Vehicle Description
2016 Cheetah EVO
When talk turns to American V-8 powered, competition-pedigreed
1960's sports-car Cinderella stories, the discussion usually starts
and ends with the Shelby Cobra. Shelby was hardly the first to
implement the lightweight body/American V-8 strategy-Allard beat
him to the punch by nearly a decade-but his success inspired
numerous low-volume manufacturers and racing wildcatters to adopt
the blueprint for their own projects. Of them, the Cheetah, a.k.a.
Bill Thomas's Cheetah, endures as one of the most enigmatic. With
only 11 first-generation examples built and fewer surviving,
spotting one in the wild is remarkable enough. Thx to Andrew
Wendler/Car and Driver
So with a mere 11 first generation Cheetahs built, enter stage
right the Evolution company which produces fiberglass replicas for
the advanced Mot�rhead to add and mix and match with whatever they
want, and this car is no exception. With a monster V8 and many
custom high end add ons my friends this is a race car with all the
conveniences of the street. Read on! Meeeeeow..
Exterior
With its exaggerated lines and long front end, this car takes the
"pony car design" and moves it up a few notches to the
thoroughbred. A long long curvaceous front end with a cutout for
the air intake, bulbous roofline complete with gull wing doors, pop
in and out side glass, a wonderfully short rear deck and a tail to
make the Lister green with envy. All fiberglass and all bathed in
blue this pouncer sits upon wide Mickey Thompson tires that wrap
Torque thrust polished wheels weighing in at 17x9 in back and
12.5x9x15 on the front. Inset side pipes allow those 540 cubes to
exhale and add some bling to the rockers. The door handles are
custom machined and have their own manual as to how to open them,
well not exactly, but it's a learning curve to say the least. Inset
into the front are 90mm Bella hi-low headlights, which this writer
could say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, although they are a
modern twist on the small inset headlights of yore. The cockpit is
wrapped with acrylic for the side and rear glass and up front is
DOT approved glass for the windshield, complete with wipers and
washers. The hood tilts forward so you can wrench on the mill, and
all glass is DOT certified and tinted.
Interior
Looking inside, (there is NO WAY this writer is getting in there),
we scan across wide sills that create a landing strip for the gull
wing doors. These have billet hinges and hydraulic pistons to aid
in their up and down as well as staying open. A black smooth
leather panel is on either side, and a billet aluminum rod runs
across the sill on the inside that works in unison with the custom
handles to unleash the doors. Full leather seats are tucked in
between the wide leather covered sills and the center console, all
covered in black leather. The seats sport G-Force 5-point
harnesses, and you'll need them! Upfront a touch of class with a
African walnut veneer dash which neatly houses all the necessary
gauges, and just to the driver's right is a rectangular lower panel
with some toggles and billet knobs that control various functions
including the Restored AC. Why sweat when you are late braking into
the hairpin at Summit Point? A Flaming River tilt steering column
topped with a Billet Specialties wheel reaches for the pilot. Right
down to the floors with the pristine black carpeting flooding them
we have a comfy cockpit, if indeed you can get into it. A big shout
out to Spotlight Customs Upholstery in Cleveland, OH is responsible
for this over the top interior.
Drivetrain
A 540ci Blueprint V8 reads like a who's who of high end automotive
add ons the like of which are a Holley 4-barrel carburetor on top,
and a 6-speed manual Tremec transmission with a Lakewood Quicktime
Bell housing, McLoud clutch and a Fidanza flywheel. MSD high
performance ignition is peering through the hole in the hood, and
the mill is loaded with polished aluminum accents. Also, SW, short
for Stainless Works, polished headers snake their way from the
engine to the side pipes in blinged style. There is a Dana 36 rear
end with 3.73 posi gears to load up those wide rubber bands. An
aluminum radiator keeps everything cool on this hot engine, and has
a Derale electric fan.
Undercarriage
Pure racing inspired with a seamless 1.5-inch tube chassis. There
is a Wilwood 3 pedal assembly with Wilwood disc brakes, (6 piston
in front and 4 piston on back). QAI coil over shocks are on each
corner, and GM has provided the front A arms in aluminum. Also
noted is a Stroud fire suppression system just in case things get a
bit too hot.
Drive-Ability
Since no one in our main showroom was able to shoehorn themselves
into this car we had to call upon our old shoe, the President of
our beloved Hallowed Halls, who fit perfectly in this skate. He too
required a little assistance to get in but once acclimated he
looked right at home. His report verified what we all had
envisioned, once cranked up and it made plenty of noise and had
mind numbing acceleration, bias free stop on a dime and give change
braking and beyond capable handling. He returned with a smile on
his face and the preliminary plans for a full-on road course to be
added to our test track.
A replica of a classic that gave Shelby a run for his money, and in
collaboration with GM kept on the down low and actually raced
against McLarens, Chaparrals, and Lolas but never a Cobra. Its
death knell in racing came to an end in 1964 when the rules were
changed to a production car homologation of a minimum of 1000 cars.
Our example is a souped up and well-built and thought out EVO
replacement which makes it no less a head turner, or performer for
that matter. Not often seen much like a Marilyn Monroe or Jayne
Mansfield centerfold, and equally as curvaceous and a real
performer. I've got cat scratch fever, and it sits in the main
showroom at Classic Auto Mall.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
