Vehicle Description
There are some who like to think of the Cheetah as Chevy's version
of the Shelby Cobra, and while that may be true on the surface,
there's a lot more to the story than that. After looking at this
cool 1964 Cheetah convertible replica, maybe look up Bill Thomas
and the origins of the Cheetah, a read that's not only exciting and
interesting, but puts this awesome little roadster into perfect
context.
Nobody really knows how many Cheetahs were actually built, with
most pegging the number in the low-20s. As a result, you're
probably not going to be able to get your hands on one, making this
neat little roadster the next best thing. In fact, I'd argue that
this is even better than the original, because the lack of a top
neatly solves the Cheetah's biggest problem: cockpit heat. The
Shell Valley Classics fiberglass body's shape is faithful to the
original, with a minimalist design stretched tight over the tube
frame chassis without an extra ounce of fat anywhere to be found.
The swoopy front end is as handsome as ever and the abruptly
cut-off rear end is as much dune buggy as track weapon. Laid up in
fiberglass, just like the originals, it is probably a lot nicer
than anything built in the '60s and the Porsche Guards Red paint
has a deep gloss that you'd never find on a track car. Fit and
finish are quite good and you can tell that a lot of time went into
getting the details right, including how neatly the hood fits
around the engine's air cleaner, the small signal lights integrated
into the grille opening, and the clean way the rear license plate
frame is molded into the bodywork. Someone was sweating the details
here.
The interior is minimalist, which you expected. What you didn't
expect was how effective it is. The body-hugging bucket seats and
shoulder harnesses keep you pinned in place during aggressive
driving, yet there's plenty of leg and elbow room to really work. A
fat Grant GT steering wheel is almost telepathically attached to
the front wheels and a full array of VDO gauges monitor the engine
with an old-school 1960s aesthetic. Rocker switches, a white Hurst
cue ball shifter (with five gears!), and the cut-down windshield
all give it a vintage performance look and feel that you're going
to love. There's a roll bar overhead, but I think it's more for
style than safety, and with that cut-off tail, there's obviously no
trunk or top. This car is purity of design, distilled down to its
essence.
With less than 2000 pounds to pull around, the 350 cubic inch Chevy
crate motor under the hood doesn't have to work very hard to make
explosive performance numbers. There's a big Edelbrock 4-barrel
carburetor, gorgeous long-tube headers, and a whole slew of new
parts working to make this Cheetah a blast to drive. With just 12
test and tune miles on the clock, everything remains fresh and
as-new in every way, and no used parts were used in the build; this
one is all new. The engine is backed by a 5-speed manual gearbox
feeding a Ford 9-inch rear full of 3.70 gears, so you'd better hang
on tight when you crack the throttle. The fabricated tube chassis
features coil-overs and A-arms up front and trailing arms out back,
giving it race-caliber handling. 4-wheel disc brakes are something
you'd expect and with so little weight, 15-inch Torque Thrusts and
235/60/15 front and 295/50/15 rear tires are more than enough.
Beautifully built, insanely fast, and just finished, this is an
awesome car in the Cobra mold but tuned for guys who prefer bow
ties. Call today!
