America's Most Secret & DANGEROUS Sports Car Ever Built!

[@bradrock7731]

This was my favorite slot car back then . Had a 1/32 Strombecker & a 1/24 Cox I believe.

[@d.e.b.b5788]

Yep, only really good as a slot car (I had one too!). The real one, the cockpit was like an oven, couldn't be driven for very long, handling was pretty bad, too. But it was a cute little racing car!

[@worldtraveler930]

🤠👍

[@kenbo80]

I raced HO slot cars at Longman hobby shop in Tempe, AZ. My best car was a modified TycoPro with a Cheetah body. It was unbeatable. Moved on to open class 1/24 racing, building my own cars out of brass and piano wire. Those were some of the best times of my life. Still have my box of cars, including my old Cheetah.

[@bailey1000100]

I cannot believe someone else had that slot car. I had one as well 1/32 scale..Strombecker. My Cheetah was orange. I always thought it was the most beautiful shape of anything I had ever seen. We had a Hobby shop in my town that had three maybe four professional slot car race tracks that you would pay per lane to race and practice against other hobbyists. Those were larger scale than my Cheetah . The place sold slot cars, parts and pieces. I suppose there were many places like it across the nation. That was in the late 60's in Vienna VA.

[@Graham_Wideman]

Yeah! I had a blue one and an orange one!

[@NomenClature-o8s]

“NASCAR Chevrolet drum brakes.” They show a disc brake. 😂😂😂

[@justaguy6100]

Yeah, saw that too.

[@obfuscation101]

And an aftermarket sprint car spindle, looked like.

[@dougiequick1]

pet peeve with most youtube photos accompanying the audio presentation ...Done by AI service I imagine...it is so often just INSULTING the WORST ones even have a stupid AI WRITE and narrate the whole thing! Complete with wrong pronuciation oft times just insulting! And they make money because WE click on em! I try to leave rude comments but pretty sure all are deleted dam youtube for allowing it!

[@riggymars7793]

Funny! So now we know he does NOT know what he is talking about. Surprised they didn't spell brakes as breaks.

[@bigbenguitarslinger494]

The Cheetah looks like cartoon version of a sports car,I love it!!!

[@Loulovesspeed]

It's a caricature of itself!

[@deathlarsen7502]

Really does

[@ratsofatso5525]

It was!

[@141crcf]

When I was 8 years old in 1966 I had a 1/24 scale Cheetah slot car that my Dad would take me to the slot car track in town with. I had always thought that the Cheetah was a regular production sports car and not the special item depicted in this video.

[@Pro1er]

I'm older than you but I used to take my 1/24 scale Cheetah to the slot car track too. 🏁

[@heaven-is-real]

same here i had a metallic green cheetah slot car that won all the races

[@garneauweld1100]

That figures, another OC special. So much good industrial design came out of Orange County someone should really write a book covering it all.

[@bicyclist2]

I heard that GM didn't want it competing against the Corvette. I've seen pictures of it since the 80's. Thank you.

[@ManiacRacing]

The Cheetah was an amazing looking car, but never did very well in real world racing due to the many problems. It is iconic mostly for it's insane body and looks. Fast and dangerous indeed!

[@Loulovesspeed]

@ManiacRacing - Well said!

[@doughaas9007]

I'd still like a turn behind the wheel !

[@rickstormer2852]

Have #16 in the collection i look after quite a hoot to drive on the street!

[@clyddebeatty4578]

I raced against that demon. Jerry Titus was the only man who could drive the damn thing. Used to spin out at least 3-4 times a lap at the old Riverside Raceway. It was the most popular crowd car around turn 6. Betting pool was where Jerry would spin out. I miss those days.

[@slayer04031974]

Big opportunity loss for Chevrolet. 👎🙄

[@Loulovesspeed]

One of several that they mucked up!

[@slayer04031974]

@@Loulovesspeed a lot more than that. If you consider when they pulled out of racing and didn't compete in the LaMa races

[@owengrossman1414]

I had a 1/32 slot car model of the Cheetah in the 60s.

[@Graham_Wideman]

Strombecker brand?

[@craigpennington1251]

Drum brakes & you show Disc.HMM? They need a serious comeback.

[@intelli.car9]

It was an editing mistake. I'm truly sorry

[@bluetopguitar1104]

What a cool looking car. I always wanted to know more about it. Thanks for the video.

[@chrisbaker2903]

There's an old saying I heard back in the day, "Happiness is a Corvette owner watching the only Cobra at the race blow his engine in Saturday practice.". Looks like the Chevy guys just couldn't beat Carroll Shelby at his own game. They should have used a much modified Corvair body and mounted the engine in front of the rear axle since the transaxle was the same design as the ones used in Chaparrals. They'd probably have won a lot of races with such a setup.

