Chevrolet Cheetah and Corvette
 

Every once in a while I come across pics of a Cheetah. It usually says Chevrolet or Chevrolet engine (around 1964). How does this car intertwine with the history of the Corvette? Was it a kit car?

Added later...

http://www.cheetahcars.com/history.htm

OK, I'm finding out more about this car. To me it looks a little like a cross between a 1960s Jaguar and a C2 Sting Ray. I really like the swoopy design and the "bobbed" tail...

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...RedCheetah.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...s1corvette.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...verCheetah.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...etahRacing.jpg

http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredveh.../photo_01.html

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ueCheetah1.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ueCheetah2.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ueCheetah3.jpg

Bare bones racer. I remember reading some articles about them off and on in the 60s. I actually saw an original one needing restoration, for sale at Petti Jean Antique Car Show here in Arkansas a few years ago.

I would have bought it (if I had the money)

Three more pics...

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...RedCheetah.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...edCheetah2.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...edCheetah3.jpg

a few years ago there was a tent at Bloomington Gold that had a display of a number of cheetah's, If I remember correctly you could still purchase one

Here's a few pics I took of the beautiful Alan Greene Cheetah at the Vintage Races at Pacific International Raceway in 2006.

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/classi..._2006__15_.jpg

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/classi..._2006__22_.jpg

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/classi..._2006__18_.jpg

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/classi..._2006__17_.jpg

Cheetah
 

I friend of mine is building these cars here in the Cleveland,Ohio area.I will pass along any interest you have.

Ruth Corvette

http://www.ruthcorvette.com/about.html1.html

I assume the original Cheetahs were running high performance 327 engines from 1963 and 1964 Corvettes. Does anyone know how much they weighed?

RER in Ohio
http://www.americancheetahracing.com/about.html

BTM in Arizona
http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredveh...car/index.html

So are there two different companies building Cheetahs now?

pretty girl. ugly front (not the girl's..); looks like it has a fat lip...
Bill

Video and audio of Cheetah warming up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY_Tea4OAJM

Alan Green Cheetah at the Monterey Historics, 2006, with Webers. :thumbs:

Cheetah at the 2008 Monterey Historics.
Ol Blue

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-...124(Small).jpg

Bill Thomas' Cheetah was another of many cars that filled the modified sports car classes of the late '50s and early '60s. Another of a similar design was the Devin. Devin were both pre-assembled cars and kit cars, and designed to run anything from Triumph and MG power and drivetrains to Chevy small blocks.

http://cwimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pb...=1530&maxw=350

http://i1.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/d3/88/a980_12.JPG

There were many cars that had this same basic shape in the '50s and the Cheetah basically took it with a coupe body and moved things further back to get even better front to rear weight ratios. If you look closely, the driver is nearly between the rear wheels. It was probably too much, as most accounts I have heard of said they were wicked to drive.

I believe Tom is accurate on the weight, as they were lighter than the Grand Sports. If you notice that second picture at the top of this thread, you see a Grand Sport behind the guy standing on the right.

http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredveh...car/index.html

Bill Thomas has authorized BTM of Arizona to produce the Cheetah continuation series.

I owned a Cheetah once but it was a 1/32 scale electric slot car. I was 10 years of age at the time and I've always been fascinated by this car...

This link brings back many good memories of electric slot car racing and building 1/24 - 1/25 scale plastic car kits (AMT, Monogram, MPC, Revell, etc)...

Me, too. It may still be around in some of my old junk. That Cheetah was so cool. The La Cucharacha (sp?) by Cox was one wicked car, but I never got one.

Chevrolet's answer to the Cobra:
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b94/1GK/IMG_1616.jpg

Any more pics of The Cheetah?

Cheetah
 

Suggest you go to Ruth Restorations web site.

Apologies to any aficionados of that car, but IMHO they are butt ugly!

Before you spend much money on one like that, be aware several clones have been built over the years, most are quite different from the originals even if they have the general look.

The rearend was Corvette independent, front was custom independent, frame was small tube space frame. The fiberglass shell was very thin. As Tom said, they weighed about 1500 pounds. With the short wheel base they were very unstable; lots of wrecks.

The first engines were 327 Corvette FI. Soon the engines were 377 Cu In with dual air meter Rochester FI units. With sticky tires they were very dangerous. Drum brakes and enough HP to pull the front wheels off the ground with too much throttle. Later models were Corvette disk brakes, still short wheel base.

They ran a Muncie 4-speed with the transmission yoke connected to the differential yoke with a U-joint; no drive shaft. That U-joint is immediately adjacent to the driver's hip; feet extend up beside the block/pan, the headers run over the top of the foot box and down the outside. Your feet are inside an oven. They had to modify the side of the foot box near the front wheel to get air into the foot box.

The nice red car pictured above is Fred Yeakle's. He has owned and raced this car in the west coast area for a number of years. The girl in the picture is his daughter who races a Corvette.

Real original Cheetahs are very rare. If you ever see one for sale look closely and be skeptical.

Bob Auxier in Arizona is presently building a very good replica, referred to above as having Bill Thomas approval.

Verle

Cheetah
 

Lets face it they dont look like a mid year but anything that can beat a Cobra with a bow tie logo on it has got to be COOL!!!!!!!!!!

Local racer
 

We had an opportunity to see an early car with Fuel injection being prepared for racing in our area. This was about 25 years ago. The owners name was Van Pell. He ran the car in several vintage events.
Scared the crap out of him and he went back to running big red Italian cars.

That does not surprise me.At about 1,500 lbs and 500 or so horsepower it would take some very big gonads to drive that baby at speed!!!

It isn't just the horsepower, it is the complete instability of the car. It has its engine in the center, or near center, and everything else in back, so f/r weigh ratio is insane, more like a rear engine car. (Think of how many no-so-good drivers have bought it with 911s.)

Add that to a 90 inch wheelbase, the thing can pivot about the center axis instantly, something Corvette and even Porsche decided was NOT a great idea for high speed road racers. There is little polar moment to the design.

THEN you add the 500 hp that will break the rear tires loose in any condition, so applying it wrong will sever any connection the body had with the Earth and any change of going in a straight line.

The one above in the rain is obviously driven by an extremely skilled driver, or going very, very slowly.

http://www.randyellenphotography.com...BNs3#262847250

Is this a Cheetah?

Yes,This car was in the Cleveland Autorama show last weekend as well where I was displaying my 66 Vette.It is the first finished car produced by Ruths Restorations run by Bob Ruth,a friend of mine.Its 2,200 lbs w/500+ Hp.

Same here. :thumbs:

Speed10 on ebay is Bob Auxier, he usually has a body kit or a rolling chassis listed.
redvetracr

Bill Thomas Cheetah
 

From what I remember, Bill Thomas only built a handful of Cheetahs when he had a massive fire that burned his place (and Cheetahs) to the ground.

The car was a "race only" piece to compete with the Cobras.

I seem to recall it weighed more like 1800 pounds and had the SBC arrangements as previously discussed.

One interesting phenomena about these cars is you will notice there is no side glass. It was rumored that these cars got so hot inside while racing that the drivers sometimes pased out! Pretty scary stuff.

The car had ZERO crature comforts---yoor rear end was right over the car's rear end.

Personally I like them--ugly or not.

The Cheetah may not have been the successful Cobra killer it was intended to be but it sure left a lasting impression if you ever saw one.:cool: Bad ass probably best describes the look. At 1500-1800 lbs and 500+HP it was one friggin nasty beast. :eek: I don't know how streetable the new kit version is but I wish I could afford to find out.:thumbs:

The number I recall is 16 cars made (several for the street and at least one for the strip) and several more burnt to the ground in the fire, effectively closing the operation from that point. They were scary fast in a straight line and scarier still to stop and turn. I have a handfull (4-5?) of these if anyone is interested at $10 ea. shipped via the good 'ol US mail.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../logosmall.gif

Wow, can't see that logo without thinking about Ken Edmunds. RIP Ken...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/member.php?u=47496

As you can tell from my avatar, the Cheetah is the car I desire most. There is a new Cheetah currently offered, referred to as the Continuation Series, authorized by Bill Thomas. Find the website below. Nickey Chevrolet of Chicago also offers their version, WOW!. I could go on and on about my love for the car. To me it's the perfect sports car, lightweight, well balanced and tons of horsepower. Enjoy! http://www.billthomascheetah.com/
http://www.nickeychicago.net/vehicle.php?id=122

Here's a '63 currently for sale on Eb-y. I think it looks kinda cool :cool: and this particular color gives it a future-istic appearance.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ruth-...QQcmdZViewItem

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...967/0f7f_3.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...967/114d_3.jpg

Your history is right on Verle. As I remember Fred said 12 or 16 were made originally. They were very hard to drive (and still are) as the short wheelbase and light weight with all the power made the car very twitchy.

