Three months ago in Indianapolis, legendary driver Bob Bondurant, 76, was squeezed into the cockpit of the 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe that had made history on international racecourses.
A confidant of Bondurant’s leaned through the open window and massaged his shoulders to ease the tension of the bidding that might have led to the highest price ever paid for an American car at public auction. (That honor is held by a 1966 Shelby Cobra Super Snake, which brought $5 million at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2007.)
“It still feels good,” muttered Bondurant, who drove the Cobra to victory in the 12 Heures du Reims race on July 4, 1965, to capture the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile crown for the U.S. in the World Manufacturers Championship GT race class. It was the first American car to beat a Ferrari in Europe.
So the Cobra will headline Mecum’s auction on Aug. 15 in Monterey, Calif., and Bondurant is scheduled to be there alongside the car’s designer, Peter Brock.
The Cobra was one of six cars built by Carroll Shelby to compete against Ferraris. After winning the 1964 Daytona Continental, the Cobra competed at Monza (Italy), Spa (Belgium), Nurburgring (Germany) and Le Mans ( France) before clinching the championship in Reims (France).
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