[@christophecamus3295]

❤❤❤❤❤looks great 👍 very good video

[@riggymars7793]

So cool. The Gran Sport Corvettes are worth a video.

[@winstonelston5743]

1:22 That "special Chevrolet stock car" appears to be badged as a Toronado.

[@MyKnexus]

I remember buying my Cheeta slot car body as a very lightweight, one piece, clear plastic body. You painted it from the inside so that the clear plastic body had a beautiful glossy finish. The plastic was so thin, it was almost weightless and very fast.

[@Ang3lUki]

The fact that this didn't get made on fear of competing with the corvette is truly peak general motors. Bro should've gone to mopar.

[@slimjimjohn4671]

I saw one at a small local car show a couple years ago. It was nothing like these. Has a late model Corvette engine, a revised frame, and modern steering and suspension. The owner built it with a shop in Massachusetts. He said that there was a warehouse somewhere that went up for auction, and the new owners found the body kits and put them up for sale.

[@bobsmoot8454]

I remember when the Cheetah was on the cover of Hot Rod magazine, then it was in Sportscar Graphics and other magazines. Very cool sled

[@jamesschoonover5068]

Very cool history! I've liked this car since a young age. Thank You!

[@1Bandit455]

Cool - also the Pontiac Banshee sports car would have been very fast too but GM Forbid Pontiac to build it - John Delorean wanted the 421 as a option too - JD Did get us the GTO Though 🏁🏆😎

[@williamstel9330]

Read a blurb sometime back that a fellow had raced one at over 200 mph dont remember the track.

[@1968superfreak]

In its first race in 1964 at Daytona, the Cheetah was the fastest thing on the track, seeing 215 mph

[@amelierenoncule]

Yes, the Bill Thomas Cheetah was designed to reach 200 miles per hour (mph) and was clocked at 215 mph at Daytona. 💋

[@Loulovesspeed]

@@1968superfreak - That speed is not official, but it probably did that, or close to it. You left out that the speed it achieved was enough to blow off its doors and hood! Back to the shop boys!

[@bradgriffith4231]

I doubt it. Indy cars barely ran 200 back then.

[@normanautrey9274]

One of the real issues with this car was the configuration of the foot wells in the cockpit. The 327's exhaust headers ran right over the top of the footwell in the engine compartment. It caused serious heating issues for the driver. Made it very uncomfortable for the driver.

[@douglassummers9901]

1:25 RICKY BOBBY !!!!

[@pappytinkers]

Always loved the looks of these

[@Harvey_Pekar]

The ultimate head-turner, to this day.

[@aaronburratwood.6957]

Stacy David built one of these on his show.

[@kevinroark5024]

I remember it

[@mikeparkhurst8804]

I worked for a Chevy dealership I was a Corvette technician,I couldn't understand why Chevy was against racing, when everything they told me was racing. Cheetah 🐆 was a bad car,but Thomas didn't have the money to push it and Corvette blew him away.Booo!

[@martinharris5017]

Built with chalk marks on the floor, so, like most hot rods are built then. I love the Cheetah's looks. Like a cartoon cross between an E Type Jaguar and a T bucket.

[@markrouse2416]

The gas tank in the rear is pulling double duty as a bumper.

[@robwolosek2613]

Know the difference between drum and disc brakes?

[@freemenofengland2880]

Awesome bit of automobile Americana!!

[@davidhair8295]

They were advertised for a little more than a Cotvette. I was in high school and was broken hearted when I heard they were shut down. I had no idea that the cars were so rare.

[@kirkthejerkthe1st]

Can you imagine getting rear ended while driving this? Would love to have one though!

[@Loulovesspeed]

Yikes!!! You would end up with a differential up your butt!

[@robertweldy1941]

The problem with the Cheetah was when Chevrolet realized moving the engine further back would better balance the weight distribution, Ford had already gone a step further and moved the engine all the way back behind the driver with the GT40, and the later street version the De Tomaso Pantera.

[@jeffhammers5677]

Alan Green Chevrolet in Burien Washington was the #1 dealer and he both owned and sponsored a race car and sold street cars in his showroom.....even his wife had and daily drove a Cheeta! A friend of mine had a shop about a half mile from the dealership and would own Alan Green's wife's car for decades....it gathered dust in his back room and few knew.

[@user-pe4eb4ot5f]

Some of this sounds like AI. Don't know what to believe anymore. I'm 85 and saw the car race at several tracks during my mis-spent early 20's. Good times and miss the old time racers like Penskes Zerex special or old yeller.

