Undoubtedly one of the most legendary cars to come out of the 1960s, the Shelby Cobra was an instant sales and racing success, especially in North America. But when Mr. Shelby set his sights on global domination in the FIA World Manufacturers Championship, it soon became apparent that the roofless Cobras didn’t stand a chance on the long straightaways of many European tracks.

The aerodynamic coupes built by Jaguar and Aston Martin soared past the Cobra roadster, prompted Shelby to ask his first employee, Peter Brock, to come up with a solution. The result was the even-more-famous (and valuable) Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, of which just six were built, and specifically for racing.

Limitations on engine size and power meant aerodynamics would have to play a key role in making the Cobra faster, and boy did they ever. At the time the Daytona Coupe was clocked at 190 MPH on some straightaways, an absurdly fast speed for a car of that size and engine displacement. The FIA-spec 289 engines were making just under 400 horsepower at the time, you must remember.

Brock’s design helped the Shelby Daytonas race neck-and-neck with the then-dominant Ferrari team, with the Italians one point ahead going into the final race of the 1964 racing season. Enzo Ferrari used his political sway to have that race cancelled, rather than lose to the upstart Shelby team, but in 1965 the Americans dominated the Manufacturers Championship, with Bob Bondurant securing the season win on July 4th, 1965 at Reims, France. This secured the Daytona Coupe’s place in history for decades to come.

It’s no wonder that auction houses believe that the next time a Daytona Coupe goes up for sale, bidding would start at $10 million.