CSX2287, on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. Photo courtesy Simeone Museum.
Of the six Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupes built, chassis number CSX2287, the first constructed, may well be the most famous. The first car to make the National Historic Vehicle Registry, the Daytona Coupe earned its racing stripes in competition, set records at Bonneville, once belonged to music producer Phil Spector, and later dropped out of sight for nearly three decades before launching an epic legal battle over ownership. Today it resides in Dr. Fred Simeone’s collection at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, and Dr. Simeone is asking for your input on the car’s current and future condition. In his own words:
More gadget review in www.mamaktalk.comI have enjoyed the interesting discussion about CSX 2287 in reference to the other Daytona Coupes. The SA records show that shortly after it set 23 records at Bonneville it was painted and sold. There are no signs of any subsequent modifications except that Phil Spector ran the exhaust system out the back of the car rather than under the door. With house paint he also put some apocryphal letters on the door. Just a few years after it was sold, it was put in dry storage in California for 30 years. When it came out all we did was remove the letters, straighten some front end damage, and give it to an expert in Ford racing car restoration who put it on rotisserie, and went over everything required to make a safe driver, [though he replaced very little]. The car really was in good shape having had only racing miles and little subsequent use. Better condition tires of the correct type were added and we have found it reliable, potent and a pleasure ever since.
Basically nothing cosmetically has been done to the car since it left the factory and two subsequent owners had it for short time, Spector himself was not a car guy. So the question is, should we take it apart make it like new, like it was before it raced? The wood steering wheel is very worn the veneer is lost from drivers gloves. The valve covers are dull and imperfect, but we certainly can buy a new set of covers from Corvettes Unlimited. The writing on the dial faces is no longer crisp, but SW makes a new set. The wheels have lost their luster. They certainly do not have the bright white appearance as seen on some of the restored cars, but rather that dullness characteristic of exposed alloy. The crackle finish dashboard is chipped away from drivers flicking switches. The beautiful large rear window that Pete Brock so cleverly designed as part of the streamlined airflow, [yet providing proper rear view] is now a bit dull and scratched in a few places. The replicators can certainly supply a new one. The pedals are horrible. They still have the AC logo on them but show noticeable signs of wear. They would never be considered acceptable in a restored car. And of course there are signs of fading and exposure everywhere.
The question is should we bring this all back to the way it looked before the races, assuming it was prepared before each race to be close to perfect? Is there a place for a car which reminds the viewer that it was used in the past?
The car was designed by an extraordinarily talented hand and its superior features deserve to be presented in the best possible manner. Therefore, I would like to ask those interested parties whether CSX 2287 should be brought back to its original condition when it first raced (in Viking Blue), restored to look like the other five, or perhaps the way it looked before its last competition for SA (at Bonneville in 1965) where my pictures show it did not exactly look perfect.
Our Foundation is interested in running all of its cars, honoring history, and preserving originality. But we would like to learn what the rest of the community thinks.
