Bill Thomas Cheetah (1963 to 1966)

The Bill Thomas Cheetah was an American sports car that first emerged in 1963. The Cheetah was designed and engineered entirely with components sourced from various American automotive brands, with Chevrolet being one of the most notable contributors. These cars were handbuilt by Bill Thomas and his team, and were initially conceived to be a relaxed road car with emphasis on design. As production began, Thomas decided the Cheeth should be raced in order to help promote the car. Due to a variety of issues such as homologation rule changes, loss of manufacturer support, and a factory fire, Bill Thomas decided to end the Cheetah project, with the final car delivered in 1966. Official production numbers do not exist, but best estimates state up to 23 examples were created.