Historic Vehicle Association Makes History
This year’s Washington Auto Show was the site of a first for the automotive world: Historic Vehicle Association President Mark Gessler announced the first motor vehicle to be listed on the National historic Vehicle Register, the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, better known as CSX2287.
Through a partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, the HVA established the National Historic Vehicle Register to help document America’s automotive treasures, preserving their information as it exists today for future generations within the Library of Congress.
Vehicles are selected for the National Historic Vehicle Register using the U.S. Department of the Interior’s standards for heritage documentation. Eligibility will be based on the four following historical significance criteria: (1) association with significant events; (2) association with significant persons; (3) design or construction value; and (4) information value such as the first or last produced or among the best surviving examples.
Meeting all four criteria, CSX2287 proved the ideal first vehicle for the National Historic Vehicle Register. Designed by Peter Brock for Shelby American, Inc., CSX2287 was a groundbreaking prototype in both its design and focus on aerodynamics and, along with the subsequent Daytona Coupes, went on to capture the FIA International Manufacturer’s GT Championship in 1965. Following its retirement from the international scene, CSX2287 was sent to the Bonneville Salt Flats where a team including Craig Breedlove set 27 national and international land-speed records.
Since it was announced on Jan. 22, the National Historic Vehicle Register and the work of the HVA have been mentioned in a number of publications ranging from Hemmings Motor News to the Wall Street Journal. To learn more about the National Historic Vehicle Register, visit the HVA’s website at http://www.historicvehicle.org/nationalregister.
