Developed in secrecy after GM’s 1963 factory racing ban, the Bill Thomas Cheetah emerged as Chevrolet’s covert rival to Carroll Shelby’s Cobra. Engineered by Corvette tuner Bill Thomas, it was an uncompromising sports racer featuring a front-mid-mounted 327-cubic-inch V8. With a curb weight under 1,600 pounds and a top speed exceeding 180 mph, the Cheetah proved formidable in SCCA competition, earning multiple wins and setting speed records in 1964.
Its momentum was cut short in 1965 when new FIA homologation rules raised the minimum production requirement to 1,000 units. Only around two dozen were built, with just 12 completed as turnkey cars—chassis 029 being the final example, which is currently up for grabs on Bring a Trailer.
Commissioned in late 1965 by Edward King of Ohio as a street-oriented version, this Cheetah was finished in April 1966, making it the last constructed at Bill Thomas Race Cars in Anaheim. Delivered without a drivetrain, it was registered for road use and remained with King until 1968.
It then changed hands in a trade involving a fuel-injected split-window Corvette C2 and $4,500, staying with its second owner for nearly 40 years. After appearing in a 1980 Autoweek listing, it was eventually acquired by its third owner in 2007 following decades of negotiation.
Restored for display, it appeared at Pebble Beach in 2008 and later at The Quail and McCall’s. Finished in red with gullwing doors, it’s powered by a 377ci Chevrolet V8 with fuel injection, paired to a four-speed manual, and features magnesium wheels, independent suspension, and a red leather interior.
Source: Bring a Trailer
