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Shelby Daytona Coupe – The Perfect Car, at the Perfect Time
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Photo: David Newhardt/Mecum Auctions
Photo: David Newhardt/Mecum Auctions
Shelby

Shelby Daytona Coupe – The Perfect Car, at the Perfect Time

Why the Shelby Daytona Coupe is The World’s Best Car Design

 Raffi Minasian

The Shelby Daytona Coupe is the best American car ever built. Maybe even the best in the world. I can say this with a fair measure of confidence as this is my 100th car design article for this publication! That’s just over eight years of articles evaluating the automotive design landscape, historically important cars, and why certain cars are exceptional and others forgettable. Which brings us to the beautiful, muscular, and commanding presence of the Shelby Daytona Coupe, a collaboration of grit, conceptual fortitude, and the courage of one of the most exceptional American car designers the world has or will ever know.

Photo: David Newhardt/Mecum Auctions
Photo: David Newhardt/Mecum Auctions

Numerous books, articles, and essays have been written about this car, but I am going to focus on the moment when conviction, risk, and talent converged almost serendipitously in Venice, California. A moment so perfectly timed and wedged into the fast-paced, high stress world of motorsports, that the unsuspecting Daytona Coupe would evolve, conquer numerous racetracks, and eventually become ensconced as an icon of motorsports history.

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Raffi Minasian
Casey M. Annis is the Founder and Editor of Vintage Road & Racecar magazine, as well as Editor of Alfa Owner, The Oily Rag and BMW Ultimate Classic magazines. He founded Parabolica Publishing in 1997 after a career in neurobiology. Along with his passion for automobiles, Casey is a long distance open-ocean paddleboard racer who’s competed over 10 times in the 32-mile Catalina to Manhattan Beach race and the 32-mile Molokai to Oahu race. Casey still contributes and writes about the world of vintage road and racecars and edits and curates the content for this website.
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