[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The global success of the Shelby Cobra inspired many American race car builders to build a similar car to compete on an international level. From this perspective, nobody came close to beating the Cobra, since there was only Carol Shelby.
However, Bill Thomas, a famous Chevrolet tuner and racecar builder, was a serious candidate. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, the Cheetah never got a proper chance. As you may know, Chevrolet and GM pulled out of racing in 1963. But several independent race shops worked for GM’s backdoor programs where they supported private racing teams with racing know-how or special racing parts. Thomas’s shop was one of those outfits.

Cheetahs are cool. I have to think that driving one would feel a little weird initially since it looks like you're almost sitting on the rear axle. I know that when I went from a 911 to a miata, it felt weird. The 911 and Boxster never felt weird to me. Sitting in the miata driver's seat, I could open the door and reach my arm out and touch the back tire (took some leaning and stretching).