1963 Cheetah is an Insanely Cool Corvette-Based Race Car

Extremely Rare

The Cheetah is one of the rarest cars that you're ever likely to see. There were only 11 of these models ever built by the self-taught engineer, Bill Thomas, and this one is no. 4. It's believed that only 8 have survived to this day. Of those cars, this is possibly the most complete and original in existence. This car is, essentially, unrestored, unaltered, and highly maintained. What you're looking at is a perfectly preserved piece of history. 

Photos courtesy of Mecum

A Cult Following

Make no mistake, the Cheetah is a race car and was built to perform at the highest level. Legendary California Corvette tuner, Bill Thomas, set about designing the Cheetah to compete with the iconic Shelby Cobra. Unfortunately, the project wasn't hugely successful at the time and Chevrolet eventually pulled their sponsorship money. The real success would come years later after the model had gone into obscurity. Over the years, it became a cult classic and is now highly sought-after. Any doubters should refer to the asking price for this car which sits at $500,000-750,000.

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Few Owners

During this car's 56-year life, it's had just three owners. It was first owned and raced by Bud Clusserath who then sold it to Sam Goins in 1965. Goins and his wife regularly attended the SCAA Runoffs each September at Elkhart Lake, which is where he first saw Clusserath's Cheetah with a "For Sale" sign up. Without hesitation, Goins bought the car there and then, and went on to own it for 53 years. He successfully raced it and ran it at gymkhana events while he owed it. This model was finally sold at auction to the Juliano Collection in 2018, and now it's up for grabs again.

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A Special Racer

This particular model was one of the first two fiberglass Cheetahs produced after the original aluminum prototypes were sent to Chevrolet's engineers for evaluation. This car has been thoroughly documented and was featured in Automobile Quarterly in 1981.

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Built For Speed

The Cheetah doesn't just look fast, it's an absolute rocket. Thomas reported that the car reached a top speed of 215 mph at Daytona in 1964, although this has never been confirmed. What we do know is that, in the hands of Bud Clusserath and fellow racer Ralph Salyer, the Cheetah set record after record. One of it's most notable achievements was setting a 185 mph record at Elkhart Lake: this stood for several years. It's hardly surprising this model was so fast considering the powerplant which sits beneath its fiberglass bodywork. This racer comes with an L84 327 Fuelie Corvette engine which has been modified to produce around 485 horsepower.

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Letter of Endorsement

When you consider that there are only around eight Cheetahs in existence, it's extremely rare that you'd get the opportunity to buy one. What's even rarer, however, is how original this particular model is. This car has been authenticated by Bill Thomas' son, Bill Thomas III. A letter sent by him reads, "Your Cheetah absolutely is one of the most complete and original Cheetahs, and it lives up to its reputation as looking like it was in a time capsule... This letter certifies that the undersigned, Bill Thomas III, has thoroughly inspected Sam Goins' Cheetah #4." Between the rarity of the car itself and its condition, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

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