Cool. I have always wanted a Cheetah ever since I saw that print ad with the one on the trailer in Chevy Friends magazine when I was a kid. I even had the 90" wheelbase taped on the garage floor to see how short it really is. Then I got this hotrod bug, so my cheetah dreams will have to wait a bit. My Classic Car did a cool story on the Cheetah also: http://www.myclassiccar.com/MCCTV/2001Season/016109/cheetah.shtml There was a movie clip of it roaring past the camera somewhere on the web too.
Hello, I am a HUGE Cheetah fan. I helped with a lot of info on the website.cheetahsalwayswin.com I also have every mag article as well as every model and slot car and vac body ever made. I can tell you I now of two original Thomas cars that sold in last couple yrs..price?? $120,000 and up !! I know a couple guys vintage racing originals and when set up and a good driver. NO cobra could touch it !! If it was developed and enough were made for production class would have had quite a history.
The Cheetah is such a wild body style...for years I thought it was dreamed up by the slot car companies as a fantasy car. It was much later that I discovered that there were REAL Cheatahs built. Either way....COOL little race cars!
I delivered a 40 ford frame to a hermit across the street from garth brooks new home in oklahoma a few months back and in his big shop on a thousand acres was cheetah number 2 with a big number 3 on the sides complete with aluminum body and original drive train still in it with the local cats living in it and a letter from a guy that has a late night talk show offering to buy it for about 3/4 mil.......no shit, I stood and looked at it with my own eyes,... it is way cool white with big black circle with the number on it.........
AV8...... I can remember seeing the Alan Green car at the Arlington, wash. drag strip in the mid '60s. Awsome ride,it's left a lasting impression on me. I've got some pictures of the car in one of my scrap books. ..Jack
Umm, as of the July 2007 issue of Kit Car mag, he's not dead. I bought that issue because the cover is, a Cheetah. There is a company in Tempe currently building the cars. They are supposedly "continuation" cars with consecutive serial numbers and all (with Thomas' blessing) kind of like Shelby's Cobra continuation cars but all new instead. The contact info at the end of the article included: WWW.65CHEETAHCCC.COM and WWW.CHEETAHRACECARS.NET Spendy for sure, but they were never cheap. I remember reading somewhere that part of the handling problem was the suspension arms were designed to flex somewhat. That may be bad information, but the same source claimed the vintage guys stiffen them up. The other big one was supposedly that after the second or third lap, you were out of brakes (4 wheel drum). If I remember right there was an article in HRM (late 70's early 80's) claiming Duntov was trying to help but Corporate was watching him so close on the Grand sport project that all he could get Bill was some aluminum rear diff's.
I got to see one of the Cheetas under power down there 2 weeks ago! What a sweet sight! They were just running up and down the driveway in the complex. A club mate has a shop there. Another shop is restoring some really neat european cars there too. A neat place to spend some time. jerry
This #92 Cheetah was flying around the track this weekend and spun out right after corner 14 and recovered it and came in second place on sunday. The blue cheetah is a new collectible that was drive around the track.
They were available with a 327, 377, or a big block. They (bill Thomas Motors) never got around to building one with a Big Big block in it before the fire.
Well there is at least one fiberglass tilt body left out there ...... I picked this one up last week and I am dropping it off today .... Came with a set of original rear slicks This late 60's fiberglass funny car was track raced by several teams Jim
There was a factory fire around 1964 Most of the information on the Cheetah inspired fiberglass body cars is " word of mouth " The owner of this car had it for 30 years - the guy who bought it has been after it for many years .... What I hear - only (4) fiberglass body car of this design were made This is (1) of them It came to the desert 30 years ago as a brilliant red street car project It had been retired from several track owners 30 years of sun have faded the paint Usually the roofs were cut for an open cockpit Since I am not the Seller or Buyer I can only relate what I have been told .... Jm
I agree. Take a look. http://www.google.com/search?q=chee...QHvhYGIBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1067&bih=479 Edit to add: After looking through those images, the only resemblance is of the 'Super Cheetah' drag car about half way down the page. Could be?
Slowmotion thanks for the link and you could be right they do look similar. The roof line stills looks off but it could be legit. Lots of great pictures in that link, thanks for posting. Trulyvintage, thanks for posting the picture and why does my UPS person share no resemblance to yours. I have to move I guess!
There have been knock-off Cheetah bodies since at least the 1970's. It could easily be one, even if he had it 30+ years. The profile is just wrong on it. Steve
This car looks "much" more like one of the funny car bodies made.. No doors, it's got an "A" piller (real ones don't). And no, from early pictures I've seen...the doors "weren't" cut out later..! They were always a seperate piece. And for any of you that still want a Cheetah, they can be had fairly cheaply - http://www.electricdreams.com/Shop/...p-12554.html?zenid=e6e17fidocrk8v947tgcec5vf4 or http://www.electricdreams.com/Shop/...p-12553.html?zenid=e6e17fidocrk8v947tgcec5vf4 They have 1/24 scale also... Mike
Shell Valley still sells a 1963 Cheetah replica. Complete kits starting at $20K. Just visited their web site. I've had a couple V8 kit cars and have one now. The Cheetah was a screamer but handling was known to be a bit erratic.
These are way too cool. I have always loved this since I saw slot cars and models of this back in the 60/70's. They look fast just sitting there. One of my all time favorites.
In concept, they look like a car version of a Gee Bee Racer airplane. I saw this one fly, 250 mph 30 feet off the ground, upside down! http://www.flickr.com/photos/40821492@N08/5089598492/in/gallery-50728681@N06-72157625263486305/
Last night after dropping the Cheetah, I sat in front of a computer screen with the new owner and viewed the life of this fiberglass body since creation This particular Cheetah saw track time with several different renowned racers It is now headed for a full restoration ....... Jim
Glad it has a full race history. But, there is no way that body is a Bill Thomas original, even if it won Lemans 6 times. Fiberglass Trends had Cheetah bodies as far back as 1965, with A-pillars too... http://www.cheetahcars.com/miscpicture.htm Steve
please forgive my intrusion---------when i first saw the shape of the 'stumpy-butt' pontiac/saturn 2-seat sports car-----------i was reminded of the cheetah. at one of the detroit 'dream-cruise' events there was one of these cars with a GM LS V8, again my thoughts were drawn back to the cheetah, admittedly the engine was not behind the front suspension/axle. just my two pesos----------------- thanx red
Don't ever get too close to one. They bite!! Yeah, they bite right into your psyche, leaves a permanent scar on your "gotta have its".
I parked next to a Cheetah last August @ the Dead Man's Curve party in Montville, NJ. I never saw one before in person - what a cool car ! My son loved it, as well.
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