how fast are the Daytona Coupes?

[Randall Thomas]

Anchor, I have had the opportunity to be involved with some amazing company in doing some careful research and indepth discussions with the builders and designers of the Superformance-Brock Coupe. However, once you begin discussing this particular car with them, I soon realized just how much more there is to this car than it just "happening" to appear like some vintage car of the 60's. As a matter of fact, that would be it's least important feature in comparison.

The aerodynamics of this car have been scrutinized in a fashion that would make NASA envy and a Winston Cup team smile. Peter Brock, who was responsible for the advanced aerodynamic leaps and bounds the original Daytona Coupe made in the 60's, was held back in a time before VCR's were even invented, yet look what he created. Now, 30 years later in a time when man going to the moon is "boring", Peter has learned a lot along the way and always wanted to build it "perfect" after all these years later. He and others applied this modern technology to "his" car that earned his name on the side.

With the active involvement of Bob Olthoff's incredible experience in driving and racing all these cars in the 60's along with his son Dennis's extreme experience in the modern cars along with Peter Brock at the drawing board not to mention SPF chassis designer Bob Negstad who was the assistant to Klaus Arning (head of chassis design for Ford) did the real pencil work on the GT 40's then ground breaking suspension.

I beleive they truly have outdone themselves. Oh and lest we forget the active involvement of Jack Roush in this project as well in the desgin process of the cars componenty. So in effect, both NASA and NASCAR influences are indeed a part of this car after all. Now add the meticulous perfectionism of Jim Price having a hand in making sure every single component on this car is perfect before release, and the result is something simply amazing.

Besides all this, I had inquired with Peter regarding the top speed of the Superformance-Brock Coupe, and what I discovered was very interesting. I was told that the aerodynamics of this car FAR outperformed the GT-40's that were so famous. Stability at 200 is reported to be very impressive. The new car made by Superformance is heads and shoulders above anything else that has been ever produced on this level and category.

So what is the top speed of this car? While they are confident that 200+ is no problem, I did ask about 210? 220? 230? And when it went to 230 what I got back was, "it's possible."And I might be able to leak a little previewe that the actual proof of that number being a reality may be officially laid down before too long.

But in the mean time, for an owner not wishing to hit the sound barrier, just driving it along at a mere 150 is very enjoyable, not to mention taking the wife out to dinner at a casual 65 mphon the freeway. something the vintage car could NEVER do. ;-)

/Randall