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In the opening races of the 1964 the Shelby team had impressed many, including Willment, with their 'Daytona' coupe bodied Cobra, taking a class win at Sebring. Shelby built six cars for his own use, but Willment convinced the coupe's designer Pete Brock to send him the drawings. Some revisions were carried through to the design and then a coupe body was crafted from aluminium and fitted on a spare chassis with the help of Shelby engineer John Ohlsen. Compared to the 'original', the 'Willment' coupe has a sharper nose and a higher tail. Another unusual cue was the open rear window.
Painted in the familiar red and white Willment colours, the Coupe was completed in the fall of 1964. It was driven to a debut victory by Jack Sears in a 3 Hour race at Snetterton against strong competition including a lightweight E-Type and a Ferrari 250 GTO. Before the end of the season the car was raced twice in Africa, clinching one class win. Willment campaigned his unique Coupe throughout Europe in 1965 with mixed results. Sears finished second in the Sussex Trophy at the start of the season and scored the car's only win in the Guards International Trophy in the fall of 1965.
Willment sold the coupe to a Liverpool police officer, who raced the car at club events for many years. He eventually sold the unique racer to one of the Rothschild heirs. Early in the 1980s the car was sold to an American collector. The current owner acquired the machine in 1996 and today it can be seen in the Shelby American Collection together with the Le Mans winning Cobra Daytona Coupe. On a rare outing, it is pictured above during the 2007 Goodwood Revival where it was driven by Desire Wilson and Lyn St. James.
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Shelby Cobra 289 'Willment' Coupe
