The Fab Six

[Wmaker]

Clip of the occasion:

https://youtu.be/eRP7_YCrVEQ

https://youtu.be/DZqzYHux1yc

https://youtu.be/Qlhru1eh3cg

[Skuzzy]

Do you get to race much?

I get this way over vintage planes.

I am too busy building cars these days.  I have three major engine components to finish making before my first build is completed.  Then I start on the Wife's 62 Corvette.  After that is done, I am building a car from the ground up.  That one will take a while.

I would have been crying if I had the privilege of seeing that live.  The picture alone gave me goosebumps.  What did those drivers feel like as they pulled up to the start line?  I can only imagine.  How very difficult it would be to remain focused.  I am assuming that they ran them of course.  Did they?

Yes, they ran them.  The three day event saw the six Daytona Coupes doing high speed lap demonstrations for the crowd.


For those who do not know.  The reason the six got together was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the wins which garnered the World Manufacturers Racing Cup GT Class.

[Widewing]

I'm friends with the brother and son of Shelby's fastest driver, Dave MacDonald. Dave and Bob Holbert were the two guys who sorted the first Cobras and the first Daytona Coupe. Dave drove the Cobra to it's first race victory, and he and Holbert did likewise with the Coupe. Dave was killed in the 1964 Indy 500, or he would have been driving the GT-40s as well.

If you are a fan of the early Cobras, you should visit the website put together by Rich and Doug MacDonald as a tribute to Dave. It's fantastic.
http://www.davemacdonald.net/

Now, with the help of photographer Dave Friedman and a few others, let's throw up a few Daytona Coupe photos, some of which you've likely never seen.

Pete Brock with the first Daytona. It was the only one built in Shelby's Venice, CA garage. All others were built in Italy. Also, this car is in the OP's photo, center, back row.


The original wood frame body buck....


The first car being skinned....


Dave, Bob and Shelby with the original Coupe...


Early testing of the Coupe.


A fuel spill resulted in a fire that knocked the Coupe out of the 1964 Daytona Continental, while leading the field by four laps.


At Sebring, Dave and Bob drove the Coupe to 4th overall, and first in GT. Dave at the wheel in these photos.




Having lost Dave at Indy, Dan Gurney stepped into the car and it took 4th overall and 1st in GT in the '64 24 hours of Le Mans.


With one race to go in the 1964 championship season, the Cobras were just a few points behind Ferrari. The last race at SPA remained, and Shelby had entered the Coupe and five Cobra roadsters. Enzo Ferrari knew that the Coupe was much faster than his 250 GTOs. Moreover, the roadsters would be running close to the front as well. Thus, he demanded that the FIA re-designate the Ferrari 275LM prototypes as GTs, or he would pull out altogether. The FIA did one better and cancelled the race, handing Ferrari the Championship. Ford and Shelby were livid. They vowed to crush Ferrari the next year. When the 1965 season began, there were six Daytona Coupes. True to his word, Shelby crushed Enzo's GTs. It was laughable.

Here's a few shots of the 1965 Daytona Coupe teams cars....











Some videos....