The Incredible Patina Of Shelby’s First Daytona Coupe

Photography by Nat Twiss

At the Goodwood Revival, I was stopped in my tracks at the sight of an elusive beast: the very first Shelby Daytona Coupe, named CSX2287. Its history, in much-abridged fashion:

• Thanks to Peter Brock, the closed car was some 30 mph faster than the open Cobras.
• After an amazingly successful run in Europe, and a win at the 1964 Sebring 12 Hours, the car ended its racing career at Bonneville by capturing taking a number of speed records.
• Found its way to music producer Phil Spector, who used it as a daily driver around LA in the early 1970s.
• It was completely off the radar until 2001, until CSX2287 turned up in a storage as the barn find of the century.
• Still unrestored after all these years, it’s now a permanent resident of the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia. After lovingly refurbishing and reconditioning the car to run and drive, it’s now exercised on a regular basis.

Thanks to its wild past, it’s both acknowledged to be a cultural artifact in the U.S. and its Goodwood Revival appearance was the first time it’s been to Europe since it left more than 50 years ago. Here is a closer look at this icon of racing history.