They Threw Away the Car That Beat Ferrari — Ken Miles Never Forgave Them

The Shelby Daytona Coupe that beat Ferrari was thrown away — the Ford 289 Shelby Cobra secret Ken Miles believed could win Le Mans, and why Carroll Shelby never forgave Ford vs Ferrari and the Ford GT40 betrayal. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: — How a cheap Ford 289 Windsor sedan engine became a rev-happy race weapon — Why the Shelby Cobra hit a 160 mph wall of air and Ferrari GTOs drove away at Le Mans — How Ken Miles and Peter Brock's ugly Kamm tail made the same 289 hit 180+ mph — Why Riverside Feb 1 1964 proved the coupe was 3.5 seconds faster overnight — How a pit fire at Daytona and a disqualification at Le Mans robbed sure wins — How Shelby Daytona Coupes won America's first FIA world championship in 1965 — Why Ford killed the champion to chase the GT40 and left the big-block coupe unfinished — How Le Mans 1966's staged photo finish cost Ken Miles the Triple Crown weeks before Riverside killed him, and why chassis CSX2287 is now a $42.9M treasure Everyone knows Ford vs Ferrari 1966. This is the prequel — the war was already won by a car most people never heard of. The Ford 289 started as a tiny Fairlane V8 in Windsor. Ford opened the bore to 289 in 1963. Short stroke. It loved to rev. The K-code made 271 hp and powered the Shelby GT350. Carroll Shelby put that Ford into a light British AC body. The Cobra dominated tight tracks but hit a 160 mph wall on Europe's fast circuits. Ferrari GTOs walked away. Under GT rules he could not add power — he had to make it slippery. Peter Brock designed a Kamm-tail coupe. Veterans called it ugly. Ken Miles backed it. Over a wrecked Cobra chassis they built it by hand in three months. At Riverside on Feb 1 1964, Miles ran 3.5 seconds a lap faster than the roadster. Same engine. Named the Daytona Coupe, it led the 1964 Daytona 2000km by 4.5 laps before a pit fire. At Sebring, CSX2287 won GT class — first Daytona Coupe FIA win over Ferrari. Only six were built. At Le Mans 1964 it led until a failed alternator and illegal jump start got it DQ'd while leading. In 1965 Cobra Daytona Coupes beat Ferrari for the FIA GT Manufacturers title — first American FIA world championship. Then Ford shifted everything to the GT40. The champion was axed. Miles poured into the GT40, won Daytona and Sebring 1966. At Le Mans Ford staged a photo finish. Miles had led by a lap and a half — the win went to the other car. Two months later at Riverside testing, Ken Miles was killed at 47. CSX2287 later sold for $42.9 million — the car Ford threw away. 1965 was the payoff. Cobra Daytona Coupes beat Ferrari for the FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturers — the first time an American manufacturer won an FIA world championship. In November 1965 CSX2287 with Craig Breedlove and Bobby Tatro shattered over 20 land-speed records at Bonneville. Same shape, same 289. Then the betrayal. Ford gave Shelby the GT40 — mid-engined, big-block, built to win Le Mans outright, not just the GT class. All money shifted. The car that had already beaten Ferrari was axed. Even Shelby moved on. Miles and Brock never did. Miles believed the Daytona still had more potential, even a big-block evolution that was started but never finished. Was Miles right? Did Ford abandon its greatest weapon? Tell us below. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Car That Beat Ferrari Was Thrown Away 01:30 A Cheap Sedan Engine That Wanted to Rev — The Ford 289 Windsor 03:34 Carroll Shelby's Simple Idea — British Body + American V8 05:01 The 160 MPH Wall — Why the Cobra Couldn't Beat Ferrari 06:43 Ken Miles — The Tank Commander Who Felt the Fix 09:48 Peter Brock's Ugly Kamm Tail Nobody Believed 14:00 Riverside Feb 1 1964 — 3.5 Seconds Faster Overnight 16:07 Daytona 2000km 1964 — Led by 4.5 Laps Then Fire in the Pits 19:51 Sebring to World Champion — First American FIA Title 1965 22:27 Betrayed for the GT40 — The Big-Block Coupe That Died Unfinished 25:46 Le Mans 1966 — The Staged Finish That Stole the Triple Crown 27:20 Riverside Testing — The Crash That Killed Ken Miles at 47 29:51 Bonneville Records to $42.9M — Why CSX2287 Is Now Priceless If you want the true Ford vs Ferrari stories with receipts — myths out, history in — subscribe and ring the bell. This is Rare Car Storys, where outlaw engineering gets its due. Join this channel to get access to perks: @rarecarstorys #FordvsFerrari #ShelbyCobra #FordGT40 #ShelbyDaytonaCoupe #KenMiles #CarrollShelby #Ford289 #LeMans #LeMans1966 #DaytonaCoupe #RareCarStorys #MuscleCarHistory #ClassicCars #SmokeyBelongs