A 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe has made auction history at Monterey Car Week, selling for an astonishing $42,905,000 at the Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions. This makes it the most expensive American car ever sold at auction.
The car achieved a hammer price of $39 million, rising to $42.905 million after fees. That nearly doubles the previous record of $22 million, set by a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ.
What makes this particular Cobra so special is its history. Chassis CSX2300 was the only Daytona Coupe ever personally owned by Carroll Shelby himself and is one of just six examples built. Designed specifically to challenge Ferrari in international GT racing, the car played an important role in Shelby American’s historic 1965 FIA World GT Championship victory.
CSX2300 has been fully restored to its striking blue livery with racing number 12, matching its appearance at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1965.
In auction-related news, a one-off McLaren F1 GTR fetched a whopping $34.6 million! This is a new record price for a public auction sale of a McLaren F1, but shy of the off-market record.
Source: Gooding Christies