Bill Thomas is still alive and doing OK. I saw his son at Bondurant's 40th Driving school party on Feb 14. Bob Auxier was also there and two Cheetah cars.

From the recesses of memory: Hotter than hell on the inside and with its almost nonexistant polar moment of inertia ready to swap ends in an instant and without warning. A very scary car to drive if you put your foot in it. But they do look great! Does anyone remember the Griffith - same close-coupled unmanagable concept.

My body guy was working on painting one for a customer a few years back. We understood it was an original. I do know the body panels did not allign very well.

It was interesting to see the trans connected to the diff with a yolk and 1 u-joint. :lol:

Bondurant and Guldstrand said "NO" !
 

In 1990 or so, I was standing next to Fred Yeakel at Monterey Historic Tech Inspection on Wednesday when both Bob Bondurant and Dick Guldstrand walked up.

Fred handed the key to Bob and said, "Do you want to drive her this weekend?" :crazy: He looked at Dick......then back to Fred:nono: and handed the key to Dick. Dick handed the key back to Fred and said, "Pretty car.......looks great.....hope you have a great ride"

There must be something about a car when two old pros both say "no thanks"

Cheetah
 

A friend of mine back in the 60's had a Griffith.It was a real skate board on wheels.If you could learn to drive it it was unbeatable in a pyloned low speed event! It had a 289 in it and was real quick up to 60 but not much after that!

In the Spring of 1989 at our So Cal NCRS Chapter meet in rural Buellton, CA we started the weekend off with a 'swap meet', then there was a driving tour thru the countryside for lunch. The club had left for the tour.

Rich Mason pulled into the parking lot with truck and trailer. He had brought his SR-2 down for the SECRET featured show and tell that was to take place in the afternoon after the group came back to the hotel.

His car was to be featured with the new ZR-1 that Hank Haga and Chevrolet brought over from their secret skunkworks in nearby Westlake Village

NO ONE HAD EVER SEEN THE ZR-1 in those days, just heard about it. The plan was both cars were to be placed in the hotel meeting room under corver, and when the membership came back after lunch a great Seminar was to unfold. The title was "The AMERICAN LEGEND, OLD AND NEW"

I stayed back to help set up the cars, and Rich unloaded the SR-2. Now mind you this car was raced at Montery Historics and other vintage race venues often in those days. Rich fired up the car and motioned me to get in to the passanger seat. http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/...72004126-1.jpg

Open pipes and all, he shouted "WHERE IS LUNCH?" I pointed and BOOM !:eek: :eek: Away we went to catch the road tour. I was hanging on for dear life as the bugs smashed my face at 100mph taking the short cut to MATTIES TAVERN up the California #101 about 5 miles, then off on Santa Ynez Rd.

We pulled into the parking lot just as the slow backroad caravan was arriving. What great times we have had in these old Corvettes.

The afternoon LEGEND show and tell was a great lesson :iagree: in new and old CORVETTE history. These were the days when we truly DROVE and enjoyed our cars.

If you ever see my 56 HD brake/suspension, Airbox "show" car in person, look close, you'll see a few chips in the paint and road film on the fully chromed undercarriage. :D

<-------<<<<

I was one of those who turned down the opportunity to drive the SR2.

When Tom drove it up the street he set off car alarms as he "drove" along. :)

Impressive car, looks and running.

Verle

My car is not as nice as Tom's 56 but I drive it also.

The chips and cracks... I call it road rash.

Verle

What do the price range from for these beauties? I have always been a fan of this car, I can't seem to find a price range for 1 in good to excellent condition. If anyone can help I would be very grateful.

If you are a neighbor and complain about the noise they just buy you out.

