Written by: Nick Nehrir

Photos by: Ted7 Photography

This Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, CSX9126, was ordered with the following factory options: Navy paint with Black stripes, Black 1/2 cove, Dynamat sound deadening and heat dissipation materals, and chrome grilles to be color matched black.  The owner’s intent with the car was to give it a different vibe, a modern look on a nostalgic car. 

“My wife and I have thrown around terms to try and describe the look of this car and they include sinister, stealth, bruiser, dark-side, etc. I just wanted it to appear more "badass" than many of the other Daytonas I had seen. I'm pleased with the result,” says owner, Dan Duerner.

To complete the look, the hood and side sill grilles were painted in gloss black along with the Shelby pin drive wheels.  To contrast the gloss, the sidepipes, knockoffs, and side view mirrors were painted in flat black.  Small bits of chrome are still present, such as the washer sprayers, headlight and taillight rings, hood latches, gas filler, and axle caps.

The interior was mostly left factory.  “The seats are stitched only with the CS Shelby logo, eliminating the 2nd line ‘9000 Edition’.  The CSX9126 on the dash plate is all I needed in the way of authenticity,” said Duerner.

Moving this Coupe down the road is a 427CI Windsor stroker motor, custom built by Tom Lucas of FE Specialties in Auburn, CA.  “Tom is a well-known engine builder here in Norcal. Many ‘Cobra guys’ up here will tell you he's one of the best around.  He specializes in Ford FE big blocks, thus the name, but builds quality motors regardless of size or brand.  Plus, he's a great guy to work with and he asks the questions needed to know just what a customer is expecting, not just how much horsepower do you want,” Duerner said. 

Engine details are: Dart SHP 4 bolt steel block, Scat crankshaft & rods, Mahle pistons, Competition Cams roller cam, roller lifters and valve springs, T&D rocker arms, Smith Bros pushrods, Melling HV oil pump, Aviaid oil pan & kit, Edelbrock water pump, balanced Mcleod flywheel, AFR 205 Renegade aluminum heads ported and matched by Tom to an Edelbrock polished Air Gap RPM intake, polished/black Holley Ultra aluminum 850 cfm carb, MSD Pro Billet Distributor, MSD coil, Taylor 409 wires, Pentroof aluminum valve covers with Cobra 427/Ford Racing logo and an AFE Power high flow washable air filter with chromed drop base to attempt to help the air gap manifold fit under limited Daytona hood clearance.  The engine produced 611HP at 6200RPM and 569TQ at 4300RPM on the engine dyno.

Translating all that into useable power is a McLeod clutch inside a Quicktime bellhousing, bolted to a Tremec TKO600 with the .82 5th gear and a Jordan shifter to help row through the gears.

To help keep it manageable on the ground, Nitto NT555 in 245/40 are wrapped around the front 18”x8” wheels and 295/45 wrapped around the rear 18”x11” wheels.

For final drivetrain installation, the rolling chassis, drivetrain, and all other components were taken to Voss Performance in Fullerton, CA for owner Erick Voss to work his magic make this car breathe life.

Please visit our Facebook page to see the complete photo album for this Coupe.