By Dean Larson

Photos courtesy of Fast Lane Classic Cars

The 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe was a handcrafted and purpose-built racing machine that occupied only a small instant in Ford racing history. The Daytona Coupe came into existence when the guys at Shelby-American needed a way to improve the top speed of the Shelby Cobra Roadster to compete with the Ferrari 250 GTO. The Daytona was designed as a side project at the Shelby garage and was not heavily backed by Ford. Only six original Daytona Coupes were produced and these cars clinched Ford numerous class wins and records, and made Shelby the first American producer to win a division of the FIA World Sportscar Championship.

Because only six Daytona Coupes were produced under Shelby, they are rarely offered for sale and would probably be valued north of $8 to $9 million. (CSX2601 sold for $7.25 million in August 2009) An intriguing history and ultra-low production numbers make the Shelby Daytona popular among kit and continuation car customers.

This 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe offered for sale by Fast Lane Classic Cars Inc. in Saint Charles Missouri is not your average Daytona Coupe replica. Starting out life as a standard fiberglass Shelby Coupe, the car was then bought by a man named Dan Rose who had subtle changes performed on the bodywork. A quick internet search does not reveal any telling information on the car’s coachworkers, but the exterior of the Daytona is reported have excellent fit and finish and clearly photographs well.

This Shelby Daytona sports a set of Trigo FIA-style wheels that look right in a raw, blasted finish. Carroll Shelby himself planned to build an improved Daytona with a Ford 427 ci before he was pressured to focus on the GT40. With the goal of an evolved Daytona, this example features a Ford 427 with the original $9,500.00 build sheet. The car sends its 525 bhp through a Tremec five speed and into a 9” Detroit Locker rear end. With just 2,295 miles on the clock, this Shelby is barely broke in.

The designer of this altered Daytona, Dan Rose, has documented communication between himself and Peter Brock, the creator of the original Daytona at Shelby American. In these emails, Brock and Rose talk over the design changes and Brock is impressed and honored by Rose’s work.

The front end of the Dan Rose Special features a lowered nose with driving lights occupying the larger opening instead of the smaller, circular ones. The exposed rivets along the hood are an edgy touch, but fit for a hand-built racer.

This Daytona has also had its spoiler removed, accentuating its drastic “Kammback” aerodynamics. The door windows on each side extend into the B-pillar much farther than the original, which Peter Brock says would have been advantageous to the original racers. It can also be seen that the exhaust collectors merge into one side pipe while the original had two.

The “Dan Rose Special” 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe can be found on the Fast Lane Classic Cars inc. website. At $79,995, this Daytona is in the lower middle of the replica Shelby Coupe market. Is this well executed altered Daytona worth as much as a faithful example? Buyers will have to be the judge of that, but we think it’s a fantastic tribute to a road racing icon.