Driving-Fun Forum

Cheetah heißt Gepard und Gepard steht für Power und Dynamik pur, d.h. 5,7 Liter V8 Chevy Small-Block Motor mit über 400 PS und elektronischer Einspritzanlage und ein Gewicht von nur 700 kg - das nennt man dann Leistungsgewicht. Schließlich sollte der Cheetah schon in den 60er Jahren Rennwagen wie dem Ferrari 250 GTO oder der Cobra Konkurrenz machen. Allerdings wurde die 1963 von Bill Thomas gegründete Firma bereits 1966 opfer eines verheerenden Feuers und somit gab es nur 16 Originalfahrzeuge von dieser Manifaktur. Da noch Restteile gerettet werden konnten kaufte die Firma BTM in Arizona diese inklusive der exklusiven Rechte zum Aufbau auf und begann die Cheetah wieder aufleben zu lassen. Das von uns angebotene Fahrzeug trägt die Chassisnummer 026, ist in absolutem Neuzustand und der einzige in Deutschland bekannte Cheetah. Dies wird vermutlich auch so bleiben, da die Firma BTM inzwischen Ihre Tätigkeit auf Grund von Zahlungsschwierigkeiten einstellen musste - Schade drum.Die Verarbeitungsqualität und der unbedingte Wille zum Leichtbau bestimmen die Faszination die von dieser Raubkatze ausgeht. Der Wagen ist FIA HTP Papers fähig und mit etwas gutem Willen sogar straßentauglich. Dies ist kein Spielzeug für Anfänger sondern ein Sportgerät für den Profi nach dem Motto:
Eats Cobras for breakfast!
Im Kundenauftrag

hugo schreef:Latere modellen van de originele Cheeta hadden een kunststof carrosserie. Tijdens testritten stonden de deuren en de motorkap bol nadat ze 300+ geklokt hadden. Overigens is het ding korter dan een VW Kaffer. Ergo, ik ga liever op een normale manier dood.

Unfortunately, no good deed went unpunished back then. GM’s upper management squelched Chevy’s back-door tech assistance to Bill Thomas’ Cheetah program, and his Anaheim, California shop suffered a major fire, thus trashing his production tooling after only 23 cars were built. But those 23 Cheetahs made an impression on anyone who saw them, either from the distance of the printed page, or up close on the track. Especially those who saw it hit 185 mph at Road America

at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin—or 215 mph at Daytona! toen al...

Ruben schreef:Volgens mij heb je al een paar nachten niet geslapen sinds je deze auto hebt ontdekt Rene. Kan je ook niet helemaal ongelijk geven, want het is een klein porno karretje

allen schreef:Zat die foto's te bekijken en als ik het goed begrijp moet je niet crashen? Breek je je nek niet vanwege het ontbreken van een hoofdsteun doe je dat wel door het reserve wiel.

If Ford had Carroll Shelby, Corvette fans can at least claim a similar champion in racer Bill Thomas who created a handful of small, lightweight, agile cars powered by big, American V8s called The Cheetah.

What’s a Cheetah, you ask? Well, some of you know what they are or perhaps have heard of them, while the rest of you probably need some history. In the early ‘60s, Bill Thomas proposed a lightweight, Corvette-based race car to GM, but they ultimately passed on it. Instead of giving up, Thomas put it into limited production and started setting records on tracks all over the country. Best of all, it was cloaked in outrageous fiberglass bodywork designed by Don Edmunds that made it look like something out of the psychedelic minds of the guys over at Hot Wheels. The car was a handful on the track, but nobody could deny that it was frighteningly fast. Only a few were built before a shop fire in September 1965 ended production. Of those, only eight originals survive today, although there is a group putting together cars they call “continuation” Cheetahs.

This particular car is not an original Cheetah, not a kit, and not even one of those continuation cars. The Corvette restorers at Ruth Engineering specialize in vintage Corvette restorations and performance, and it’s not surprising that when they started thinking about extracting big performance from their favorite hardware that building their own version of the Cheetah seemed like a good idea. Of course, it’s been more than 40 years since the originals were built, so some modern know-how and hardware would be welcome additions to the tried-and-true “light weight, lots of power” formula.

The original Cheetah was a handful in corners, riding on a wheelbase so short that the transmission was connected directly to the rear differential using only a U-joint without a driveshaft. The originals had flexible frames and a hot, cramped cockpit that was often dubbed “the penalty box” by drivers. The fiberglass bodies on the originals were marginal at best. So it was a great concept that just needed a little extra development (which it surely would have had without that shop fire).

The guys at Ruth Engineering started with their own tube frame chassis built on a jig for accuracy. It’s configured to accommodate almost any Chevy V8 you can find, and uses ’89-’96 Corvette C4 chassis components, including the upper and lower A-arms, combined with race-ready coil over shock absorbers at all 4 corners. Braking is via 13-inch Corvette brakes with 2-piston PBR calipers up front.