Tyler

Response to your email
 

Cant help you out on prices but suggest you contact Ruth Restorations.Bob Ruth and his son Craig had molds made for the Cheetah back 5 years ago and offered it as a kit car or a complete "turn key"ride.They sold 2 of these but it went no further.Bob has retired recently but I believe comes in to work with his son on occasion.Both belong to Corvette Cleveland,the club I belong to.Contact Bob or Craig Ruth at 216-244-0338.Good Luck Brock Landers

:iagree: WOW!! I was thinking the same thing!! That sucker (slot car) could really ZIP around that track!

Lol, I had the same slot car myself! Loved that track! Had my slot tracks until I went into the Army, gave them to a nephew. Sure miss playing with it over the years. Will be getting back into it when I retire in another 25-30 yrs. Only 51 now, that's about when I see myself slowing down enough to have fun with it. Lol

:rofl: Gotta add me to the list of kids who had a Cheetah slot-car.

Some folks were into building ornate detailed model train sets, but for me from age 6 to 11 it was Aurora/HFX HO cars, and I took over our 1 car garage (thanks Dad) with alpine race tracks complete with bridges and tunnels through plaster mountains, trees and streams.

Having little money to spend, I'd find or make all the small parts and materials to complete the perfect illusion. Got so dramatic that I think I probably crashed and burned that Cheetah a few times (fuel and rocks at the bottom of a plaster ravine.

Need to remember to thank my Dad again for that.

Come to think of it - that Cheetah often did get often wiley in the tunnel - probably why it ended up c&b!

Screw that toy car stuff. Here is my friends car that I have been in. But he will not let me drive full out. I keep asking. It fits me perfect. :willy:He will cave one of these days. Yes, that is Dennis Gage.

http://i46.tinypic.com/153l8av.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/9sdphz.jpg

Pretty sweet car, but don't care much for the color. He must know you to well not to let you drive it full out. Lol :D

I have to say, I like your profile pic though. My favorite years 62'-66.

Had one of those slot cars too it was gold. Never got it out of the package but the name and image stuck in my head all these yrs. Never knew what one was til recently .

Sorry to say you are probably correct. He knows I will not back off, unless it lethal. But I have always driven this way. No balls, no glory.

Dear Cuisinartvette,
Do you still have the car in a package? That would be something I'd be interested in if you do. Not many people know of or remember the Cheetah, so don't feel bad you didn't know. One of those lost treasures of the auto industry. Ahead of its time I always thought.

Vetrod62,
Nothing wrong with going balls to the walls if you don't push the envelope to far. Lol. I like a little excitement myself, but know my limits and limits of what I am driving. Right time... Right place. :D

the Cheetah is purportedly one of the most over-powered and squirrely dangerous cars ever built...
Bill

I could ask my Stepdad..knowing him he probably threw it out
He had a 67 rs and a white stang fastback with blue stripes....I will ask though.

They were in a clear plastic package I never got to take them out kind of a hands off thing. Those 2 gave me the car bug though as a young kid couldnt take my eyes off em :crazy:

I've always read the same. Haven't the newer kits been offered in longer wheel bases to help with stability?

I hear you, The above levity aside, The Cheetah has about the same HP/weight combo as my red 62 vette (1000HP/2800lbs). Driving it full-out is a blast. But you have to drive it with your brain and there is zero room for error. :cheers:

Gook links to the history
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Th...Racing_History

WIKIPEDIA has an excellent history on the car.

FRED YEAKEL owns a real Cheetah, the #8 ALLAN GREEN Chevrolet car. Fred is a long time friend. JERRY ENTIN also owned and raced a Cheetah in 1965. I have recently met Jerry three years ago. See Fred's website here. http://www.cheetahcars.com/index.htm

Both gentlemen will be at the RIVERSIDE RACEWAY MUSEUM ''LEGENDS V'' event March 22-23, 2013 at 815 Marlboro Ave., Riverside, California honoring BOB BONDURANT this year. SEE http://legendsofriverside.com ENJOY THE GREAT HISTORY. JOIN US IN RIVERSIDE NEXT WEEK

The Cheetahs had the engine set back far enough they were almost a front mid-engined car. Perhaps the short wheelbase combined with the high power-to-weight ratio made them so easy to spin?

