Quote:
Originally Posted by FUNFER2
The turd? Why, was it painted brown? lol
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According to the SAAC registry, Ken Miles dubbed it "the turd" as he expected the car to up and sh*t on everything at the track. The name stuck and the guys in the Shelby American shop called it the turd from then on.
CSX2196 has had a pretty interesting life. The car started as the 427 prototype which Miles crashed into the only tree at Sebring in March 1964. The car was raced once, but had several mechanical problems and wasn't competitive.
Next CSX2196 was transformed into a lightweight special meant to beat the Corvette Grand Sports, and this is where it got the flip-top bodywork you see on it today. The finished car weighed in at about 1800-lb and was powered by a 500-hp 390cid NASCAR motor.
The turd raced only one time, at the Nassau Speed Week in Dec 1964, where it blew away the competition -- including GT40s, 250 GTOs and 250 LMs -- opening up an 8-second lead in the first lap. But the engine failed and the car didn't finish. CSX2196 was kept for a short while by Shelby American as a test car before it was sold to a private owner.