I’ll admit that I’m a little bit of a critic when it comes to chassis work, having worked in a race shop fabricating roll cages myself. As a welder, I can say that the workmanship on this chassis is first-rate—these guys did a seriously nice job putting it together just right. The welds are tight with that perfect “stack of nickels” bead at every joint. There’s no spatter, no heavy build-up, just tight, clean joints. Given what I can see here, I wouldn’t have any qualms about putting this car on the track, which is really where it would shine.

With that rippling 383 cubic inch small block under the hood, it’s a good thing the chassis is so sturdy. Built by Gellner Engineering, the car’s builder claims 560 horsepower from the 1978-based block. The stroker crank is from Lunati, swinging Manley rods and pistons. Valve timing is handled by a Crane camshaft, while the heads are aluminum Dart Pros with Crane roller rockers. It breathes through a set of stainless steel side pipes that look killer and sound even better, and have been slightly modified from the original design to better control cockpit heat. Up top, there’s an Edelbrock Air Gap intake and 4-barrel carburetor, and ignition is by MSD. It’s all dressed up with a set of cast aluminum Corvette-script valve covers and an Edelbrock finned air cleaner. The radiator is way up front in the nose with an electric fan and Cool-Flex hoses connecting it to the mid-mounted engine.

Racers will also notice the individual master cylinder unit with a balance bar for braking, plus one for the hydraulic clutch that separates the big V8 from the Tremec TKO 600 5-speed manual transmission. It features a 2.87 first gear and a .82 overdrive, which, in this light car, should make for incredible acceleration at any speed in any gear. Out back, the Corvette independent rear suspension has been highly modified with horizontally-mounted coil over shocks actuated via pushrods, and now packs a 3.70 gear. Rolling stock consists of polished 16-inch Torq-Thrust replica wheels sporting 235/55/16 front and 295/50/16 rear Cooper Cobra radials—with such a light chassis, you really don’t need huge, aggressive, sticky tires to get the most out of the car.

The body is a modified version of the original Fiberglass Trends Cheetah bodies that the techs at Ruth Engineering created to fit on their chassis (check out the photos showing this car next to a real Cheetah and note the subtle differences). Ruth specializes in custom laminated glass, and they’re quick to point out the windshield that was custom made for this car (they supply many of the replica builders with their windshields, too). The fiberglass work is very high quality, and I was especially impressed by the level of finish on the underside of the hood and in other less visible areas. These are usually the first places people cut corners, but this car has smooth, well turned out gelcoat front and back. Nice.

The paint is a special 4-stage urethane (PPG Hot Wheels Lime Gold) that definitely harkens back to those great early Hot Wheels cars in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. It’s not gold, it’s not green, it’s not yellow, it’s, well, unique. It is accentuated by a silver stripe running front to back and painted side coves that recall the C1 Corvettes of the late ‘50s. The nose has a flat-black mask to protect that exotic paint and gives the car a sinister, road-race look. Even though it’s not a Chevy, it certainly shows its Chevrolet DNA loud and clear.

The cockpit is all business, too. Clamber in over those high sills and through the narrow gullwing opening and park yourself in the racing bucket seats. 5-point racing harnesses secure the driver and the passenger, while a padded cage surrounds the entire compartment. The dashboard has a comprehensive set of Stewart-Warner gauges monitoring everything from engine speed to oil pressure to coolant temperature. A Hurst short-throw shifter pokes out of the transmission tunnel, topped by a white cue ball knob, with a brushed aluminum mounting plate. The tilting steering wheel is a piece that looks very vintage, and everything is nicely finished in black leather and vinyl for a purposeful, ‘60s performance look. And no, there is no radio, although the side pipes definitely sing in stereo.

The car has been featured in several magazine features, including a build story in the September 2008 issue of “Vette Vues” magazine, and the April 2010 issue of “Vette” where it even made the cover. It has won several recent shows, including the 47th Annual World of Wheels, where it won Best in Class, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has seen it in person. It has also appeared on maxchevy.com as a feature car, and on Jalopnik.com. Additional videos can be seen here and here.

It is also important to note that this Cheetah has been built and tested by a company with years of experience doing this kind of work, and they are gearing up to put the body and chassis into series production based on their feedback from this car. This is not somebody’s home-cooked project car, but a fully engineered piece that the original manufacturer is ready, willing and able to stand behind in the future. It has just 1300 shake-down miles on it (it has never been raced or abused), so all the bugs have been worked out and it is ready to drive and enjoy today.

Don’t call it a replica or a kit, because it’s not. It’s a hand-made piece that updates the incredible Cheetah from the 1960s with modern handling and braking. With a curb weight of around 2270 pounds, acceleration is explosive, and it doesn’t take massive, sticky tires to get it around corners in a hurry. The build quality is very nice, with an eye-grabbing paint job that will have people standing two and three deep to get a look at this unusual piece. Best of all, you’ll never see yourself coming or going from shows or on the street.

GTRene schreef: