39 Million at public auction. Biggest number I've heard of that's been official, and public. Gooding Christie’s tonight at their Pebble Beach auction.

 

https://www.facebook.com/whatsmycarworth/posts/pfbid0sCADteUKfs9MsdbTLJjcKvYJkjyfUYGis3Xx6QekjCSm2BuNT2Qmaipwr11dyAL6l

does that Cobra Daytona trailer look way too nose heavy? Or just plain wrong? I got the instant reaction from seeing this that the trailer tongue is too low, the bumper hitch is too low, or something... wrong

The #2 Daytona and trailer on the left is easy to compare with the #1 Daytona and trailer on the right, which is level

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10231586479260726&set=gm.4344525732463593&idorvanity=1664188180497375

But I really am posting this because of the truck towing the trailer

A Factory Five with upgrades

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122110285814324377&set=pcb.4346027542313412

I am loving this shot Mike did

Tadashi Sakai, 1945-2001, one of the few to own and race a Cobra Daytona coupe, was a cinematographer and director of photography in movies in the 60s and 70s. This is CSX2300, the only Cobra to really continue its competition record past 1965, winning the most events outright out of all 6 original chassis.

Sakai made his debut at the "3rd National Stock Car Race" held at Kawaguchi Circuit on August 16th, 1964, and finished in 2nd place with a Nissan Cedric and also at the 1965 All Japan Automobile Club Championship Funabashi Tournament, which is also the legendary event where the late "Tojiro Ukiya" would make a name for himself, Sakai participated with the Corvette Stingray from NAC (Nippon Automobile Club) to which he belonged at that time with poor results. After that, Sakai's success after that was nothing short of remarkable.

At the 1969 Japan GP, Sakai teamed up with his friend Ginji Yasuda in a Lola T160, but broke down on the first lap. This year was also his first year in Japan Can-Am, showing up in a brand new McLaren M12 at the 2nd Japan Can Am 200 Miles event. The following years were mainly devoted to Grand Champion races, where Sakai was one of the most prominent figures on the scene. Being the first to take victory in a Fuji 500km event, part of the GC season, and even winning the entire championship in 1971. Sakai had by then long parted ways with Taki Racing Team, forming his own "Sakai Racing Team". He had imported another, brand new McLaren M12, a total monster of 700 horsepower, suited for the extreme Can Am series. In 1972, Sakai would return with the M12 to defend the GC Champion title, but unfortunately failed in doing so. After 1972 the M12 was retired in favor of the more affordable Lola, March and Chevron. 1973 would be the last year of Sakai's professional motorsports career, due to reasons unknown

he raced this Cobra Daytona Coupe in the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix

It should not be necessary to try and educate anyone on the swastika of Asia, but it has nothing to do with the German Nazi  party, neither does the early 1900s good luck Coca Cola swastika. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10230140073619229&set=p.10230140073619229&type=3

Tadashi Sakai also drove, raced, or owned a McLaren M12, a March, a Lola T70 and T160, and a 906

The 1966 Japan Grand Prix Car Race was the first major event to be held at the brand-new Fuji International Speedway.

The Japan Grand Prix had long been established as the biggest automobile race in Japan since the first running in 1963. However, participation was dwindling with each successive year. In 1966 there were just 16 entries. In 1967, that number shrunk to 13 – and only 9 actually started the race.

2-litre prototype sports cars like the Nissan/Prince R380 and Porsche 906 were the dominant force of the first two years at Fuji, and both cars were built to the standard of the FIA’s Group 6 regulations that were introduced in 1966. But there was growing concerns that the Group 6 ruleset was prohibitive for some manufacturers and virtually any prospective privateer teams. These restrictions would be further tightened in 1968, when the FIA introduced a 3-litre displacement limit for Group 6 cars.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757028

https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/Tadashi-Sakai-J.html

https://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/Fuji-1966-05-03.html

https://supergtworld.wordpress.com/2020/10/05/the-japan-grand-prix-at-fuji-chapter-i-1966/

https://www.mooneyes.co.jp/wildman/2011/0115/1101

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2422936021171647&set=a.1045846955547234

https://www.facebook.com/JPNHM/photos/a.111521517122516/387176549557010/

this post took 2 hours, because trying to find one race car, that only raced in Japan, by a non professional racer instead of some celeb like Shelby, Gurney, etc, is very unsatisfying. 

there is a book about this car, shocking to me https://retro-speed.co.uk/showbooks.asp?art=27811

Chassis number CSX2300 broke cover in late ‘64 and looked like winning the Tour de France first time out, in the hands of Jochen Neerpasch and Bob Bondurant. Sadly, the the engine cried enough. 

