SHELBYDAYTONA
One unforgettable silhouette. A Factory Five coupe, and the aerodynamic idea that helped rewrite GT racing history.
It has the shape of a legend. The story is in the details.
IT was a ‘hold my beer’ moment when Alfredo’s Daytona Cobra coupe rocked up fashionably late to a cars and coffee event, (although at that time of the day it was coffee – not beer). Knowing there were only ever 6 Daytona’s made and they are worth stupid money, it had to be a replica. But when you see something like a Daytona in the flesh, whether or not it’s a replica, is irrelevant.
“When I saw this one, I just thought ‘I have to have it. I’m going to have a lot of fun owning this”. He laughs. “I didn’t even know they existed until I visited Shelby American in Vegas”, he explains. The Daytona on display at the time was part of the continuation project and was a bare aluminium. “It looked incredible”, he recalls. “I don’t think I would ever buy the convertible version (AC Cobra) – I like them, but I’m just not a convertible kind of guy.”
His Factory Five Daytona was imported from the states in 2007. It has a period correct 302 Windsor V8, Trick Flow top end aluminium heads, EFI, Tremic TKO 500 5-speed hi speed and an 8.8-inch Mustang diff. It was first registered to Tony Stark (how cool!) in 2011 and to the best of Alfredo’s knowledge, five kits in total were brought over to be built, but only two others have been registered.
We’re briefly interrupted by the inevitable shake down from a security guard. He is easily placated by a selfie in the driver seat of the Daytona and leaves with a jovial – “Don’t do any burnouts will ya.”
We chat car history and lament the mutual loss of our WRX’s – me, a 98. Alfredo, a 2005 EVO club spec. A succession of Euro cars followed for him, but his inner mullet was calling and the desire to own a muscle car was becoming stronger. “I wanted a two door, right hand drive Australian car. When I saw the Mustang at the dealer launch, I just had to have it. I didn’t need another car, but I signed up that day”. (The initial waiting list was 12 months). The day we meet for the shoot he has just said farewell to a custom two door XP Falcon coupe. “It was sad to see it go but sadder to see it sitting there unused in the garage now that I have this.”
ALFREDO'S CAR / NOT ONE OF THE SIX ORIGINALS
“I just thought, ‘I have to have it. I’m going to have a lot of fun owning this.’”
ON FIRST SEEING THE DAYTONA
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Built around
the feeling.
Photography by Nathan Duff. Words by Nathan Duff and Silodrome. Shelby Daytona, Volume 3.
