When Carroll Shelby and Henry Ford II decided to take on Ferrari in European F.I.A. competition, it was clear that the Cobras needed to find more speed. Pete Brock at Shelby American designed the aerodynamic Cobra masterpiece known as the "Daytona Coupe, "and the Ferrari could now be challenged. After successful introductions at Daytona and Sebring in the states, the team acquired the ex- Reventlow Bartoletti transporter to shuttle the Cobras around Europe. In 1964, the Cobra coupes narrowly missed winning the Championship due in large part to Ferrari politics. In 1965, with the help of Alan Mann Racing, the Shelby American team dominated the series, capturing the F.I.A. World Manufacturers Championship -- the first championship of its kind ever won by an American car.