Ford Mustang Cobra "Nobody's Fool" IMSA Road Race Car, 1995
Ford Mustang IV
Ford Mustang IV•
•36 views
Auction: Nashville 2026
Auction date: September 26, 2026
Lot No.: V462
- Engine: V-8
- Transmission: Manual
- Exterior: White
- Interior: Black
- Body: IMSA Road Race Car
- Roush Racing Chassis no. 23
- The culmination of Jack Roush’s road racing experience
- Driven by actor and racer Paul Newman, Tommy Kendall, Mark Martin and Michael Brockman in the 1995 Rolex Daytona 24 Hours
- GTS-1 Class winner at the 1995 Rolex Daytona 24 Hours and 3rd Place overall
- Sponsored by Paramount Studios with leftover marketing money from Newman’s film “Nobody’s Fool”
- The 1995 Daytona 24 Hours was the 10th of 10 consecutive class victories at the Rolex 24 Hours for Roush Racing
- The no. 70 livery was used in celebration of Newman’s 70th birthday
- Following the race, Nobody’s Fool was fitted with the unused spare body panels before it was displayed at Daytona USA (now the Motorsports Hall of Fame)
- The race-worn body panels were placed on the truck, returned to Michigan and have been carefully preserved ever since
- Nobody’s Fool was recently refitted with its race-worn bodywork from the 1995 Daytona 24 Hours
- The “show” body panels are included with the race-winning car
- Roush-built 6.0L Ford V-8 engine
- 5-speed manual transmission
- Race-worn bodywork with White no. 70 “Nobody’s Fool” Paramount livery
- AutoMeter gauges
- Motorsport tachometer
- Alcon 4-wheel disc brakes
- Two-piece 17-inch BBS Gold wheels
- Goodyear Eagle radial race tires
One of the highlights of the Roush Automotive Collection, this 1995 Ford Mustang Cobra, Roush Racing Chassis No. 23, is famed as the IMSA road racer co-driven by Hollywood icon and accomplished racer Paul Newman to a GTS-1 class win and third place overall in the 1995 Rolex Daytona 24 Hours. Teamed with fellow ace drivers Mark Martin, Tommy Kendall and Michael Brockman, the 70-year old Newman became the oldest driver to win a major sanctioned race as part of a class-winning team.
Nicknamed “Nobody’s Fool” and carrying No. 70 to celebrate Newman’s birthday, the car was sponsored by Paramount Studios with leftover marketing money from Newman’s just-released film of the same name. “Nobody’s Fool” represented the culmination of Jack Roush’s formidable racing and engineering experience to that time, capturing for Roush Racing the 10th of 10 class wins at the Rolex 24 Hours (the team did not compete there in 1994). Nobody’s Fool was built on a NASCAR-style tubular steel space frame and powered by a Roush-prepared 6.0L Ford V-8 engine (reportedly rated at 750 HP) mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
Fully removable lightweight body panels, Goodyear Eagle radial race tires on two-piece 17-inch BBS gold modular wheels, Alcon 4-wheel disc brakes, AutoMeter gauges and a Ford Motorsport tachometer were also part of the car’s NASCAR-inspired mix. Following the race, Nobody’s Fool was fitted with the unused spare body panels before it was placed on display at the Daytona USA museum (now the Motorsports Hall of Fame). The original race-worn body panels were placed on a truck and delivered to Roush’s Livonia, Michigan, headquarters, where they have been carefully preserved ever since.
They have recently been refitted to the car, pleasingly returning it to its immediate post-race patina; the “show” body panels are included with the car. A significant example of period Roush Racing engineering at its finest, this Daytona-winning IMSA Mustang embodies the excellence brought to the sport by the partnership between two of American road racing’s most important figures. Its remarkable preservation only enhances its standing as a special piece of American racing history.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1173896/1995-ford-mustang-cobra-nobodys-fool-imsa-road-race-car