289 Cobras, carrying the engine weight farther forward, were more likely to understeer than oversteer. That old, simple, chalked on the floor English frame was much more forgiving than the Ford computer-designed 427 replacement.

I am not saying you are wrong about the Cheeta.

But think how many races were won with 911 Porsches. They just take a skilled driver.

You haven't lived until you have brought a 911 to the brink on a curvy, tree lined, 2 lane road and lived to tell about it.:eek:

When in doubt, no brakes! Floor it!

:cheers:

With bicycle-width front tires on skinny wires it's even more of a thrill ride. :rofl:

Heck!
 

Let's really make it scary! We will be over this weekend and we will remove the brakes and replace with a true spindle wheel rims and put the bicycle tires on those. And let's add suicide doors and a suicide steering wheel knob!

The modern mods on the #8 Cheetah is that they put weight in the front frame tube bars to improve the balance similar to what Porsche went thru before they finally figured out about lengthening the wheelbase! Also I don't consider the engine being set back, because what put it where it was was due to removal of a driveshaft and tranny yoke to rear diff yoke connection with just a u-joint!

Ruth Eng. had a "new" Cheetah at the Mecum Indy auction and it looked pretty good.
But, to get in and out of them you have to be pretty limber. The seat is far below the sill plate. I didn't even try.
There is also a original Cheetah in Cincinnati.
There is also a guy in Columbus, Ohio who has a pretty nice new one with a LS engine in it.
I also spoke to another guy in the Columbus area who had a Bill Thomas dual airhorn Rochester (C1) unit for sale last year. He ran it on a 62 (I think) and said it ran fine.
I probably should have bought it, but I didn't..

in doing some searches today i came across the "Cheetah" race/sports car.
wow, what a cool car.
i remember seeing pics of these as a kid and probably confused it w/ a C3 corvette (w/ the long hood!).

i will agree it sort of looks like a weird conglomeration of a jaguar/shelby daytona/C2 corvette....and honestly sort of looks like a smooth/sleek version of the C3 corvette!
interesting to read the history of them....cool looking car, probably not real practical for everyday use (well it was built as a hot rod/race car)...interesting the original guy was trying to develop it as a more street friendly car, but it never happened.....

http://i61.tinypic.com/234bxx.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/29v0yo6.jpg

Just enjoyed re-reading this thread. As a customer of the original Bill Thomas shop in Anaheim, I take exception to the description "burned to the ground".

The Julianna Street building was/is cinder block, which withstood the fire. While many valuable cars, parts, tools and tooling were lost in the 1965 fire (the roof probably fell in), the building was cleaned up, restored, and Bill was again busy with engine building, dyno tuning, drag and road-race prep, etc. for several more years. So it would be more correct IMO to say the CONTENTS were destroyed, burned beyond usefulness.

I've seen sketches online of his proposed second-generation larger, roomier, more comfortable and more gracefully-styled "street" Cheetah, which was to have had comforts like opening windows, A/C (and a big-block option!). I seem to recall the beginnings of a prototype being lost in the fire.

But that program and the interest and investment necessary to make it happen must have died anyway due to the lack of publicity and interest 100 race-winning production first-gen Cheetahs could have generated. And Chevy no doubt would not have looked kindly on that kind of competition for the existing dual-purpose Corvette.

The Anaheim building still stands today. The garage doors have been replaced by walls, so it's probably used for office space.

Bill Thomas fuel unit?
 

Attached is a picture of a C2 fuel unit which was for sale at the Lakeland Show. Claimed to be a Bill Thomas unit.
Looked very nice.
Recently there was one for sale around Columbus, Ohio.

Attachment 47860098

I have avoided getting caught up in this thread because
 

it could get very time consuming!

I probably have more info on Cheetahs than anyone short of Jr. and I have been waiting for him to write a book for his Father and the Cheetah and everything else from the special Corvair builds, to the NASCAR, development, his tuning of FI, his Don Steves support chapter, his Nickey Chevrolet deal, etc etc etc.

My preferred research is on racers like Cheetah, McLaren, Chaparral, Porsche 904 thru 917, Ferrari 250 LM thru 512, other USRRC/Can Am cars, FIA racers and general specials, SR's of the period etc.

