One of the most significant American race cars of all time is set to hit the auction block again soon and it’s not going for bargain basement prices. The real deal 1965 Shelby Daytona that Bob Bondurant drove to an international championship against the likes of Ferrari will be sold at a Mecum auction in Monterey, California, on August 15.

We had the good fortune to pilot a Factory Five Racing version of the Daytona, and even though it was not “real” we can vouch for the fact that sitting inside of a car that emulates the looks, sounds, and feels of the original is heady stuff.

Pete Brock designed the body, and as the story goes, the guys at Shelby all hated it. As you’ll read below, however, the new shape added 25 mph to the top end of the roadster.

Here’s the full release from Mecam Auctions:

1965 SHELBY DAYTONA COBRA COUPE TO HEADLINE MECUM MONTEREY AUCTION

MARENGO, Ill. – Mecum Auction announces the championship-winning 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe will headline their new Monterey Auction on Saturday, August 15, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa.

While the legendary Daytona Cobra Coupe did not meet the reserve at Mecum’s Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis, it has reached a post-auction bid of $7.5 million. “When the Championship Coupe ran its first race in February 1965, it did not finish. However, a few months later the car raced to a first-place finish and won the World Manufacturers Championship for the U.S.,” explained President Dana Mecum.

“We expect history to repeat itself as the Daytona Cobra crosses the block in Monterey to a victorious finish, setting a record for the highest price paid for an American automobile at public auction.”
Mecum’s inaugural Monterey Auction, which begins at 10 a.m., will feature 200 investment-grade vehicles, including exotic sports cars, classics and high-end collector cars. The Daytona Coupe is scheduled to auction on Saturday afternoon.

A truly significant slice of American race history, the Daytona Cobra Coupe was one of six cars built by Carroll Shelby to compete against the dominating Ferraris in the F.I.A. (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) World Manufacturers Championship GT race class. An experimental coupe body designed by Peter Brock was built on an existing Cobra chassis, immediately increasing the top speed by 25 mph. That car won its first race, the 1964 Daytona Continental (prompting Shelby to adopt the Daytona name), and five more coupes were built, including CSX2601. After competing at Daytona, Monza, Spa, Nürburgring and LeMans, CSX2601 made history when driver Bob Bondurant powered the car to a victory over Ferrari, clinching the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship for the United States and Shelby American on July 4 at Reims, France.

Bob Bondurant (driver) and Peter Brock (designer) will be onsite at Mecum’s Monterey Auction to be reunited with CSX2601. Auction cars will be displayed at the Hyatt Regency Monterey’s beautiful, centrally located site while the bidding arena will be staged in a 10,000-square-foot
ballroom. The auction is open to the general public.