Shelby Cobra Concept Headed to Auction for the Second Time

By Brett Foote - June 23, 2021

The running and driving Shelby Cobra Concept has only ever been owned by Ford and a Blue Oval engineer.

Back in August of 2003, Ford and Carroll Shelby announced that they were teaming up once again to create a new high-performance vehicle, which was a big mystery at the time. Turns out, project “Daisy” was a new version of the iconic Shelby Cobra and a follow-up to the 2005 Ford GT – a running, driving prototype officially known as the Shelby Cobra Concept. And now, it’s going up for grabs for the second time in its life at Mecum’s upcoming Monterey auction, coming August 12-14.

The Shelby Cobra Concept made its public debut at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, where it left quite the impression, obviously. Ford fully intended to produce this modernized version of Shelby’s iconic roadster, but alas, the economic recession that followed in the late 2000s put that plan on ice. The concept was then sold at a charity auction in 2017, purchased by none other than Chris Theodore – a former Ford engineer that helped create it.

Theodore has actually driven the concept quite a bit over the years, as it’s made an appearance at the track and on Jay Leno’s Garage. But now, he appears to be parting ways with it, which creates the opportunity of a lifetime for someone else. This is a very special car, a true one-off, and one of the greatest concepts in Ford’s illustrious history.

The Shelby Cobra Concept is powered by an experimental 6.4-liter aluminum V10 developed by Ford’s Advanced Powertrain group. It produces 605 horsepower, which flows to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted Ricardo 6-speed manual transmission. The concept rides on an all-aluminum space frame chassis, with front and rear independent suspensions from the Ford GT, Brembo brakes, and three-piece BBS wheels.

Thanks to that layout and a body made from double-wall fiberglass construction with a foam core, aluminum A-pillars, bumperettes with carbon fiber splitters, rockers, and rear diffuser, the Cobra Concept boasts a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. It also coddles the driver and passenger with a gorgeous-looking cabin filled with premium materials and more legroom than a Crown Victoria, surprisingly.

When it was complete, Carroll Shelby put 150 miles on the concept doing high-speed runs at Irwindale Speedway in California and came away very much impressed. “It turned out just beautiful, didn’t it? I’m very happy with the car,” Shelby said. “At 81 years old, how lucky can you get to be part of a continuation of something that happened 40 years ago? It’s going to be a real ass-kicker!”

Sadly, Shelby’s dream of seeing the Cobra Concept reach production didn’t happen, but at least one more person will get to experience its magic for themselves.