The Missing Daytona Coupe Mystery...

[fsstnotch]

This may be a repost. I searched but didn't find any mention of this! I was searching google and came across this ragged looking daytona. I HAD to check it out! Good story!

The Missing Daytona Coupe Mystery
January 14th, 2007

I think it is the strangest automotive story I have ever heard. I’ll try to lay it out for you.


Back in 1964 Carol Shelby was tearing up the tracks in the US with his Cobra roadsters. Nothing had a chance. But on the European tracks with longer straights it was a different story. The roadster aerodynamics limited its top speed and the Ferrari’s would clean their clocks. In 1965 Shelby was intent on winning against Ferrari. Because Ferrari was allowed to enter a special version of their road car it opened the door for Carol Shelby to do the same. Fortunately he had Pete Brock on his payroll and Pete had studied aerodynamic texts that the Germans had put together from years of research. Pete also had a great eye for form and with the help of the Shelby crew they designed the Cobra Coupe. It was fantastic and the chassis number of the first one was CSX2287. Six were made in all.

The design was so perfect it allowed Shelby to win against Ferrari, but Ford was intent on LeMans and wanted Shelby to devote his shop to the GT40. This left CSX2287 to get cleaned up and used on the public relations Cobra Caravan. It even spent some time on the Bonneville Salt Flats with Craig Breedlove and Bobby Tatroe setting 23 international and national speed records.



Then it dissapeared. It would take thirty years to turn up again.

Since Ford wanted Shelby to concentrate on the GT40, Carol put the coupes up for sale. The most he could get for any of them was about $4000 without engines and transmissoins. CSX2287 was sold first to Oscar Koveleski of Autoworld fame and then to Jim Russellof Russkit slot cars who converted it to street use (sort of) and sold it to none other than Phil Spector. Phil accumulated a lot of speeding tickets and also found the race car did not convert that well to the street, often becoming unbearably hot. Phil took it to a shop to see about further converting it to street use, but the mechanic told him it would cost tons of money and offered to scrap it for him for $800.

Now here is where the story gets a little screwy. Some say that Phil sold it to his body guard for $1000 in 1971. The body guard, George Brand, then gave it to his daughter, Donna O’Hara, who stashed the car and wouldn’t tell anyone where it was or even admit that she had it.

Donna got divorced in 1982 and she retained control of the car. In the last couple of years Robert Lavoie, an attorney representing Kurt Goss a childhood friend of donna’s, tried several times to buy it for half a million dollars, but she refused.

On October 22, 2000, Donna went under a bridge Fulerton, CA, with her rabbits and a couple of bottles of gasoline. She poured the gasoline on herself and lit it off. It took her 15 hours to die and she wouldn’t even tell the police who she was. She just told them to “Shut up”. It took over a month for her to be identified when friends reported her disappearance.

Goss claimed that she called him five days prior and told him that if anything happened to her he was to take care of her personal belongings. Goss said that she wanted him to have the coupe along with three other cars of hers. When he heard that Donna had died he contacted her mother and paid the outstanding storage charges expecting to remove the coupe. The owner of the storage center would not let Goss remove it without legal authority and Donna had no will.



Meanwhile Martin Eyears, a rare car dealer from Montecito, tried to close a deal with Donna’s mother to buy it for $3,000,000. Donna’s father suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and can’t help with the questions over ownership. So Martin decides to sell it to a collector on the east coast for $4,000,000.

Then Phil Spector comes out and says he still owns the car. Phil claims that he neither sold nor gave the car away, and that he asked Brand to put it into storage for him.

December 8, 2001, the legal battle ends. Kurt Goss has been determined to be the legal owner and Dorthy Brand is to pay him more than $800,000, since she sold the car. After estate and gift taxes Dorthy will end up with nothing according to her lawyer, Milford Dahl. I suspect the lawyer will pocket enough to put a couple of payments on that beach condo he owns in Malibu.

[Power Surge]

Old news, but still a great read!

[fsstnotch]

I figured it probably was. I didn't see it so I figured I'd throw it out there for those new guys to read anyways! Very interesting history in that car!!!

I haven't even started building HM1104 and I already want to build a coupe to park next to it! haha I've been bitten! BAD!

[eschaider]

Fsstnotch,

The story is right on from what I recall. Someone had posted it earlier bit it never hurts to add yet another posting. Something new always gets discovered.

Thanks for your service in Iraq. There's a bunch of us back here that appreciate your efforts beyond words. Come back safe!

Ed

[mrmustang]

"Da Bunnies" know the whole "Real(tm)" story

Bill S.
Official spokesman for "Da Bunnies" organization

[xlr8or]

And to think that for many years that car was just a few miles away from my house sitting and rotting.

[Excaliber]

I'm surprised some kind of book or movie deal hasn't come along yet. It's a compelling story.

[Michael C Henry]

When the story appeared in July 2001 Car&Driver pp102. I brought it with me to a vintage race up at SIR where Dan Gurney was featured. I had him sign the article. He and his wife had heard about this article but had not had a chance to read it . They tried to read it but their handlers made them move on. Later on a cruise Carrol Shelby signed it and criticized Dan's penmanship.
The car is featured on a DVD from Saratoga Automobile Museum "An Evening With Carrol Shelby"2005. In the vedio ,Carrol thanks the new owner for not restoring it.

[j galt]

FYI: On 7/21/07, after over 35 years of storage, the long lost Daytona Coupe CSX#2287 was fired up and run through the gears. It ran like a World Champion. Details of it's unique preservation (not a restoration) will be forthcoming on website www.racingicons.com

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

"Da Bunnies" know the whole "Real(tm)" story

Bill S.
Official spokesman for "Da Bunnies" organization

Bill,

You didn't tell me you were part of some secret organization. Can I join?

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by 1ntCobra

Bill,

You didn't tell me you were part of some secret organization. Can I join?

You need to do a LITTLE research on "Da Bunnies"(tm) organization and it's ties to the "lost coupe" first. When you believe you understand the inner workings of "Da Bunnies"(tm), then and only then can you be initiated into the inner sanctum For years men have been attempting to break into this elite organization with little to no success, attempt it at your own peril.


Bill S.

[1ntCobra]

You know, if "Da Bunnies" had something to do with the Terlinga rabbit, that might be cool.

But now that you mention it, perhaps "Da bunnies" are Donna's pet rabbits. I forget, did they watch her burn and lived, or did she make them extra crispy before she lit up herself. In that case I don't want to risk that peril.

[nikbj68]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

You need to do a LITTLE research on "Da Bunnies"(tm) organization and it's ties to the "lost coupe" first. When you believe you understand the inner workings of "Da Bunnies"(tm), then and only then can you be initiated into the inner sanctum For years men have been attempting to break into this elite organization with little to no success, attempt it at your own peril.


Bill S.

Is it true that Tom Hanks is filming "The DaBunnies Code" at the moment?

[PDHse]

j.galt, im certainly looking forward to seeing the pictures of the Daytona on the site you mention. Can you give us a heads up when that happens. Paul

[Mark IV]

Donna's bunnies got a little toasty!

Fear "Da Bunnies" dey is all powerful!

[John McMahon]

"DA BUNNIES MADE ME AN OFFER...I COULD NOT REFUSE.