The wildness of the Cheetah was the front to rear weight ratio and the tires in the front would tend to float as the back was hooking up. Some people like the Yeakels have filled front tubing with lead to counter this. The engine set was so radical in relationship to the wheelbase and the bellhousing/tranny compromising to the drivers compartment, the connection direct with a u-joint to the diff put weight rearwards. PS the Yeakels had the Allen grant body stashed away for safe keeping (the green one), and were running the chassis under the red #8 guise for the longest time! The have put the green one, back on the chassis!

I like your accuracy of statements Sub006 always and in general!:thumbs: Yes what mixes up the numbers was what in the way of cars vice chassis being built were lost. I have a number of pictures of the after the fire burned up inside! I had those pictures up on the interest along time ago, and they probably now are on other websites to view! I get entertained by pictures I shared and how they populate thru the internet over time! I was in the PI when the volcano errupted 1991 and my pictures mostly from my little portable camera are what still pops up on many different peoples sites, kind of cool to find stuff associated with me immortalized!

PS I still have five of those slot cars, 2 scratch built up into detailed 1/24 models! I have about 22 Cheetah cars total in my house!

I love seeing pics of the "other cat" but nothing compares to seeing or hearing one run.....:thumbs:



And finally, the EVOLUTION cheetah complete with 65 Stinger hood, and a lovely spokesperson explaining it.....

Driving the Evolution.....are they still in business? Anyone?

Bruce,

Do you remember how much the unit at the show in Lakeland was?

I have the one the was for sale near Columbus. Got it with my 64. It's in my avatar.:thumbs:

Rex,
I believe the one at Lakeland was priced at $12,000.00.
Was the one at Columbus around $10,000.00?
Bruce B

Yes it was, about 2 years ago. The seller tried to sell his 64 WITH the dual air meter unit and then he tried to sell just the unit. I bought the car AND the FI unit. Here's that unit on my engine.

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/u...psc1b09b01.jpg

Thanks for your kind words, TCR. I try to contribute my selected little So Cal Corvette scene reminisces, memories and opinions where I think they may help fill in the total picture.

Regarding Bill Thomas Sr., it is easy to mix him up with (Pasadena-based?) auto performance book author "California Bill". AIR they were two different people, but correct me if I'm wrong.

In the absence of an official Bill Thomas biography, I first noticed publicity by about 1961 of his Corvair performance improvements, most notably his four-carb mod. AIR he would ship you a finished manifold in exchange for your stocker and a reasonable amount of $$$. I hope GM compensated him in some way when they made his design standard on production cars. They DID work with him on bigger projects, but that mostly died with GM's racing ban.

I think he was the first person to drop a 327/360 hp FI engine into a new 1962 Chevy Nova. Zero to sixty was 5.2 seconds, faster than a '62 'Vette with the same engine, which took 5.5 seconds AIR. He later offered a rather expensive but very complete kit for this swap, including extra-wide steel wheels, HD brakes, etc. I'd be interested to see a content and price comparison with the similar Chevy Parts Dept. offering, if they weren't identical. And of course later on there was Bad Bascomb, a part-fiberglass Nova SS hardtop with FI and C2 IRS, and Bad Bascomb II, which I remember faintly as a second-gen ('68 or later) fiberglass sort-of funny car.

His SBC and 409 tuning achievements were less well known, but his services were highly valued by pro and amateur racers.

I find it amazing how he was able to keep so many project balls in the air and deliver on time until the double whammy of the fire and GM's withdrawal from racing. If not for those developments, Bill Thomas might have made Carroll Shelby look like an also-ran. He and Zora could have engineered Chevy domination of racing from Le Mans to NASCAR to SCCA.

Was GM correct in pulling the plug on factory-backed performance? They certainly left a void for Ford to fill the following year!

Jim Hall's Chaparrals were a bright light for Chevy fans in those dark Blue Oval-dominated days. And when Roger Penske and Mark Donohue got working on a Trans Am Camaro, maybe their comparatively "underdog" image really struck the politically-correct "independent racer" note GM could live with.