After only one race in Europe, CSX 2300 was shipped back to Los Angeles, where it was rebuilt and repainted Guardsman Blue with wider white stripes for '65. Allen Grant and Ed Leslie took 5th at the Daytona Continental, and a month later the same pairing pounded around the bumpy Sebring airfield to claim 13th and 3rd in the GT class. Back in Europe, CSX 2300 was repainted yet again, but this time in the white with blue center stripe and red edging of Ford France.

The 1965 season included Daytona - 6th overall (3rd in class), Sebring 12 Hours - 13th overall, and the Nurburgring 1,000kms - 12th overall. In the final event, the Reims 12 Hours, CSX2300 was entered by John Willment Racing and driven by Jack Sears/John Whitmore into 9th place overall and 2nd in class.

Sears and Whitmore, who impressed in the Reims 12 Hours, blasting around the fast road circuit through the night to take 2nd in class. The French race was the last before CSX 2300 was shipped home, where it was kept as a spare at Shelby American.

Eventually at the end of March 1966, the car was snapped up for $4,000 by Polish enthusiast Oscar Koveleski, who set up Auto World and helped to kickstart Can-Am racing. Koveleski didn't keep it long, selling swiftly to Shadow founder Don Nichols. In '66, Nichols was director of NASCAR racing in Japan, where he shipped the Daytona. Local hot shoe Tadashi Sakai couldn't resist the car and talked Nichols into parting with it.

In March 1966 it competed in the ‘66 Japanese Grand Prix.

Two years later Kazuo Myouchin entered it in the 1968 Grand Prix, where it finished in 11th position, beaten by mainly new generation Can-Am cars. 

After appearing in several enduros, the engine blew and the car was bought at one point with the intention of building a single-seater. Thankfully Shin Yoshikawa, a young Cobra fan, was horrified when he heard of the plan to chop up the Daytona. He managed to scrape together the $3,000 price to rescue it. Another problem arose when the student discovered that the Daytona's temporary import time had expired and, if not re-registered, it would be crushed. Unfortunately, such red tape required the car to be a runner so, after searching Japanese scrapyards, Yoshikawa found a tired Mustang Mach 1 engine, along with its automatic transmission. Once the paperwork was complete, though, he had no option but to sell it to help pay back everyone who'd helped to finance the project.

The story might have ended there and then, except rumors of the car in a used car lot spread to the States. Pete Brock talked to Shelby fan Mike Shoen, who already owned two of the six original Daytona Coupes, he got it and then sold the car to Carroll Shelby who acquired it in 1975, and kept it for 20 years. Long overdue for restoration, the Daytona was entrusted to Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey, and finally emerged from his L.A. shop in 1983

Shelby lived beyond his means, so he handed the papers on to Jim Spiro, who in turn sold it for a $4.4 M to Larry Bowman. In 2004, CSX2300 appeared at Goodwood Revival, where Christian Glasel fell in love with it, negotiated a price and drove it home. His sister Daniela Ellerbrock, and her husband Olivier, are the current custodians of Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe chassis number CSX2300.

ISBN 978-1-907085-42-0

https://retro-speed.co.uk/showbooks.asp?art=27811

https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/driving-the-shelby-daytona-coupe.html

https://www.facebook.com/JPNHM/posts/266672704940729

Too much of a hurry to make a u turn in traffic, causes a collision between the replica Shelby Cobra Daytona and some innocent car driver in Beverly Hills... I sure hope the Daytona wasn't on a sales test drive!

Thank you Lucian! 

There is a bit longer video that this was clipped from, https://www.carvibz.com/classic-cars/chrome-shelby-daytona-coupe-crash-in-la-is-going-viral-but-is-it-real/ has it. 

