Though the seller doesn’t impart a lot of details about this kit car, it appears to be a Cheetah from the 1960s. We saw it about six months and (apparently) it didn’t sell then. It has moved up from being listed on freebie craigslist to here on Hemmings this time. So perhaps it will find a more appropriate and interested audience there. Also, the price has increased by $500 to $3,000 from Bay Village, Ohio. Our goal here is to share a new set of photos than the ones used before to help depict this interesting, but challenging, project.
The decade of the 1960s was a flurry with kit cars, but the Cheetah was different. Rather than getting its infrastructure from a VW Beetle, the underpinnings of the Cheetah were borrowed from Chevrolet’s Corvette. There is no indication online as to whether the Cheetah ever took off or how many of them may have been sold. The last time we saw this rough example, we were told the owner who had it for four decades had passed away. So, we assume his/her estate is still trying to move it, without a drivetrain as before.
Time and Mother Nature have been at work on this car, so besides mechanical development, the fiberglass body will need some work as well. The undercarriage is as crusty as ever and there doesn’t appear to be any glass around. Since this project was never titled, we assume the buyer will have to be content with a bill of sale. If you like the gullwing style of this car (of sorts), is this a project you’d like to see come to life? To see more pics, check it out again here on Barn Finds.
That’s not a Cheetah.
Not even close.
Yeah, I thought the proportions were wrong.
Entering the passenger compartment will be a problem
Other than having a long nose and a short deck, nothing about that thing looks like a Cheetah. The frame, or what there is of it is not from a Corvette (C1 or C2), it actually has more of a home made look to it. The suspension has springs and shocks, but also appears to be solid mounted, the transverse spring and the brakes look like they might be late 40’s Ford parts?
I wonder if they meant “Sheetah”?
I don’t think Houdini could get in or out of that.
Whatever it might be i can clearly see why it has not been sold.
That front windshield will be challenging to find, or expensive.
That windshield is the rear glass out of a US built car. Not smart enough to say which one but I’d bet someone in this group could figure it out.
Nice teaser bobhess! Salute.
Shore is funny lookin’!
I don’t know what this abomination is, but it ain’t a Cheetah. I had the pleasure of getting up close and personal with one built by Bill Thomas Race Cars and this POS is not even close.
Me thinks it could have started life as a LeGrand Cheetah
I like cheetahs not that thing
This is a Cheetah. That “thing” is not even close.
It’s not a Cheetah! Yada-yada-yada. Why don’t you guys actually take the time to read the actual ad before flapping your yabbers. Obviously it’s not a Cheetah. He doesn’t know what it is, so put Cheetah down so that he could at least list it for sale.
If you bothered to look at it in detail, you would see that it has quite an interesting chassis, with transverse leaf spring suspension at the front and long overlapping lower arms, while at the back it appears to use Quarter eliptics, like a Frogeye Sprite/MG Midget. None of it has much movement though, but not a bad effort if home built. The thin box section to support the tank at the rear is a bit of a mess, but there’s somewhere to start and you’re not going to see another one at Cars and Coffee. The way things are going, it will probably be at The Quail in a couple of years!
I will bet no kid in your neighborhood would dare set foot on your lawn.
To be fair, the seller doesn’t call it a Cheetah, Hemmings does.
It resembles the LaDawri sportscars a bit, particularly the windshield which is from the 55-59 Chevy truck (flipped upside-down). But only a handful of coupes were made, and none had gullwing doors or that grill opening.
Calling Geoff Hacker to get on the case!
Ever since we bought a 6 acre property , i have been thinking , Although we are stuck in snow right now , this beautiful piece of automobilia would be perfect as a planter by the entrance to the property, otherwise its junk ..
It’s junk either way.
More like a “Cheeto” then a Cheetah.
The only thing I know for sure is that the price is moving in the wrong direction.
I am sorry to admit that I have owned this car’s doppelganger at least three times. ’77 SL450, ’33 Plymouth five window rumble seat, ’52 Hudson Hollywood Hardtop……. I guess maybe it is more like five or even six. I cannot fault any other human for buying a promising project only to find, job, money, kids, divorce, marriage, or skills to end up the unraveling of the thread. I am going to try to leave my heirs with nothing to sign for except the money.
Good call Dave. I prepaid my funeral and it cost me less than the stereo upgrade in my BRZ. My kids can empty my condo in a weekend. And I can now rock the tunes in my ten year old Beezer Bomb knowing the future is taken care of.
I have a LaDawri Conquest that I started building in late 60’s and been driving sense the early 80’s. According to all the literature I have from LaDawri there is nothing like this, the windshield is straight down on sides, comes as convertible or removeable hard top(which mine is) dash is like early vette. Talking with Joan LaDawri a few years back she said less than a hundred were molded and she knew of very few completed. Fun car to drive and starts lots of conversations
.
“driving it SINCE the early 80s”, not sense.
Sorry I better stick to building cars and not typing or spelling
This car has been in my neighborhood for years. I looked it over a couple years ago, the guy told me his dad started building it many years earlier, has a homemade split straight front axle deal like the Ford Twin I beam on trucks, wasn’t as crusty, and not for sale then, must have changed his mind and now sits other side of town .
I thought it looked familiar when I sent this over to Barn Finds.
I remember the front windshield looking like it was taken out of the rear of another car.
the Grammar Police ruin it for me. Lets post
about cars, eh?
Only objection I have is how my attention is drawn
to the A pillar (its not that it’s too thick, it’s not the
angle of it… is it the combo of both?). I like it from all
the other views (frnt, back, etc) and even think I could
get in and out at my age… too bad that 1 aspect…