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Shelby Daytona

Peter Brock · 1964

The Shelby Daytona is a closed-cockpit racing coupé derived from the Cobra roadster. Six were built between 1964 and 1965 to beat Ferrari’s 250 GTO in FIA GT-class racing. It won the 1965 International Championship for GT Manufacturers — the first American constructor to win an FIA World Championship title. Its aerodynamic body solved high-speed drag issues inherent in open-cockpit Cobras. It was not built for road use. It changed how GT racers approached bodywork — proving that focused evolution, not clean-sheet design, could deliver world-title success.