Surprise! I was out walking and that car was out from under the car cover, and it's got a brilliant license plate... and I met the owner

 He told me that his wife came up with the license plate, as every other possible Shelby vanity plate idea has been used. I like it. 

found a couple days ago, with the car cover on https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2022/04/seen-on-todays-walk-around-neighborhood.html

I'm no expert on Cobra Daytonas, but I don't think I ever saw one with the AC badge on it. 

So, ever wonder why a race car was getting shipped by a Navy LST? Steve did, and thank god he did all the home work to find out (and I didn't have to!) (thanks Steve!)

Originally laid down as LST–1115 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company of Seneca, Illinois on 29 September 1944, commissioned on 6 February 1945.

Powered by two 1,800-hp 12-cylinder EMD 567 2-stroke locomotive engines. (GM's EMD Division used this engine in their locomotives from 1938 until 1966 )


Commissioned in full as USS Pentheus ARL–20 (Pentheus was a king of Thebes in Greek mythology), one of 39 Achelous-class landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II.

Following shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Pentheus got underway for the Canal Zone July 15th

Crossing into the Pacific 26 July, she steamed on to Subic Bay, Philippines, arriving 17 October.

Pentheus off-loading pontoons in Subic Bay in October 1945.

She then engaged in repair work there until sailing for Pearl Harbor January 1946, from Pearl Harbor, she steamed to Johnston Island for two weeks prior to getting underway for Green Cove Springs, Florida and inactivation.

Arriving in April she decomm'd and was mothballed until struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 January 1960.

She was sold in 4 months later to Ships, Inc. of Florida, then registered by TMT Trailer Ferry, Inc., as the "TMT San Juan" of  Miami and transported race cars for the 1964 Nassau Speed Week among other things

Last record of the "TMT San Juan" she was carrying a shipment of Bedpans and Urinals from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan Puerto Rico on June 25 1976.

https://bangshift.com/bangshiftapex/1954-1966-nassau-bahamas-scene-one-worlds-coolest-racing-events-nassau-speed-weeks-wvideo/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thehenryford/sets/72157629416520269/



https://doyoulikevintage.postx2.com/post/183272155189/ferrari
http://airmanisr.tumblr.com/post/183431296005/doyoulikevintage-ferrari

Cobra Daytona

https://voiture-jaune.tumblr.com/image/160440423455

Daytona Coupes CSX2287 (#2) and CSX2286 (#1) at LAX, leaving the Shelby American facility

http://saacforum.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=02lcaiedigm4l798kh37hh1772&topic=27706.180

Goodwood paddock; #23 Jack Sears Shelby Cobra, #22 Phil Hill and alongside him, Dan Gurney in Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes

the 29th running of the classic at Goodwood on 29 August 1964

https://primotipo.com/2016/08/30/rac-tourist-trophy-goodwood-1964/

back when Vegas was cool, a casino made a racetrack, just to draw in customers and high rollers, just like they use golf courses now. Not a bad idea. The Stardust International

you can read about it, http://www.dragzine.com/news/flashback-friday-las-vegas-stardust-international-raceway/ but in a nutshell, the Stardust made a dragstrip and race track, in Oct 1965, but as soon as new owners took over the Stardust the track was out of the picture, and the land was sold to developers in 1970

The facility featured a flat, 3-mile, 13-turn road course and a quarter-mile drag strip.

The track was located in what is now Spring Valley Township in an area from Tropicana Avenue to Flamingo Road and bordered by Rainbow Blvd and Piedmont Blvd.

Stardust International Raceway, a 3-mile road course that from 1966-68 was the scene of a veritable Who's Who from the world of motor sports.

Gurney. Andretti. Jones. Both Unsers, Al and Bobby.

A.J. Foyt, Bruce McLaren, Denis Hulme, Mark Donohue, Chris Amon, Peter Revson, Gordon Johncock and Johnny Rutherford.

George Follmer, Jim Hall, Sam Posey, Lloyd Ruby, Joe Leonard, Gary Bettenhausen, Roger McCluskey, Art Pollard and Swede Savage.

