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Topic starter
21/10/2026 9:56 am
The ultimate goal of every race car built is to win at Le Mans. Carroll Shelby's Cobra roadster was a brute able to muscle itself to the finish line in short curving race venues. But when it came to endurance races like Le Mans, its aerodynamic drag was its Achilles Heel. In this early Ford vs Ferrari contest it was Le Man's Mulsanne Strait that doomed the Cobra. Whereas the Ferrari GTO could hit the upper 180s, the Cobra was 30 mph slower which meant that the Cobra would lose 10 Seconds every lap. Shelby realized a more aerodynamic closed body would be needed and the design work was given to Peter Brock. The result was 6 Cobra Daytona coupes built through Alan Mann Racing LTD in Byfleet, England as Ford moved Shelby to oversee the GT40 program. The resultant design using the Windsor 289 V8 with 4X2bbl Weber carburetors that pumped out 380 HP giving it a top speed of just over 190 mph... perfect for Le Mans. In 1964, one of the coupes driven by Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant won Le Mans giving Ford its it first win over Ferrari.
This particular Exoto model is in the Swiss colors of Scuderia Filipinetti. In the 1965 Le Mans event, Shelby/Ford had used up their allotment of entries so they asked Georges Filipinetti to buy a coupe from Alan Mann Racing to run chassis #CSX2602 as a privateer. This car lasted 10 hrs before it had to retire with a blown engine. After the race, it was returned to Alan Mann Racing and repainted in Shelby American Team colors and never raced again.
This topic was modified 2 days ago 2 times by Rich Sufficool
21/10/2026 1:59 pm
...so glad you explained the paint, Rich.
The first thing I said, "Gee, I've never seen a red one before...." I always get a bit emotional whenever I see an Exoto Cobra Daytona; my best friend had about 10 of these when he passed away last year - but I bought his first one, as a gift, decades ago.
- Nice post Rich; we both like it. 😊 😇
21/10/2026 9:56 pm
Great images Rich. Gurney and Bondurant won the somewhat slower GT Class in 1964 coming 4th overall just ahead of the Ferrari GTOs. Quite an accomplishment.
Ferrari still took the overall win in 1964 with a Ferrari Tipo 275 P. Ferrari Tipo 330Ps came in second and third, a Ferrari hat trick.
This post was modified 2 days ago by David Green
22/10/2026 6:59 am
Rich, interesting back ground history. I could never afford the Exoto Daytona, so I setteled for the SC version.
Topic starter
22/10/2026 9:06 am
@grockwood Originally, the Exoto Daytonas sold for $99 a pop. That's when I bought them.
22/10/2026 11:25 am
When I had more money they had gone up to $150 +, and when they were $99 Toyrus sold ERTLs at $19.99.