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Clist find of the day


Mace1647545504

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Bill Thomas Cheetah. 11 originals built between 1963 and 1966. Thomas was a subcontractor to GM on the Chevy II as well as a known corvette tuner, so GM backdoored his original design with factory support in order to beat the 289 cobras. 2 of the 11 cars were aluminum, the rest were fiberglass, and one was converted to a roadster much later in life. The Cheeta is well known for 215mph speeds on daytona's banked course, and the gullwing doors blowing off the car at that speed.

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a19736681/cobra-killer-time-capsule-bill-thomas-cheetah-headed-to-auction/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Thomas_Cheetah

 

After the original production run (Chevrolet pulled out in 64 for the 65 season), There was a lot of kit car drama with the cheetah - companies formed, cars made, companies sold, the molds were stolen at one point, nobody knew who had the licenses for it...it was a mess. Fiberglass trends and BTM were the two companies most known for cranking out Cheetah Kits (FT 1966-1989, BTM 1983-2015). RER here in Ohio makes a modern version which is the most current well known kit, as does known cobra kit mfg Shell Valley.

 

Stacey David built an RER Cheetah on his show Gears:

 

 

That CL ad looks like an RER Evolution Kit, judging by the wheels probably built in the 90's or early 2000's and completed (it has a title) before someone made it a project again. (do they ever really stop being projects?)

 

Some fun facts about the cheetah:

1) There is no driveshaft - the tail shaft of the trans connects to the rear with a giant u-joint coupler

 

2) RER's Cheetah operation has been up for sale since march of 2020

 

3) nothing is adjustable in the interior. You build the car to fit the driver. the seats are bolted to the floor. The foot well is next to the engine block and the headers go over the top of the foot well and out to the side pipes.

 

4) the original cheetah's didn't have A pillars for the roof - the door would just butt up against the lexan windshield. Repop street cars use a glass windshield out of an MG.

 

5) The wet weight of a cheetah is approx 1600lbs. By comparison a kit built t-bucket usually weighs about 1800lbs.

Edited by Geeto67
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I wonder how that thing would track and autocross.

 

That's what I'm thinking. I would need another brain, another arm, a foot for each pedal, and a 270deg vision.

 

502ci, 7sp manual, 1500 lbs, super tight diff, super short wheelbase, RWD, ZERO NANNIES, and get fucked up in nothing flat. Make me so busy behind the wheel that I forget to breathe. Yummy.

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