[@WilliamAbbate]

That was a funny looking drum brake! Who wrote this mess?

[@frankdesbaux]

They pretty much wholesale copied their script from the wikipedia page. Word for word. ''Thomas arranged for material assistance from Chevrolet for the major components - the Corvette 327 engine, Muncie transmission, and independent rear-end assemblies. Other components were stocked from the larger GM parts bin, such as Chevrolet passenger car spindles, and NASCAR spec Chevrolet drum brakes......''

[@joefin5900]

Never forget the Griffith 200, made in Mineola, NY and powered by Shelby-supplied 289s.

[@ZempelProductions]

At 2:12 Your announcer says "drum brakes" over a photo of a disc brake rotor and caliper.

[@davekramer4266]

A friend of mine had one of these Cheetah's with a Chevy Engine. Boy did sound wicked, and there was No slow taking of from a Red light, even if you tried. Also a Mack Truck road smoother.👍😀..

[@brentwhitson5653]

Drum brakes?...

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

The Vette didn't get discs until '65 , and they were opttional tthat first year .

[@kirkthejerkthe1st]

@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 They were standard with a credit of $64.50 if you wanted the leftover 1964 drums.

[@scardni3364]

always loved this car. Been on my "list" for 40 years. recently bought a 2001 BMW Z-3 Coupe - kinda similar look, but of course, not the raw power a Cheetah had.

[@briansauer6695]

Me too! I was a little kid in the 70's and I had a Hot Wheels or some other brand of Cheetah. It's been my bucket list dream car, even if I had a replica built!

[@jimwolfe4286]

Great Video !...Thank you...

[@marauding4life]

Must have been in the real early days because a 327 to go against a 427 is a no brainer.

[@philiptownsend4026]

If you want to be better then you have to be different.

[@gearbanger57]

Worked for Shelby.

[@philiptownsend4026]

@@gearbanger57 Worked for me too in the UK. There is always the risk of failure but with the right attitude we can learn from that...

[@Loulovesspeed]

But you must remember that just being different does not make it better. This car was fraught with engineering problems, build problems, handling problems, overheating problems.....well, you get the idea. One of those designs that looked great on paper but just never worked well in reality. Its looks were by far its strongest feature! The Shelby Cobra never felt threatened by the Cheetah in reality.

[@PapaPulls01]

I was thinking I swear ive seen one of these local and boom! One with a Maine plate pops up lol

[@SGTJDerek]

As crazy as the Cobra was with the 427, the Cheetah was even more of a handful.

[@Loulovesspeed]

Its wheelbase was so short, it didn't have a drive shaft, just 2 universal joints connected together. It had a tendency to fling its doors and hood off at high speed too! You couldn't pay me enough to drive that at 200mph as squirrelly as its handling was!!

[@mustangracer5124]

The Chevy Cobra.. good looking car with no place to go.

[@Loulovesspeed]

And no way to get there!

[@sideswiped6874]

I have read that one engine Chevy used was the 372cid. used a 350 crank 3.480" stroke with a 4.125" bore of the 400cid. true or not I can't say.

[@rahkinrah1963]

Saw this car race at an SCCA event at R.I.R. as a kid.

[@raymondo162]

2:12: "chevrolet drum brakes......." while pictured is a DISC brake. FOOL.

[@tawon1984]

Ronald McDonalds shoe is a beast 💪

[@hashiru86]

0:37 thats SFo not Annaheim

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

Had these as slot cars in 1970 😁

[@julianneale6128]

Considering how the USA is famous for car production, they're not known for their sports cars. Off the top of my he ad, I can only think of 3 American sports cars, other than the one mentioned in this video. The Chevrolet Corvette, the Dodge Viper, and the Saleen of recent years. Even the Saleen, is a highly modified Lotus... My dad was on the design teams of cars like the C6 Corvette and also the Z28 Camaro/Pontiac Firebird. However, they're not quite the sorts of car you get in the UK and Europe.

[@davesandlin2145]

Short ride in one when I was 14, ten miles or less.

[@touchofgrey5372]

I'm surprised there were people who dared to sit in it, much less race it. It was a horrible design. Just because it was different didn't mean it was better.

[@markrenton1093]

@touchofgrey5372, you are right , I read an article about it in the straights it was beast in the corners it was a dog.The exhaust was right next to the drivers foot and would cook his feet.

[@fredm1674]

At 2:12 - That doesn't look like a drum brake to me. Was the narrated by AI?

