Carroll Shelby
1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe prototype · chassis CSX2287 · NHVR no. 1 · HAER PA-650
Photo details
Joyride serves Wikimedia Commons’ 1280 × 854 JPEG derivative byte-for-byte. Commons resized the 4322 × 2882 original; Joyride made no crop, retouching, generative alteration or vehicle reconstruction. No registration is visible.
Photo details
Joyride serves the 500 × 375 Commons JPEG byte-for-byte. No crop, resize, retouching or generation; a responsive frame may crop displayed edges. The identification portrait is separate from Sicnag’s CSX 2000 photograph.
The prototype that turned the Cobra into a world-beater
- Connection
- Builder and team association · not personal ownership
- When
- Built October 1963–January 1964 · competed 1964–1965
- Identity
- Individual 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe prototype · chassis CSX2287 · NHVR no. 1 · HAER PA-650
Carroll Shelby’s association with CSX2287 is documented through Shelby American, not inferred from a photograph. Shelby American says the faster coupe began when Shelby asked Peter Brock and Ken Miles to develop a more aerodynamic Cobra. The National Historic Vehicle Register gives the fuller team credit: Shelby American commissioned and built the prototype through the work of designer Brock, racing director Miles, fabricator John Ohlsen and chief engineer Phil Remington.
The register says CSX2287 raced in eight events across the 1964 and 1965 FIA seasons. Shelby American placed second in the 1964 manufacturers’ championship and won in 1965, with the Daytona Coupes providing much of that success. In November 1965 this same chassis was driven to 23 USAC- and FIA-recognized land-speed records at Bonneville. Those are team and competition records, not evidence that Shelby personally owned or drove this individual car.
CSX2287 was sold by Shelby American in 1966 and is now recorded by the register in the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum collection. The official record says the car was disassembled, repaired and partially restored in 2004 while retaining many period materials, components and finishes. That nuance overrides the licensed photograph’s shorter ‘only unrestored example’ caption. Coolsteve11 photographed the actual chassis on June 9, 2018; no registration is visible, and Joyride does not present the image as untouched 1964 condition.
Where the car went next
- October 1963–January 1964Shelby American builds the prototype
The register credits Shelby American and the work of Peter Brock, Ken Miles, John Ohlsen and Phil Remington; the story does not reduce the car to a one-person design.
- 1964–1965Eight FIA-season events
CSX2287 competed across two seasons while the Daytona Coupes helped Shelby American win the 1965 manufacturers’ championship.
- November 1965Twenty-three Bonneville records
The National Historic Vehicle Register records 23 USAC- and FIA-recognized land-speed records for this same chassis.
- 1966–present recordPrivate sale, then museum preservation
Shelby American sold the car in 1966. The current register record lists Frederick A. Simeone as owner and the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum for display and limited exhibition.
- June 9, 2018The exact prototype photographed
Coolsteve11 photographed CSX2287 in its preserved, partially restored form. The view establishes the individual car, not Shelby’s personal title or driving role.
Sources for this story
The National Historic Vehicle Register and Library of Congress bind the prototype to chassis CSX2287, NHVR no. 1 and HAER PA-650; Shelby American documents Shelby’s role in initiating the coupe program and credits Peter Brock and Ken Miles; the Simeone museum and licensed source photograph identify the surviving car. No personal ownership by Shelby, sole-designer claim, untouched 1964 condition, exact current running status, complete Cobra-family coverage, exact Joyride catalog link or compatible game representation is claimed.
- 1964 Shelby Cobra DaytonaHagerty Drivers Foundation · National Historic Vehicle Register · Registry record · reviewed 2026-10-06 · external source
Chassis CSX2287; NHVR no. 1; HAER PA-650; team credits; construction, competition, Bonneville, sale and preservation history; present museum custody and partial-restoration nuance.
- 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe PrototypeLibrary of Congress · Historic American Engineering Record · HAER PA-650 · reviewed 2026-10-06 · external source
The individual CSX2287 identity, Shelby association, 1963–1964 construction dates, competition and Bonneville significance, and retained historic material.
- The History of Carroll Shelby and Shelby AmericanShelby American · Current official history · reviewed 2026-10-06 · external source
Shelby’s creation of Shelby American, initiation of the coupe program, Peter Brock’s design role and the Daytona Coupe’s contribution to the 1965 championship.
- Cobra Daytona Coupe CSX 2287Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum · Museum record · reviewed 2026-10-06 · external source
The museum’s exact CSX2287 identity, prototype status, Daytona debut, Sebring class win, Bonneville record program and display context.
Reviewed
Why this is the actual car
- Photo identity evidence
The National Historic Vehicle Register identifies the prototype as chassis CSX2287, NHVR no. 1 and HAER PA-650 and records its partial 2004 restoration.
- Photo identity evidence
The Library of Congress HAER record independently identifies the documented object as the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe Prototype, CSX2287.
- Photo identity evidence
Photographer Coolsteve11 identifies the June 9, 2018 photograph as chassis CSX2287 at the Simeone museum and dedicates the image to the public domain under CC0 1.0.
The matching photographer, venue, date and vehicle history establish the identification; the chassis stamp is not visible in these photographs.