The movie Ford v Ferrari reminded us of the legendary battle that raged between the two great marques back in the 1960s and the rivalry between the companies’ charismatic adversaries: Carroll Shelby and Enzo Ferrari. Blue-collar Fords rising up and taking on the aristocratic red Ferraris was a never-before-seen occurrence on the world’s racetracks and it cemented the legend of Ford and Carroll Shelby in automotive folklore.
The racing success of Ford, with the help of Carrol Shelby, is one of the most important stories of America’s (and international) racing success. The Shelby Cobra, Daytona Coupé and Ford GT40; these are the three icons that make up Shelby heritage cars today. Many companies have offered replicas of Ford’s legendary racecars over the years. However, as I walked into multiple powerboat and motor racing champion Peter Lindenberg’s workshop outside Malmesbury in the Western Cape, there was quite possibly one of the most significant Daytona Coupés this side of the six original racecars created by Shelby himself.
Lindenberg explains, “This is the first car Jimmy Price and Peter Brock worked on together to make sure these recreation cars are manufactured as close as possible to the legendary originals.” Peter lives and breathes all things performance. Apart from his success in Formula One boat racing in the ’80s and ’90s, he was an accomplished water-skier and held the world record for the longest barefoot water ski jump. Besides his efforts on the water, Peter has been racing cars for decades in everything from Group N to Wesbank Modified Saloons with great success. In more recent years, his Shelby Daytona Coupé – currently in the workshop receiving attention – has been a regular sight on tracks across South Africa in various historic series.
His life in racing started in 1978. Peter admits it wasn’t even a proper racing event that got him going: “Sigma Motor Corporation unveiled a Peugeot passenger car at the time and teamed up sports celebrities with motoring journalists for the launch. There were timed events on the track as well as fuel economy runs. We drove from Johannesburg to Maseru and I was paired with the motoring editor of the Die Burger. We won and that got me into racing… the late racing ace, Tony Viana, was watching us compete during one of the track events and thought I had some potential.” This and a lot of other interesting anecdotes will be revealed in an upcoming book written by our editor.
Most of Peter’s racing career has been in Fords and with the announcement that Ford would finally build right-hand-drive Mustangs for sale outside of America, Peter sat down with his family and decided they would try their best to offer Shelby products locally. A couple of years down the line, owning the Shelby licence in South Africa, the family recognised the opportunity to offer the heritage cars when they heard about the launch of the Ford v Ferrari movie.
Apart from the Ford Mustang performance kits they sell, they now offer the GT40, Cobra and Daytona Coupé in our market. Make no mistake, these are the most faithfully recreated cars of the sort anywhere in the world and each one receives its own number on the Shelby heritage registry as authentication. Lindenberg does point out, however, this is not the case with the MK I GT40, as Carroll Shelby was not involved in the development of that car.
It got me wondering how this unique relationship between Peter Lindenberg, Jimmy Price and Peter Brock even started. Lindenberg explains the foundation of their friendship was laid way back in the late ’70s. “Jimmy was racing OC-class hydro boats. Towards the end of his racing career, I started venturing into boat racing and that is how he and I met. Jimmy came up with the idea to manufacture the Shelby Daytona Coupé but never wanted to market it here. However, I asked him to build me an MK II GT40 and I was hugely successful with the car on the track in the historic Springbok Series. The relationship with Peter Brock was thanks to Jimmy. Then, last year, we were in talks with Shelby American about how we should offer the heritage cars in SA. The catalyst was when we heard about the movie, Ford v Ferrari,” muses Lindenberg.
Unlike purchasing a car from a dealership, the journey to buying one of these high-end recreations is much more personal. Should you wish to purchase, Shelby SA will put the deal together for you. The car is manufactured at Hi-Tech Automotive in Port Elizabeth and then sent to Shelby in Sandton or Cape Town. Most of the work is done at the factory but the engine, drivetrain, electrics and final touches are all installed by Shelby.
“It is up to the customer to decide which car they want and the exact specification. One customer might want a MK I GT40 with the 289 ci (4,7-litre) V8 engine because he wants a vehicle as close as possible to the original car. Another might want the 427 ci (7,0-litre) engine, while another may like to add the twin Holley carburettors that they had in the movie. Some customers don’t want carbs but rather fuel injection, so we do a 427 ci engine with fuel injection as well. On the Cobra there is a huge selection, from 289 ci to 302, 331, 347 and also the 427 ci,” he adds.
This bespoke element to the Shelby heritage experience means the cars are in effect tailor made, and enthusiasts keep their cars for a long time once they’ve designed, built and paid for them. This is proven by the fact that second-hand examples simply don’t come on to the market very often.
“They are rare vehicles, I think there are only around eight Daytona Coupés in the whole country, including these two in our workshop,” notes Lindenberg. Shelby SA takes care of all servicing and maintenance once the car has been handed over to its new owner. With the majority of cars produced by Jimmy Price and Hi-Tech Automotive destined for overseas markets; primarily the United States, it is fantastic news that these heritage cars are now available locally, too. As a prospective buyer, you can head to Port Elizabeth and see just how the cars are manufactured; which is not something you get to witness every day.
Pricing
All three heritage cars are available in any exterior colour you wish but the classic competition liveries are the firm favourites. Like any fast Ford, there’s a range of stripes to choose from and I can attest that the attention to detail at the Shelby workshop is impressive. As mentioned, there are several engine options – depending on your preference – as well as many variants of body styling, accessories and bespoke cabin features.
Cobra and Daytona Coupé: $43 000–$46 000* (R730 000–R780 000)GT40: $78 000–$84 000* (R1,3–R1,4 million)