When we were kids, my dad made a slot car track from a piece of plywood which was hung from our basement rafters by four small chains. This contraption captured our family’s attention for many years. Mystery Car 76 brought back some of these memories when I found out that one of our slot cars was an actual car! This oddly shaped race car was Chevy’s answer to the Ford Cobra … the 1964 Chevy Cheetah.
Interesting notes about the Cheetah:
- It was powered by a Bill Thomas-built 377 c.i. Chevy small block V8
- It hit 215 mph at Road America.
- It weighed only 1700 pounds.
- It has no driveshaft as the transmission is attached directly to the differential by a U-Joint.
- When driving the car your legs are positioned between the engine and headers.
- It has a 48/52 weight ratio.
More links:
www.cheetahcars.com
Wikipedia
Cheetah Continuation Collectible
Hot Rod magazine article, March 1964
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