1964 Cheetah GT V8.....!!!

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

Did the Cheetach ever win any significant race?

The car looks fun, but strictly race

Paolo

 

[Ardern Cars]

Cheetahs were glorified Sprint cars. Don Edmonds, master sprint car and midget builder was 1/2 of the driving force behind the cars along side Bill Thomas.
Chris
Historic Race Car Replicas

 

[Mesa]

When I was about 15, "Bob" a local mechanic friend of the family had one. His shop had a short parking lot that dumped directly onto hwy 50 in South Lake Tahoe, California. He spent all his extra minutes prepping the car for STREET use, I remember one day in particular - Bob had the Cheetah backed up against the shop door pointed directly at the end of the parking lot, 90 degrees to the flow of traffic on hwy 50. Earth shaking - bodywork quivering - with Bob holding the dash in place with one hand - he would launch in a big burnout towards the far end of the lot! Thank God he never made it into the flow of traffic but I'm SURE there were a few tourists that died of heart attacks that day. I heard stories that he drove it half way around the west shoreline WITHOUT the body, the terrain especially that long ago was unmolested by the big dollar abodes of today. So, I guess it was likely to have happened just the way it was told. Some decades after there was a Chevy truck pulling a Cheetah in one of thier ads, I heard that was that was the same car all beautifully finished.

 

[BenL]

Then all of a sudden, waaaaaaa.....and he goes flying by me again! He had taken the exit, waited for me to go by the on ramp, and then gunned it past me.

There's a story about someone testing driving a Cobra on a Motorway (before speed limits). Apparently he greatly annoyed the police by passing them in the opposite direction before they had a chance to get up to speed to chase him.

 

[Fred]

Hi everyone,
The cheetah spotted in Portland was probably the old Dixon Cadillac sponsored car. The last we heard of it years ago it was in the Portland area. It got a 396 and then a L88 transplant. Not what the car needed except in a straight line. This is same car pictured in b/w on the first post. That was January 1965 at Willow Springs and I am driving.
Mesa, the car you are remembering was owned and restored by Rob Pinkham. He was living in the Tahoe area when he purchased it. Yes it is the same car in the GMC ad. I got a copy of the ad when I got the car from Rob in 1989. I restored it back to road race configuration. We have been vintage racing it ever since.
If you would like more information take a look at my site http://www.cheetahcars.com

Fred

 

[Mesa]

Hi everyone,
Mesa, the car you are remembering was owned and restored by Rob Pinkham. He was living in the Tahoe area when he purchased it. Yes it is the same car in the GMC ad. I got a copy of the ad when I got the car from Rob in 1989. I restored it back to road race configuration. We have been vintage racing it ever since.
If you would like more information take a look at my site

WOW...Thanks so much for posting
A very thin slice of my teen years come back around. I had no idea at the time I was looking at a car that there were only a handful made, truly one of the rarest cars I have ever had personal contact with. I recall vividly Rob holding the dash up off his lap as he accelerated smoking tire though parking lot. YEARS later I remember thinking that the car was worth a whole lot more money by the time I saw it in the Chevy ad and wondered if he was still the owner. I thought "good for him if he was".

In my mind's eye I see him working the evenings hours installing turn signals in the headlight bezels, I see him carefully bonding in shark gill slats one at a time in an opening he fabricated behind the front wheel openings. The car was all primer gray at that point.

Am I remembering this all correctly or has fantasy got the better of me?

Thanks again

 

[René]

I know one for sale in Germany, came acros it when looking for some special cars...its got a strange interior though :worried:

its from 07-1965 (but think its new) with 442ps on 700kg :shocked:

Pkw-Inserat: Detailansicht

more on the link.

 

[Dave]

That's pretty nice...

 

[Craig Ruth]

Hi guys,

New member to your forum. I am a Chevy guy, sorry, but came across your thread for the Cheetah. My Cheetah is located at the Mentor Museum of Speed in Ohio. Their website is www.bestofshowautomotive.com Look under the current inventory tab and search for Ruth Cheetah.

Hope you like the pics and the info.
I designed and built the car from the ground up.

Craig

 

[Randy V]

Hi Craig,

Welcome to GT40s...

We are admirers and lovers of almost all automotive works..

Yours was one which I very much appreciate as part of America's rich racing history...

It would appear that this car is a recreation of the original - with quite a few updates.

What happened to the original Cheetah?

 

[René]

wow, amazing car, one of the best I've seen so far...
I see 560hp but what is the weight of the car, and are there no side windows?

 

[René]

here is a link to my thread on a dutch car forum with some nice Cheetah pictures in it.

http://www.driving-fun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10417&p=261864#p261864

have fun.
GTRene

 

[Dave Wood]

I believe there were only 8-12 made. There were tons of bodies made by companies like Kellison and they were attached to all sorts of cars. I recall a few funny cars(60s era) that ran them. There was one of the more notable funny cars on E-bay a few years ago. It had been modified extensively over the years and still had the era paint, scallops I think. Since there were so few real ones, I think any configuration could be considered correct. I don't recall any major wins by the car. they were created to compete against the Cobra, but were expensive compared to the Cobra and probably had trouble attracting top drivers. I think the most competitive arena was at the drags, but most of those were Cheetah in body only. Most ran an altered/gasser chassis....but still used them pesky little gm engines .

 

[Simon]

The 1965 Bill Thomas Cheetah Continuation Collectible Coupe and Cro-Sal Special Roadster

 

[René]

oooh nice

This one has some side windows.

 

[Eric]

Might have already been posted, but here is a replica manufacturer.
The RER Cheetah

Eric