No one knew it at the time, but they could have opened an auto racing hall of fame in the paddock.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/09/16/organized-crime-showgirls-and-the-best-race-car-drivers-of-their-time-the-story-of-las-vegas-stardust-international-raceway/
http://insideflipside.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=43_184&products_id=3281&zenid=..?r=1
http://lasvegassun.com/news/2003/may/22/stardust-memories/
http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/
https://revslib.stanford.edu/?f%5Bevent_ssi%5D%5B%5D=Can-Am+Stardust+Grand+Prix&f%5Bpeople_ssim%5D%5B%5D=Hall%2C+Jim
https://www.michelvaillant.com/forum/index.php?action=vthread&forum=10&topic=990&page=140#msg75272

Skip the first 7 minutes and 30 seconds to get to the start of the race

what would you trade for pit passes to the 1965 Daytona Continental 2000km, and the Cobra Daytona garage?

https://revslib.stanford.edu

I wonder if billionaires look at the rare race car they own, and say to themselves, "Don't wreck it"

one of the 7 original Cobra Daytonas

or do they ignore such sentimental thoughts, and figure they can buy another? This was the result of one of the owners of Wal Mart going into turn 6 at Laguna too fast for his talent

https://www.facebook.com/Looking-Back-Racing-287052644748245/?fref=photo

incredible racing car photo of the month, the Cobra transporter of Alan Mann racing

Found on https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MikeCorrera1/posts/TLho8KT5Dgn

the best there ever were?

Found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/1631935880418477/

Peter Brock and the Daytonas.. he was interviewed at Goodwood and it's very interesting

When Le Mans was over Carroll didn’t really care about the cars because he was involved with the GT40 programme by then. So one day the tax men visited Alan Mann’s workshop and said “okay, we’re going to have to collect the tax on these cars. That, or they have to be out of the country in two weeks or we’re going to fine you.” So telexes went back and forth to America, but nobody was really paying any attention. Anyway the tax men came back and said “okay, we’re going to take these cars, put ’em on a barge out to the North Sea and dump the lot overboard.” Well that finally got the attention of the folks in California, but the only reason they decided to ship the cars back was because that turned out to be cheaper than having the UK government sink ’em! That’s how little value the cars had at that time. Nobody cared about them at all.’

was each car they built an improvement over the previous one? ‘No, they stayed pretty much the same. We made a few minor mechanical improvements. The starter motors would vibrate apart at first, so we ended up packing them with plastic which cured that.’

It turns out that after Bonneville, where it set 25 new speed records, it returned to Shelby in Los Angeles and "was in such a mess when it came back. It was caked in salt after running for 12 hours, the headlights were falling out, the doors were broken… it was horrible! Carroll came down, looked at it and said “Oh man!” then he asked around the workshop “anybody want this thing? We’re gonna junk it. How about eight hundred bucks?” We all laughed and walked away …’

full story at https://grrc.goodwood.com/goodwood-revival/turning-down-a-daytona-coupe-for-800-and-almost-dumping-the-lot-into-the-sea-with-peter-brock#1R2177RC2hoQx0Rz.97

All six Shelby Daytona coupes at Goodwood, one from Japan, one from Argentina, one from Germany and three from North America. Incredibly in the 50 years since their inception they have never all been together before – and may never be again.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/goodwood-revival/11860620/2015-Goodwood-Revival-Recreating-the-Shelby-magic.html

https://twitter.com/goodwoodrevival/status/642344231701487616

http://www.chichester.co.uk/news/local/goodwood-revival-video-watch-all-six-shelby-daytona-coupes-ever-made-in-action-1-6953907

the fork lift assist

found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/505973489414476/?fref=nf

a variety of great dragsters and other cool car stuff from Stiffspeed's 2014 posts

you might not realize why I dig the above image...  Ed is in one of his Weird Os sweaters I've posted so many of http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/01/roth-monster-shirts-and-goodies-from.html and http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/01/meet-gang-at-roths.html

I've never seen a Vespa dragster before. Topolino and Bantam, even bucket T, but not a Vespa... thanks to Kim for this link http://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/2012/04/small-and-mighty-the-vespa-400-microcar.html

here's another link to what they looked like: http://khooll.com/post/21387664835/the-vespa-400

it's so rare that a photo of a dealership shows up from the late 60's that looks cool

Big Willie and Tomiko in a photo I've never seen before

Hurst's USO tour girls and Jeep

I'd like to know how he engineered that portable crows nest, and I'd love to make one for a lot of events

429 Boss Cougars

See a lot more good stuff at http://stiffspeed.tumblr.com/