Larry H. Miller Total Performance Auto Museum

In 2006, Utah businessman Larry Miller opened Miller Motorsports Park. On the property were a twenty-three turn 4.486-mile road course and the Larry H. Miller Total Performance Auto Museum, which housed some of Miller's personal collection. The museum represented the culmination of a lifetime of passion for automobiles created and influenced by Carroll Shelby. What started with a single Cobra became one of the world's most significant displays of Cobras, Shelby Mustangs, and other Shelby-connected vehicles and memorabilia.

This Ford GT 40 Mk. It is chassis P1037. Canadian Charles Rathgreb's Toronto-based Comstock Racing Team purchased it from Shelby American. Eppie Wietzes and Craig Fisher raced the P1037 in 1966 and 1967 at Mosport Park, St. Jovite, Watkins Glen, and Sebring. The Ford GT 40 has a steel monocoque chassis with fiberglass body panels. It is powered by a Ford 4.2-liter 350-horsepower engine with a Colotti Type 37 four-speed gearbox.

The 1963 Sebring Cobras were the first to use rack-and-pinion steering and Ford's 289 cu.in. engine. They could be identified by the yellow striping and cut-away driver's door. This car was raced as a Shelby American factory team car from March to July 1963 and then sold to Coventry Motors. Shelby repurchased the vehicle for the 1964 season based on the Cobra's success. The CSX 2128 was among the most successful factory team Cobras and was campaigned by drivers such as Ken Miles.

In September 1962, a group of southern California hot rodders fitted an aluminum-bodied English AC Ace roadster with Ford's latest 260 cu.in. V8 engine. As a result, the first racing Cobra, chassis CSX 2002, was born. In October, the car was entered in the LA Times Grand Prix and driven by Bill Krause. Krause dominated the race until a minor part failed. The following year, the Canadian Comstock team campaigned the Cobra, which was driven by Eppie Wietzes.

In 1967, Bud Moore campaigned Mercury Cougars in the Trans Am series. Moore's driver line-up included Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Peter Revson, David Pearson and Ed Leslie. Gurney grabbed the marque's first victory at Green Valley Raceway, with Jones following him across the finish line. Peter Revson collected wins at Lime Rock and Bryar. David Pearson was victorious at Riverside. Mercury finished two points behind Ford in the 1967 Manufacturers Championship.

This is a 1966 Ford GT 40 Mk. II. Between the Mk. I and Mk. II, there are 48 differences in the monocoque. Some of the obvious modifications include the body, extra and enlarged rear air intakes, and taller front fenders to allow more room for wheel travel on the high banks of Daytona. This is perhaps the most famous GT 40. It was prepared by Ken Miles for him to win LeMans in 1966. Unfortunately, a photo opportunity cost Miles the victory.

The Ford GT 40 Mk. II captured the top three positions at the 1966 24-Hour of LeMans. With that success, Ford engineers designed the all-new GT 40 Mk. IV—often referred to as the J-Car. In an effort to save weight, designers introduced a bonded aluminum honeycomb chassis. The car is powered by a 500-horsepower 7-liter side oiler competition engine and fitted with a Hewland five-speed transaxle. Only ten Mark IVs were built. This model would win Sebring and the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1967.

Chassis CSX3326 is a 1967 Cobra with a 427-cu.in. engine. It was originally purchased by Paul Nichter, who raced a Chevrolet Camaro in the Trans Am series. One evening in 1969, he lent the Cobra to two friends who crashed it and, unfortunately, died. Nichter purchased a replacement, CSX3327. CSX3326 was a write-off, but Nichter acquired the remains. From this point, it passed through several hands before being restored.

To address the Cobra's inefficient aerodynamics and the threat from the Ferrari 250 GTO Coupe, Carroll Shelby's designer Pete Brock created the Cobra Daytona Coupe. The new car achieved a drag coefficient of .029. The new shape allowed the Coupe to reach speeds of almost 200 mph on the Mulsanne Straight at LeMans. In 1965, Shelby American team drivers Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant won the F.I.A. World Manufacturer's Championship.

When Larry Miller passed away in 2009, his family relinquished the possession of Miller Motorsports Park (renamed Utah Motorsports Campus) and closed the museum. Many of the cars in the Miller Family Automobile Foundation appear at The Shelby American Museum in Boulder, Colorado.

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