But the late Bill Thomas remains a proven engineering genius, team motivator, good businessman and a VERY deserving big-time might-have-been whose accomplishments all Corvette people should know!

thanks to all for posting those vids above.
what a f***ing cool car! man that thing sounds soooooooo good!!!
i may have to rewatch them tomorrow!!!!
fun info to read!!!! love this car!
sad thing: i probably wouldn't fit in one (6-4) and probably can't afford one either!!!! oh well, it is fun to dream!!!

It's great to see this post revived. Bill Thomas' and Don Edmunds' Cheetah might have become so much more were it not for Chevrolet's and GM's convoluted path with racing. The car, like Grand Sports, never got a chance to grow and evolve. Whether you think they look nice or not, there's a lot to like about the few cars that they did build.

I started a thread about seeking info on Bill Thomas in October. I'm more convinced now that he modified my '57 FI Corvette when it was at CS Mead Chevrolet in Pasadena when it was new. Bill was the Service Manager then, and I think he performed a variety of mods on my car and then raced it. I also think my car's original 4360 FI unit ended up on Mick Swezey's very famous racer after Bill performed his trademark cut it in half and hog it out modification and they flipped the units when Mick's car arrived while mine was still there.

Brilliant and enigmatic guy that he was, Bill Thomas should be held in high regard in the Corvette hobby. Bill was among the few people outside GM (like Smokey Yunick) that helped establish the Corvette as a serious performer in the later '50s and early '60s, right after the car had almost been discontinued. There should be a book and/or a movie about him.

I have come across a guy in Columbus , Ohio who has a newer Cheetah kit which he built using a LS engine.
Looks very cool, and he drives it a lot. :thumbs:
Sorry I don't have a picture.

That would be my number 1 reason for owning one.
Who wants something tame and controllable.?????

Aesthetically they look b!tchin' from the front. From the rear they look visually unbalanced big time. I guess if you are in to big booty stuff they are appealing:D

Tom,

AMEN.

Bruce B

that last video of the cheetah evolution (test drive)...it has a 290 hp engine...wow, that thing sounds so good...the vid of driving that down those back roads......WANT!!!

Me being the kind of guy who like to have no one else of very few others have and if the price was right I would buy one.

I like the Cheetah from all angles, but maybe four MORE well-positioned C2 tail lights might make the back end more appealing to you? :D

It's too bad that Bill Thomas III and Bob Auxier can't settle their dispute. It sounds like there might be a market for Bob's continuation Cheetahs.

Just checked Bob's website and it sounds like they are building cars. Prices start at about 115K. Ouch.

the bill thomas cheetah says:

"The list retail price is $119,000."

the Ruth Engineering Cheetah Evolution says:
"Package Cost: $45,000"
but at the bottom it also says:
"Client responsible for wheels/tires, engine and transmission, interior appointments, wiring harness, paint, lights and mirrors, steering wheel."

well, i guess cool styling costs $$$!!!
they are cool!

The Cheetah was NOT designed to be aesthetically pleasing-----------------------it was designed to be a bad to the bone, functional race car!!!
Bill Thomas did not build the car (nor any of his other projects) with unlimited GM funding and engineering. For the most part, he did everything on his own nickel. And taking that into consideration, he did pretty damn good. I have an old Bill Thomas catalog, and it's rather amazing what he developed and offered for sale.
I'm thankful to just have one of his modified FI plenums.

After GM turned their nose up at the Cheetah
 

I think Bill Thomas took as much enjoyment and maybe more when beating Chevrolet's stuff on the track with his Chevrolets. I just wonder how aware if he was, of the Grand Sport saga and what the Executives did to that. I might refresh my memory on the date of that, in correlation to the GS program and what executives he met with etc. I know I have it all in my notes somewhere!

After the Cheetah door slam, I don't think he would have taken GM money and I can't recall that he ever did after that, but prior yes!!!!!!

