This is a Bill Thomas Cheetah that was sold new in 2014 as an unfinished continuation body by BTM LLC of Arizona, a company that was legally authorized by Bill Thomas to build and sell official Cheetahs at the time.
It’s believed that between 11 and 23 original Bill Thomas Cheetahs were made in the 1960s, with an additional 46 continuation cars made by BTM LLC from early 2000s through to approximately 2013/2014.
Fast Facts – The Bill Thomas Cheetah
- The Bill Thomas Cheetah originated in 1963 as a secret General Motors-backed project aimed at competing against Ford-powered Shelby Cobras. Developed by Bill Thomas and Don Edmunds without formal engineering resources, it successfully raced against prestigious marques like Ferrari and Shelby, earning the nickname the “Cobra killer.”
- Cheetahs featured a unique chassis and body design, positioning the Corvette 327 V8 engine so far back that drivers sat unusually close to the rear axle, with exhaust headers routing over the footwells, causing notable heat inside the cockpit during races.
- Original 1960s production was very limited (between 11 and 23 cars), leading to high demand and eventual authorized continuation builds. From the early 2000s through approximately 2014, 46 continuation Cheetahs were officially produced by BTM LLC, with Bill Thomas’s direct approval.
- The specific continuation Cheetah detailed here was sold incomplete in 2014 and finished by its owner in 2016, featuring period-correct specifications, including a Chevrolet 327 V8 with Rochester fuel injection, a Muncie 4-speed manual, and modern upgrades such as disc brakes and adjustable coilovers.
Building The Cheetah
The chassis of the Bill Thomas Cheetah was famously developed by Don Edmunds, Bill’s lead fabricator, who laid out the engine, transmission, and rear assembly on the shop floor and then used chalk to lay out the initial chassis design.
The styling of the Bill Thomas Cheetah is unusual to say the least, but it would prove itself repeatedly in competition, besting many cars that cost considerably more to develop.
Despite this less-than-scientific approach, the car that the two men developed would win dozens of races against many of the fastest sports racing cars in the world at the time, from makes like Ferrari, Chevrolet, Ford, and Shelby – earning the Cheetah the nickname – the “Cobra killer.”
The project to build the now legendary Cheetah began in 1963 when Thomas was given under-the-table approval from General Motors Performance Product Group head honcho Vince Piggins to develop the car that would become known as the Cheetah as a concept vehicle.
The hope was that the Cheetah would be able to take the fight to the Shelby Cobras which were powered by Ford V8s, General Motors’ arch enemy. Thomas and Edmunds would develop the car together, with Edmunds designing the chassis as described above.
The engine, a Chevrolet Corvette 327 V8, as well as the 4-speed manual Muncie transmission, and independent rear-end assembly were all supplied by Chevrolet, and many other parts came from the General Motors family, including suspension, brakes, and more.
Once the chassis design was in place and fitted with wheels and the engine, Edmunds sketched the body. Not being a trained automotive designer, Edmunds racing car designs always looked a little different, but there was always a good reason for it.
The Design Of The Bill Thomas Cheetah
The design of the Cheetah body put the cockpit as far back as possible, in order to install the engine as far back as possible for optimal front/back weight distribution. This led to the unusual situation in which the driver and passenger would be seated just in front of the rear axle line.
Here you can see just how far back the driver and passenger sit, almost right on the differential.
The Cheetah was given a sleek, aluminum body, though most later versions had fiberglass bodies for the sake of simply. The car has a snub-nosed fastback rear end with a long, low hood line and a swept back windshield.
The engine was so far back in the chassis that there is just a single universal joint linking the transmission with the differential, there was no driveshaft at all in the early cars. The driver’s legs were beside the engine and the exhaust headers passed over the driver (and passenger) footwells, causing them to become a little toasty on longer drives.
The handful of Cheetahs that were built were raced extensively in the mid-1960s and onwards, their low curb weight, high power output, and almost even weight distribution made them difficult to beat, and they took dozens of wins and innumerable podium places.
This feat was made all the more remarkable when you realize that Bill Thomas and Don Edmunds did the development work on the cars themselves, without an engineering department, wind tunnel, or design office.
The End Of The Cheetah, And A New Beginning
Surviving original cars are rare but the car’s reputation is legendary in US sports racing car circles, and as a result there was a lot of demand for new examples.
The cockpit is snug, with the foot boxes extending out along either side of the V8.
Replica bodies have been offered intermittently in the past but in the early 2000s Bill Thomas came to an agreement with Bob Auxier of BTM, who had been building replicas, to build an official line of continuation cars.
It’s believed that 46 of these continuation cars would be built, and today they’re highly sought after, with some even being FIA homologated to take part in vintage motorsport competition.
The Bill Thomas Cheetah Shown Here
The car you see here is said to be one of the official continuation cars built with Bill Thomas’ approval, though many might still call it a replica. The body is said to be one of the 46 that were made, and it was sold as an incomplete car in 2014 and then completed by its first owner in 2016.
It’s powered by a correct 327 Chevy V8 mated to a Muncie 4-speed manual transmission and fitted with Rochester fuel injection as well as tubular headers and a side-exit exhaust. It rides on 15″ American Racing wheels and unlike the originals, it has four-wheel disc brakes and adjustable coilovers on each corner.
Here you can see just how far back the engine is mounted, this was to give the car as close to 50/50 front/rear weight distribution as possible.
The car is now being offered for sale out of Plymouth, Michigan on behalf of an estate with build records and photos, literature, accessories, and a clean Michigan title that lists it as a 1964 model.
If you’d like to read more about the car or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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