The most important weekend of any car collector’s calendar is August 14 and 15, 2026, when Gooding Christie’s hosts the renowned Pebble Beach Auctions at the Parc du Concours in Pebble Beach, California. In Gooding Christie’s curated catalogue, car aficionados will discover over 160 classic and contemporary cars, from Steve Winwood’s 1973 “Chairs and Flares” Ferrari Dino to extraordinary hypercars like the Bugatti Chiron Sport. Gooding Christie’s selection always features prestigious examples of automotive history, craftsmanship, and horsepower, but this year the auction house has the honor of auctioning a true American racing icon. The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, the leading example of American automotive innovation and racing heritage, will come up for sale at Pebble Beach with an estimate in excess of $25 million.
The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe was the vision of Carroll Shelby, the legendary race car driver who won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. After his racing career ended, Shelby was inspired to develop a sports car in America that could challenge the European champions. He founded Shelby American in the 1960s and introduced the Shelby Cobra, a lightweight roadster powered at its heart by a Ford V-8 engine. American designer Peter Brock optimized the Shelby Cobra’s sleek body with aerodynamics in mind, and the result was the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe.
This Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, CSX2300, was the third of six examples constructed, completed in November 1963. Though conceived and engineered in America, its body was finished in Modena, Italy, by Carrozzeria Grandsport – just up a short distance from Ferrari, the very marque Carroll Shelby was determined to defeat with his Daytona Coupes. In 1964, CSX2300 made its competition debut at the final round of the 1964 FIA GT World Championship held at the Tour de France. Off to a resilient start, it won two stages before ultimately having to retire early from the event. It wasn’t until the following year that the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe achieved its defining victory over Ferrari by securing the 1965 FIA GT World Championship on the patriotic date of July 4, 1965 in Reims, France. This Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe CSX2300 came in ninth overall and second in class.
“I don’t believe that anything in my own racing career, including winning LeMans, was more gratifying than winning that championship,” said Carroll Shelby. “I am particularly proud that it was our car that gave the United States its first international manufacturer’s championship.”
After the 1965 racing season, this Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe was acquired by Don Nichols, who would later gain international recognition by founding the Shadow CanAm and Formula One racing teams. Nichols was involved in racing in Japan and brought CSX2300 to Japan where it was the only Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe to continue its racing career with Shelby American.
In a full circle moment, the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe CSX2300 was later acquired by Carroll Shelby in 1975. This was the only one of the six Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes that the visionary behind the car personally owned. Shelby had the car completely restored to its former glory and kept it in his collection for over 20 years. A later owner then completed a second restoration in 2000, sensitively honoring the car’s illustrious racing past, and it has been exhibited at historic car events over the past two decades.
Now, this Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe will headline Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions this August. Its iconic body, with its famed Guardsmen blue livery and white racing stripe, is a significant emblem of racing history. Combining American ingenuity with a true champion pedigree, this Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is the ultimate collectors’ centerpiece and is eligible for vintage races and premier international concours.
“The consignment of this Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe—the only American-built FIA World GT Champion, and the sole example of the six produced to later be owned by its creator—represents the pinnacle of American automotive achievement,” said David Gooding, President of Gooding Christie’s, in a press release. “This is a truly generational opportunity to acquire one of the most significant competition cars ever built.”
Discover this extraordinary American racing legend and more distinguished cars at Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions held at the Pebble Beach Parc du Concours on Friday, August 14, at 4:00 p.m. PDT and Saturday, August 15, at 11:00 a.m. PDT. View the Online Catalogue and Register to Bid.
