January 5, 2017
Posted By : Barrett-Jackson
Written By : independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante

BILL THOMAS’ CHEETAH: The Coulda-Been Cobra Killer

BILL THOMAS’ CHEETAH: The Coulda-Been Cobra Killer

January 5, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante

A true piece of Chevrolet road-racing history, this 1964 Cheetah (Lot #1376) will be a star attraction on the Barrett-Jackson auction block in Scottsdale.

A true piece of Chevrolet road-racing history, this 1964 Cheetah (Lot #1376) will be a star attraction on the Barrett-Jackson auction block in Scottsdale.

1964-cheetah_archiveSo you thought Carroll Shelby’s 427 Cobra was cool, eh? Well, compared to Bill Thomas’ Cheetah, some might say the Cobra paled by comparison. Put down the stones. At least that’s how things look when each car is viewed strictly from the perspective of its performance potential in the bare-fisted world of SCCA road-race competition.

Based on the A.C. Ace, a little-known British sports car first seen in 1954, the Cobra – with its swapped-in Ford V8 – might have seemed an ideal road racer when Carroll Shelby unveiled the first one in May 1962. But it could have been lighter; beneath the aluminum skin rode a heavy frame.

It’s a known fact Shelby initially approached Chevrolet in search of 283 and 327 small-blocks, only to be turned down by a GM management team shaking in its boots over looming anti-trust legislation. The alternate was Ford, who said yes to Shelby – and the rest is history.

1964-cheetah_front_3-4Meanwhile, Bill Thomas, proprietor of Bill Thomas Race Cars in Anaheim, California, was watching. Thomas worked with area Chevrolet dealerships in the ’60s to sponsor and support drag racing, road racing and produce hop-up parts for Chevrolet vehicles. He even whipped up a kit to install the 360 horsepower Corvette “Fuelie” 327 in Chevy’s new 1962 Nova compact car – a full two years before Chevrolet finally released factory V8 options for the Nova.

Thomas was also watching on October 14, 1962, when the 289 Cobra and 1963 Corvette Stingray made their simultaneous debuts at the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix race at Riverside Raceway. Despite its superior 365-horsepower Rochester fuel-injected 327 and much ballyhooed independent rear suspension, the Corvette was clearly outclassed. Something had to be done. For its part, GM embarked on the ill-fated Grand Sport lightweight Corvette program, but a self-imposed anti-racing edict announced in March 1963 snuffed it early on.

1964-cheetah_frontBut as a private enterprise, Thomas was free to dream – and create. The result was the Cheetah. Using little more than hand-drawn plans and their instincts, Thomas and fabricator Don Edmunds constructed a chromoly tube frame that encased the engine and driver, then conjured an incredibly sleek fiberglass body shell. Power initially came from the potent 327 “Fuelie,” but they made sure anything from GM’s horsepower arsenal would fit, including the big-block engine family.

The first Cheetah arrived in mid-1963 and featured an aluminum body, but fiberglass was intended to be used for all subsequent units. Thomas and Edmunds selected components from the GM parts bins, including the Corvette’s independent rear suspension, Muncie aluminum-case transmissions, police and Corvette brake components, and even aluminum radiators from Pontiac’s Super-Duty program.

1964-cheetah_engineThe end result proved to be almost too much of a good thing. With its 1,650 pound race weight, the first 327 small-block-powered Cheetah was over 800 pounds lighter than a 427 Shelby Cobra. The astonishing power proved difficult to master, especially with the Cheetah’s 90-inch wheelbase. Though the same as dimensions as the Cobra, Cheetah drivers sat farther rearward in a position that confused those accustomed to the behavior of race cars, where the driver sat closer to the center line of the wheelbase.

None of this reflects negatively on the legacy of the Cheetah as the ’60s ultimate manned missile on wheels. Of the approximately 23 built, the 1964 Cheetah (Lot #1376) offered at the 2017 Scottsdale Auction is the sixth competition chassis built at Bill Thomas Race Cars shop in Anaheim, CA. Bearing Thomas Race Cars VIN #006, it has been verified and stands well apart from more recent kit cars and tributes. This is the real thing and a piece of GM road-racing history.

The car was ordered new in ’64 by Jack Goodman, owner of Clarence Dixon Cadillac Dealer in Hollywood, CA. It is one of 15 known to survive in the world today and has had only six subsequent owners after being purchased by Goodman. Initially ordered in Corvette Sebring Silver and powered by a 375-horsepower Corvette “Fuelie” small-block, it was returned to Bill Thomas Race Cars in April 1965 for installation of a 396 big-block and Corvette disc brakes in place of the 11-inch drums used previously.

1964-cheetah_interiorAnother visit to Bill Thomas Chevrolet in 1967 saw the addition of a 427 L88 crate engine featuring lightweight aluminum heads, M22 Rock Crusher transmission and 4.11 rear axle ratio. In this form, the power (580 horsepower) to weight (1,750 pounds) is 3 to 1, making it nearly three times as lean as a 289 Cobra.

Raced through the ’60s, it has five years of SCCA/FIA competition history at the L.A. Times Grand Prix (Riverside), Laguna Seca (Monterey), Willow Springs, Pomona, Bend (Oregon), Odessa (Texas), Star Dust, War Bonnet, Davis Monthan AFB (Tucson, AZ), Santa Barbara and at Airport #2 (Utah). In 1968, this car was the Southern Pacific region SCCA A/SR Champion. Over the years, drivers have included Jack Goodman, Mike Jones, Ralf Piccard, Jim Phillips and Sid Harmon.

In 1969, the car was retired from race duty and was registered for street use. Yes, street use. Appropriately the state was Utah, home of the Bonneville Salt Flats. While the Cheetah was never raced on the legendary land speed record course, it was undoubtedly one of the most potent road machines in the state – or any state – at the time. In a showdown with even the most highly tuned Ford Cobra, the Cheetah’s superior power-to-weight ratio was sure to see its quartet of Corvette taillights fade into the distance.

Today, this historical machine retains its original 1964 chromoly frame, fiberglass body, fiberglass and aluminum interior panels and the same IT-code L88 crate engine and M22 transmission installed by Bill Thomas’ shop in 1967. A recent total restoration by BMC LLC of Arizona returned Cheetah #006 to its 1967 configuration, right down to the dual Corvette Harrison radiators installed to assure adequate engine cooling, extra-wide Ansen Sprint rear wheels and Goodyear Blue Streak tires for improved traction, and triple fuel tanks for extended range on the track between pit stops.

Fully street legal, it’s also a world traveler. In 2016, the Bill Thomas #006 made history as the only Cheetah ever invited to participate in the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed. That this would-be Cobra killer visited the Cobra’s native land is interesting. One must wonder if this Cheetah went prowling for snakes during its visit.

In a world in which kit cars and clones are rampant, the chance to own a true piece of Chevrolet road racing history like this Cheetah doesn’t happen often.

For up-to-date information about this vehicle, click HERE.

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