This Rare Cobra Rival Just Sold for $520,000 and Almost No One Knows It

Key Points

• The Bill Thomas Cheetah was designed to rival the Shelby Cobra in the 1960s.
• Only 19 of 23 planned Cheetahs were built due to a workshop fire.
• A rare Cheetah survivor recently sold for $520,000 after being completed post-fire.

A Time For Experimentation

The ’60s were an interesting time for the automotive industry; this was the era when multiple household brands solidified their reputations and market positions. It was also during this time that multiple brands began to sprout out of the woodwork, trying to find their niche and offer experimental products.

Some of those brands produced decent cars but didn’t survive beyond a short production run. One such brand and car known as the Bill Thomas Cheetah was supposed to take on the likes of the Shelby Cobra, but only a few were ever made – and one surviving unit just sold for a pretty penny.

Cobra Killer

Californian Engineer Bill Thomas is the man behind the Cheetah. He built up his resume by racing Corvettes throughout the ’50s and eventually founded Bill Thomas Race Cars. In 1960, he secured a partnership with Chevrolet’s performance division to use C2 Corvette parts to build his own car.

Bill had his eyes set on taking on the Shelby Cobra, and he was able to build the Cheetah in partnership with famed fabricator Don Edmunds.

One of the revolutionary things about the Cheetah was the layout they used; the engine was pushed so far back into the chassis that the layout was designated as a front-mid engine for better weight distribution. This also meant that the driver and passenger were pushed further back, effectively sitting on the rear axles.

The Cheetah was powered by the famous Chevrolet 327 cubic-inch 5.4-liter Corvette V8, with power ranging from around 375 to 500 hp, depending on the tune and build. It was also extremely lightweight, weighing only 1,500 pounds. Around Daytona, it was clocked at 215 mph, which, for the time, was brisk, especially for a small-block V8.

Up in Flames

As much promise as the Cheetah presented, a fire tore through the production workshop that built it. Only 19 of the 23 promised cars met full production specs. One of them just sold for $520,000 on Bring-a-Trailer. What’s surprising about this car is that, according to the listing, work began after the workshop fire, making this a survivor and rare.

The car itself was delivered to the owner without an engine; later, it was equipped with a 377 cubic-inch Chevy V8 with mechanical fuel injection.