Hot Wheels – Shelby Cobra “Daytona” Coupe | HW Race Day

Description

The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe was built with a singular purpose in mind, to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. After winning the World Sportscar Championship as a driver for Aston Martin in 1959, Carroll Shelby set his sights on winning as a constructor with an American car, and turned to designer Pete Brock to reshape his open topped AC Cobra into a coupe capable of far greater top speed on Le Mans’ long Mulsanne Straight. Powered by a 4.7 litre V8 producing around 390 horsepower, the resulting Daytona Coupe was faster and more aerodynamic than the standard Cobra roadster it was based on, with only six examples ever built.

The Daytona Coupe delivered on Shelby’s ambitions in dramatic fashion, taking class victories at both the Daytona and Le Mans endurance races in 1964, and going on to secure the FIA GT World Championship for Shelby American in 1965, becoming the first American manufacturer to win a major international racing championship. One example, chassis CSX2300, later became the only Daytona Coupe personally owned by Carroll Shelby himself, and the original prototype was named the first vehicle inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register, with its documentation permanently archived in the Library of Congress. Today, surviving examples are considered among the most valuable and historically significant American race cars ever built.

Hot Wheels brings this legendary American endurance racer into its HW Race Day series, finished here in a bold Blue and orange livery inspired by the famous Gulf Oil racing colors. It is worth noting that the real Daytona Coupes never actually raced in Gulf livery during their period of competition, since that scheme is most closely associated with cars like the Ford GT40 and Porsche 917 from a slightly later era of endurance racing. This casting instead pairs the Daytona Coupe’s low, sleek fastback silhouette with one of motorsport’s most iconic paint schemes purely as a stylistic tribute, giving collectors a visually striking take on the car at 1:64 scale.

Why You Should Own It?

• Represents the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, an American Le Mans and championship winning legend
• Part of the Hot Wheels HW Race Day series
• Eye catching Blue and orange Gulf inspired livery as a stylistic tribute
• Represents a genuinely rare and historically significant race car, with only six built
• Great pickup for American motorsport, vintage racing, and Shelby themed collections
• Durable die cast metal build with authentic Hot Wheels detailing