So if you can drive this thing, you are really good. :D:thumbs::rock: The Pontiac Solstice makes me wanna :ack: and since I couldn't afford a Cheetah, I got a Saturn Sky Redline with the intention of ragging out the engine and then put an LS2 conversion in it. Same squirrelly characteristics. Fun at every corner. But wont sell it to the 20 somethings always trying to buy it...they will die in it. I am 50 and hope to be 80 in it. Go Cheetah...thanks for the inspiration. :thumbs::rock::cheers::cool:

Maybe so, but if I'm paying $115K for something I better d@mn well enjoy looking at it:thumbs:

Some cars are just funky looking XKE 2+2, MGB-GT, etc... I don't care how fast they go in a circle:D

Thanks for your excellent research. I agree that BILL THOMAS was a lot like SMOKEY YUNICK and has never received proper recognition for his achievments. SMOKEY was closely related to the MICKEY THOMPSON 63 Z0-6 cars, and I wonder if BILL THOMAS and MICKEY ever worked together. The time frame was the same, and Chevrolet treated eveyone with the same attitude, that is promise great race support and then yank the rug out from under.

DOUG HOOPER who drove for Mickey at RIVERSIDE in October 62 and won, then again at Daytona in February 63 was scheduled to co drive with BILL KRAUSE a Thompson Z0-6 car at LeMans in June 1963. DOUG, BILL, JUNIOR JOHNSON and others were all fired by Thompson after the last race on February 17, 1963. GM 14th floor management came down hard at Daytona and said ''no corporate racing''

BILL KRAUSE told me last March he went with Thompson and Chevrolet after his COBRA drive at Riverside in October. Shelby wanted him bad as a driver but had no money and history other than a driver. THOMPSON met with Bunkie Knudsen and CHEVROLET promised him LeMans and a future.

As he said, they lied......and DOUG said, ''never quite your day job''

This racing history period needs more research.

Mickey Thompson Socal kid out of El Monte
 

Just to the northwest of Whittier Blvd. Him and Thomas crossed path starting at Lions Drag Strip where Thompson was the Manager after starting to work there as a teenager.After the record attempts he skyrocketed in fame and kept close relations with the factory execs! Mickey hired top guys and they crossed paths with the Z-06s, but never worked on anything together. They had some competitor banter.

When the GM enforcement of the ban came down, that influenced Dealerships, some like Don Steves followed suit with the mandate, but basically Bill Thomas had already opened his own shop 1960 and then one of his employers back in the 50's, was now his customer in the 1960's! He was a favorite of Vince Piggens early on in the early 1960's and did some projects and worked with one of the GM prototypes, but I don't have notes here at work with me. He continued taking in customers and supported privateers in a number of racing formats. He also was a business man and did deals with the Dealerships.

Mickey went to Indy and top level Drag Raing and even had aspirations for Formula One there for awhile! Thompson opened his shop in 1959! Thompson was a very high profile/out spoken type of guy, whereas Bill Thomas let his cars, do the talking!

BILL THOMAS also had a good relationship with NICKEY CHEVROLET in Chicago. RONNIE KAPLAN told me many stories about those days. We last Ronnie last March 1, 2014.

as i've been looking stuff up on the web about these in the last few days, i sort of wish there was a good book written about the history of the cheetah...

i am currently reading the book "go like hell", which is about ford's development of the gt40 and their pursuit to beat ferarri at lemans in the 60s. it is a very interesting story....

the interesting thing to contrast is someone above saying that GM/chevy was not throwing unlimited funds at Bill Thomas to develop the cheetah...and it was built to beat the shelby cobra.

you contrast that to Ford and what they did w/ the gt40, i believe i just came to the part where they figured they had spent close to $6 million developing the GT40 and prepping them for races.

very early in the book it was stated: ford had nothing that could compete w/ the chevy corvette at the time and Henry Ford II was not happy b/c at the time chevy had 60% of the market share of sales. and they basically attributed it to the fact that the corvette was successful at the track and as a race car....interesting stuff to read...

Ford did not "invent" the Ford GT from scratch, they essentially BOUGHT Eric Broadley's British race car firm to hit the ground running. The mid-engined small-block Ford powered 1963 Lola GT became the prototype for the Ford GT, all of which were maufactured in England over the next six years or so.

So that car IMO will always be an Anglo-American hybrid of British design talent/craftsmanship and American $$$.

I remember Nickey ads in hot rodding magazines giving their (Chicago?) address for midwest and eastern customers, and Bill Thomas Race Cars' address and 'phone number for Western delivery of the Nickey 427 Camaro.