In the 1960s, it was Chevrolet's idea, and California racer Bill Thomas' dream, to create a car that would challenge the Cobras of Caroll Shelby. The result was the Cheetah, a car that would shatter track records wherever it raced. Speeds of 185 mph at Road America and 215 mph at Daytona were recorded. The Cheetah had a tubular spaceframe chassis and powered by a Corvette V8 small-block engine bored out to over 6 litres producing 475 bhp.
A total of 16-29 cars built before the Anaheim factory was destroyed by fire in 1965. (Actual number of cars produced varies in different reports.)
In 2007 an outfit in Arizona called BTM got authorization from the Cheetah's original father, Bill Thomas (who passed away the following year), to build a series of "continuation cars." That is, officially sanctioned replicas of a small volume car long since out of production. The faithful were elated, but now it seems the Cheetah has died again as BTM has closed up shop. (conceptcarz.com & autoblog.com)
The Coupe Version
The Roadster Version
Only one original built.
(Photos from silodrome.com, conceptcarz.com, autoblog.com & corvettefever.com)