1964 Sebring Shelby Cobra 0001-4537

A Shelby Cobra carrying number 12 in the pits at the Sebring 12 Hours in 1964, worked on under floodlights with the crew standing around it.

What Is in This Photograph?

A night frame, lit by the pit lights overhead. The car is angled away from the camera with its nose toward the lane, and the blue over pale stripes read as tonal bands rather than colour under artificial light. A dozen or more crew and onlookers stand in a loose ring around it, several leaning in over the bodywork. The pit buildings and signage behind are legible only where the lights reach. The whole image is built from pools of light and deep shadow, which is characteristic of endurance racing photography and impossible to reproduce in daylight.

What Was Sebring in 1964?

The second round of the world championship season and the hardest test in North America, run over twelve hours on a surfaced airfield that punished cars mechanically. Shelby American ran both roadsters and the new Daytona Coupe there in 1964, and the Coupe took a class win in the hands of Bob Holbert and Dave MacDonald (Racing Sports Cars, Dave MacDonald archive).

Why Do Night Pit Photographs Matter?

Twelve and twenty-four hour races are decided in the dark, and this is the part of them spectators rarely see. A car in the pits at night is being repaired or serviced under time pressure, and the number of people crowded around it tells you more about what endurance racing cost than any lap chart.

Who Is This Print For?

This Cobra print suits Shelby collectors, Cobra owners, endurance racing historians, race shops and garage interiors. Night imagery is uncommon and it hangs well in a room with controlled light, where the dark ground becomes part of the decor rather than a problem. Choose framed print, stretched canvas, ChromaLuxe metal or Giclée.

Photograph Details

• Event: Sebring 12 Hours, 1964
• Vehicle: Shelby Cobra, race number 12
• Setting: Pits at night, under floodlights
• Subject: Crew working on the car during the race
• View: Three-quarter rear, elevated slightly
• Archive reference: 0001-4537

This archival photograph is made available through Fordimages.com, the official Ford archive imagery licensee operated by Richard Weedn LLC. Each image is digitally restored before printing and handcrafted to order.

Available as:

• Framed Print — museum-quality paper, archival inks, Acrylite glazing, hanging hardware included
• Stretched Canvas — hand-stretched over 1.25-inch pine bars, heavy cotton poly matte finish
• ChromaLuxe Metal Print — image infused directly onto sheets of alloy metal for maximum vibrancy and durability
• Giclée Art Print — 260gsm satin finish paper, finest archival inks, white border

Made in the USA or Europe depending on your location.

About the Artwork

Artwork in this collection comes from the Ford Motor Company Archives, The Henry Ford Museum, the Carroll Shelby Archives, and the collections of acclaimed photographers and painters from around the world. Reproduction rights are reserved by the respective copyright owners.

Our framed prints feature a black, hand-stained solid wood frame with a white mat, museum-quality paper, archival inks, Acrylite glazing, and hanging hardware. The frame features a slim 0.8-inch face and projects 1.3 inches from the wall, creating a clean, contemporary shadow-box effect. Made in the USA or Europe, depending on your location.

Our stretched canvas prints are produced on acid-free, pH-neutral, and fade-resistant canvas. Each canvas is hand-glued to solid wood stretcher bars and stretched over 1.25-inch-thick pine bars. Mounting brackets are included. Made in the USA or Europe, depending on your location.

Our Giclée prints are produced using premium 200gsm semi-gloss paper and high-quality archival inks. Each print includes a white border around the perimeter.

For the 40 x 60 size, we use 250gsm museum-quality archival paper with an off-white, uncoated finish.

The listed size refers to the overall paper dimensions. The image is printed proportionally within the selected paper size. Made in the USA or Europe, depending on your location.

ChromaLuxe prints use a state-of-the-art coating process that infuses the image directly onto sheets of alloy metal. The result is photography with an exceptional combination of vibrancy, clarity, and durability.

Each print arrives ready to hang. An alloy subframe on the back allows the artwork to float away from the wall for a sleek, modern appearance. This is the finest-quality print we offer. Made in the USA.

All images are digitally restored before printing. Production location varies by product and destination. Shipping is calculated at checkout.