The Cobra was one of six cars built by Carroll Shelby to compete against the dominating Ferrari in the F.I.A. (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) World Manufacturers Championship for GT race class.
An experimental coupe body was built on an existing Cobra chassis, immediately increasing the top speed by 25 mph. That car won its first race, the 1964 Daytona Continental (prompting Shelby to adopt the name), and five more coupes were built, including the one up for auction, named CSX2601.
After competing at Daytona, Monza, Spa and Nurburgring, CSX2601 made history when it clinched the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship for the United States on July 4 in Reims, France.

Legendary driver Bob Bondurant drove the car to victory .
He said: 'I won a lot of races with this Daytona Cobra Coupe, but when I crossed the finish line at the Reims race track I yelled "Yes!".
'It was a fantastic feeling. I always wanted to race in Europe against the world's best drivers. Winning that World Championship was the crowning achievement of my career. I think it's wonderful that the car is being showcased 40 years later.'
The car was also used for many years by a North Dakota businessman, who drove the car to and from his six gas stations, clocking up 300 miles a day.
It was also leased to Paramount Pictures for use in the Howard Hawks film 'Redline 7000'.