Back when Ford was aggressive about its future in the “Supercar” business it made a new Ford GT and a new Cobra roadster concept car. They were not totally satisfied with the new Cobra roadster but were still interested in putting out another limited edition “Supercar” when the production run on the Ford GT ended. First shown in mock-up in 2004 the Shelby GR-1 has been on the auto show circuit ever since. What they did was use the basic layout from the new Cobra and put a sleek aluminum skinned coupe body on it pushing the engine and driving compartment well back, raked the windshield and made the car a fastback sculpted to end just in back of the rear wheels with a high Kamm effect tail.
If this all sounds somehow familiar it is because it is exactly the formula that Pete Brock used to convert a 1963 Cobra roadster into the Cobra Daytona Coupe. Although Brock had fewer good parts in his toy bin to choose from then today’s Ford engineers. It is an interesting, and a bit ironic, that Ford, who pressured Shelby into abandoning his international racing efforts with the Cobra Daytona Coupe to concentrate on their Ford GT and Mustang projects, would now be looking to a 21st century “Daytona” to replace the Ford GT. Henry Ford particularly disliked the Cobra Daytona Coupe because this “back of the garage” special cobbled together by three men from an antiquated chassis, small block Ford engine and hand formed aluminum body was routinely outperforming his multimillion dollar Ford GT40 that was put together by an army of Ford’s best and brightest.
But make no mistake the GR-1 not a reprise of the old Daytona by any stretch of the imagination. The original Daytona Coupe, of which only six were made, was a no frills pure racing car that was hot, noisy and could rattle out the fillings in your teeth. The GR-1 has things like a “Tire IQ system”, “Noise Reduction Technology”, a removable “MP3/Amp console”, speakers built into the seat backs, leather interior and “…the headliner and upper door frames are trimmed with a woven aluminum – metalized fabric that lightens the interior ambiance and heightens the slate grey tones of the leather and Alcantara trim…..” Not exactly the kind of car that Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant would have tooled around Le Mans in. On the other hand they would have really liked the 600+ horsepower V10 and the six speed transmission. Definitely a more civilized way to get to 200+ MPH.
Autoart has done a nice job modeling this “dream car” as all the key features of the show car seem to be present and accounted for. The fit and finish are up to Autoart’s standards which is to say they are excellent as is the silver with titanium stripes paint job. The inset “Ford” ovals on the nose and tail are nicely done and real screening is used at all screened areas a quality touch that always makes a big difference. The “butterfly” doors are a fun feature although they don’t easily stay open by themselves. Wheels and tires can make or break a model and these are nicely formed and finished with reasonable detailing of the brake calipers and rotors beyond. A peek under the hood puts you face to face with the big V-10 The level of detail is pretty basic but what there is is well formed and crisp. The interior seems accurate in layout from the photos of the real car that I’ve seen with some nice detailing on the doors and headliner.
Finally, if you are a Cobra Daytona Coupe fan or just like to collect models of “limited edition” cars this one will be a fun one to add.
-Frank Lemire