Of the six Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes ever built, only one passed through the hands of the man who created them. That car, chassis CSX2300, will cross the block at Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions in August, with an estimate in excess of $25,000,000.
Why This Car Matters
The Daytona Coupe was built with a single purpose: to beat Ferrari’s 250 GTO for the FIA World GT Championship. Shelby American achieved exactly that in 1965, making the Cobra Daytona Coupe the only American-built FIA World GT Champion. CSX2300 was the third of the six completed, finished in late 1963 with a closed-coupe body designed by Peter Brock and coachwork by Carrozzeria Grandsport.
It made its competition debut at the 1964 Tour de France Automobile with Bob Bondurant and Jochen Neerpasch sharing driving duties. The car then played a direct role in the 1965 championship campaign, racing at Daytona, Sebring, the Nürburgring, and Reims under the Alan Mann Racing banner.
A Remarkable Second Life
What sets CSX2300 apart from its five siblings is what happened after the factory programme ended. It continued racing in Japan through 1968, appearing at Fuji Speedway and the Japan Grand Prix, the only Daytona Coupe to sustain an international competition career beyond Shelby American’s own involvement.
The car was later rediscovered by historian Michael L. Shoen, who brokered its sale to Carroll Shelby himself. Shelby owned CSX2300 from 1975 to 1998, commissioning a full restoration to its 1965 specification through Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey. During that period, the car appeared at major marque events including SAAC-9 in 1994 and the Cobra 30th Reunion at Sonoma in 1995, as well as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races.
A subsequent restoration in 2000 under owner Larry Bowman preserved the physical evidence of the car’s racing history rather than erasing it. In its current ownership of more than two decades, CSX2300 has remained active at premier European historic events including the Goodwood Revival, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Tour Auto, and Modena Cento Ore, with a most recent outing at Goodwood in July 2026.
What to Expect at Pebble Beach
Gooding Christie’s will hold its Pebble Beach Auctions across two sessions: Friday 14 August at 4 p.m. PDT and Saturday 15 August at 11 a.m. PDT, at the Parc du Concours in Pebble Beach, California. Public preview runs from Wednesday 12 August through Saturday 15 August, with general admission priced at $50.
- Estimate: In excess of $25,000,000
- Auction dates: 14–15 August 2026
- Location: Parc du Concours, Pebble Beach, CA
- Public preview: 12–15 August 2026
- General admission: $50
The full catalogue is now live at goodingco.com, where bidder registration is also available. CSX2300 is eligible for both premier international concours and vintage racing, meaning whoever acquires it can actually use it, as its current owner clearly has.
For a car that helped rewrite American motorsport history, and that Carroll Shelby chose to bring home for himself, the auction floor in August will be a genuinely significant moment.
