The long lost 1st Cobra Daytona Coup was found in California sitting in a garage for over 30 years. After the court battles were over as to ownership the car was eventually sold for reported $3 million as is. And you think your Z is rough.

I know it's as rough as hell but it is the first 1 to be made number 1. The fact that it was designed to win at Daytona and did just that. The fact that it is and always will be a racing legend. The fact that there were only 6 ever made and all the rest are replicas.

That's what makes it so valuble and I'm sure it's never going to come down in price either. :cheeky:

Love the car but personally I'd go for a replica myself.

I read an article some where they said that they planned no restoring it and it then some thought it might be the highest valued car yet, someone has thrown out the figure of 11 mil if I remember right

Maybe I have the wrong opinion but I've never understood the whole do not restore the car attitute. Sure the old Rally Z's look cool beat up but why not fix them up as they were the day they started the race? I believe it's the same here it looks pretty rough and worthless how it is why not give the girl the original shiny paint job she once had?

It's like buying an old house and not fixing it up leaving it with a leaky roof why do that?

:S

Bet the guy who first identified it nearly wet himself once he realised what he had there.

Are there any news links about this discovery of the car? I'd be interested to hear the story.

cheers

Andrew

Is there anywhere we can read about the full story of discovery, the ensueing court case etc?

Off topic a bit but do any of you guys know if the Pete Brock who was part of the Shelby design team for the Daytona coupe, is the same Pete Brock who raced Datsuns (BRE?) in the States ?

Jim.

Full story is here. And what a story!!!!

http://www.nvsaac.com/gallery/missing_daytona_coupe.htm

Perhaps vin numbers 9-15 will be discovered in a lock up somewhere?

Last bit of info I could find dated Dec 2001 had the neurosurgeon restoring it and placing it in the Shelby American Collection Museum in Boulder Colorado.....doesn't appear to be there yet

Cobra Museum

No worries g72s20

The mysterious owner may have been a bit mad, but she had taste, as she had a 240z as well!!!!!

see another write up here

http://www.saac.com/articles.htm#Coupe

Off topic a bit but do any of you guys know if the Pete Brock who was part of the Shelby design team for the Daytona coupe, is the same Pete Brock who raced Datsuns (BRE?) in the States ?

One and the same person. He was involved with Ford and Shelby prior to his involvement with Datsun. I actually met him in the early '70s at his shop in El Segundo, Ca. back when I had my first 510.

One and the same person. He was involved with Ford and Shelby prior to his involvement with Datsun. I actually met him in the early '70s at his shop in El Segundo, Ca. back when I had my first 510.

It's kinda weird that We have a Peter Brock in Australia that has been involved in motor racing for about the same length of time (early 70's to present day), but he drove Holdens.

Gav,

There is a real good article about your questions concerning restoration in the latest issue of "Vintage Motorsport" magazine. The article discussed two Porsche Gmund coupes that appeared at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion in Daytona, last April. One car is meticulously restored to perfection and is part of the Collier collection in Naples, Florida - Miles Collier's famous collection and museum. The other Gmund belongs to Jerry Seinfeld and could be described as restored with soap and water only. The original hammer marks in the body are very noticable, all the paint is original - damn near everything is still original. I have to say that it was as much fun looking at Jerry's car as it is looking at Mile's.

There is great debate in the restoration community about this very topic. Miles has a Porsche 917 in his museum that is as it came off the track at LeMans. The interesting aspect of the car is to see how beat up it is from 24 hours of racing. Other than that, it is just another 917. I think the main arguement is concerning the value of the car's history. All those dents and bashes represent a significant moment in history, and in the case of a winning car, how it looked when it won.

I think "unique" has something to do with it. Collectors strive to collect unique artifacts and the value from a collector's point of view has to do with appreciation of the unique. In many cases, especially with racing cars, unique involves the history of the car.