft of torque from the factory, with a reported top speed between 180 and 196 mph depending on gearing and setup.
Shelby held the car from 1975 to 1998. After that, Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey returned it to its 1965 racing specification—another detail that underpins the eight-figure estimate heading into Pebble Beach.