1964 Chevrolet Cheetah Replica

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!