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Old 11-03-2014, 10:43 AM   #3
CleanNeon98
TST Ruined My Life!
 
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Philadelphia
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I can believe that, and I love the 959, but IIRC there were only 6 of these built ever. I know one is at the Semione Foundation Museum by PHL Airport and it's actually the 1st of 6 made.





Chassis # CSX2287 - The Original
Chassis #CSX2287 was the very first prototype Cobra Daytona Coupe. The only coupe that was built entirely at the Shelby American race shop in Venice, California. It has an extensive race history, competing at Daytona, Sebring, Reims, Spa Francorchamps, Oulton Park TT, Le Mans and Tour de France. It was driven by Chris Amon, Dave MacDonald, Bob Holbert, Jo Schlesser, Phil Hill, Jochen Neerpasch, Innes Ireland, André Simon, Maurice Dupeyron, Bob Johnson and Tom Payne.

Chassis CSX2287 won the GT race at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 1964 with MacDonald and Holbert behind the wheel. The race at Sebring was the first time that a Cobra Daytona Coupe won the GT III category in an FIA race. At Le Mans in June 1964, the car was finished in Viking Blue metallic very distinctive white painted front fenders. The drivers were Amon and Neerpasch. They led the GT class until the car was disqualified in the 10th hour for an illegal jump start due to battery and alternator failure.

This coupe ended its racing career by setting 25 USAC/FIA world records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, in November 1965, while driven by Craig Breedlove, Bobby Tatroe and Tom Greatorex.

All trace of CSX2287 was lost by the mid-1970s, with car historians and collectors fearing the car had been destroyed. In 2001 the car was rediscovered in a rental storage unit in California.[5] The owner Donna O'Hara had committed suicide by burning herself alive.[6] The car had remained undiscovered for almost 30 years. Due to its estimated worth of over $4,000,000 the car was part of an extensive legal battle between her mother who sold the car to a collector in Pennsylvania, and a friend of Ms. O'Hara who was the recipient in her will of the contents of the storage unit. An earlier owner of the car appears to have been music producer Phil Spector who had been known to drive it on the streets of Los Angeles.[7] Built for high-speed sprints, the cab became uncomfortably warm as the car engine heated up, among other problems. "It wasn't a street car; it was a race car", Shelby said. Still, Spector drove it on the streets, and legend is that Spector racked up so many speeding tickets, his lawyer advised him to get rid of the car before he lost his license. This car was featured in "The Monkees" episode, "The Monkees Race Again" (aka "Leave the Driving to Us"), originally aired on February 12, 1968.

CSX2287 has been mechanically reconditioned and is on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. Jay Leno has been to the museum and video of him driving the car appears on his web site.

Museum Site: http://simeonemuseum.org/
Really great place to visit for any car buff also
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Last edited by CleanNeon98; 11-03-2014 at 10:47 AM.
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