[@richardmcfat7442]

They say NASCAR drum brakes and show discs... 😅

[@gfisher495]

Fast Cars! Glenn

[@markrenton1093]

I have a friend of mine who has the original and complete body for a Cheetah.

[@janstolk486]

that's a spiffy looking car .

[@michaelmoore7975]

@5:06 Super Cheetah must've had a BBC?

[@RomVlad]

A 1970 Monte Carlo @ 0:25 I believe.

[@dennisyoung4631]

“Day of the Cheetah…”

[@doctorpatient519]

amazing car, great story, excellent production! but- that poster of Elvis at 5:28 is bizarre! it shows him playing a double neck Gibson, an instrument I doubt he *ever* played ... I can't recall him shown playing any electric guitar, for that matter

[@RivhardDavenport]

WE ALL NEED TO HELP AMERICAN INGENUITY!!!!! ITS AMERICA'S GREATEST ASSET!!!!

[@vpolite1]

The everyday street scenes where of San Francisco, not Anaheim.

[@PaulBaker-f6g]

How about Revetlos Scarab?😅

[@kaduisaui4596]

coolest slot car

[@joqu6971]

Duh ! Badass car, like Devon

[@제임스에딘]

Viper Corvette Cobra Hardtop GT40 Muscle Car Looks Similar Similar roots

[@michaelsorrentino-yp7nb]

I doubt Nascar had disc brakes in 63 !

[@rodneyrussell-to4ng]

Absolutely love the Cobra Killer!!!! It was the greatest car ever built, until the New C-8 ZR1!!

[@patbateman6729]

Dis you even watch the video, it was a turd.

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

That " turd " scared the hell out of Carroll Shelby and the Ford Motor Company . ​@@patbateman6729

[@JamesWoodring-mu2iz]

lol the cobra is the nosr copied car in history! u must be a liberal voter!

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

@@patbateman6729 that ' turd ' as you've called it , scared the hell out of Mr, Shelby and the Ford execs back in early 1964 .

[@patbateman6729]

@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 It scared the drivers even more. It looks cool, it had power, but handling was sketchy along with all the other issues stated in the video. I'm sure the build up fear Ford might of had subsided once they seen the results at the track?

[@jeriatrix4526]

So, the short version is, it was pretty much a failure.😊

[@ChromeConnoisseur08]

maybe in another universe the cheetah is just as well known as the cobra ✊😔

[@trance9158]

Only by big car enthusiasts not the average race fan

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

@@trance9158 you might be surprised by the number of people that know .

[@trance9158]

@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 I live in Michigan... Have friends and family at GM... Only one recognized the car but nothing else ....

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

@@trance9158 problem is , that to be old enough to remember when it came out , you have to be pushing seventy at a mininum . I still have the December of '63 Hot Rod Magazine that introduced it to the world .

[@Elimperiodelosautos]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@chrisbenson3374]

Front end mid engine super car.

[@Loulovesspeed]

In theory only! About as practical as a nuclear powered lawn mower!

[@chrisbenson3374]

@ well that’s why Rear end mid engine super cars became more popular because of practicality. The Jaguar E-type was another Legendary mid-engine car

[@jongallant6054]

The car was a failure. But they want to boast about it like it was a great car. It sucked period. If it didn’t. It would have been a winner.

[@ericmcdowell5762]

I thought it was the Dodge Viper (as far as being dangerous).

[@Loulovesspeed]

No way, this thing made the Viper look like a corporate, reinforced limousine!

[@edjeep]

looks like a vette

[@braddavidson3568]

I had a hot wheels of that.

[@genesutton6383]

Can you say understeer?

[@davidpoole5595]

Shelby Daytona looked and.raced much better

[@rowengarvin4833]

How come history records show ford as the pnly american automotive car manufacturer to win lemans

[@dondagy9109]

A guy by me in ohio still builds licensed versions of theese

[@JamesWoodring-mu2iz]

lol hows still in business?

[@dondagy9109]

@ im not sure. I worked at an engine machine shop for three years. I think around 2017. The guy, i forget his name, was located in olmstead falls, ohio. Somehow they were making licensed cheetah bodies, building frames, and would bring us all the 283's and 327's hed be putting in them to machine. I swear his name was bob something, like rose or something was his last name. Ill do some googleing real quick.

[@dondagy9109]

@ lookup cheetah evolution, i found it.

[@briansauer6695]

@@dondagy9109 Thanks! I've loved these cars since I had a, I believe it was, a Hot Wheels version of this car in the mid 70's. I've been obsessed with them ever since and always said I'd love even a replica if they ever made one! Well, when I win the lottery I know where to start knocking! From their website I skimmed quickly, it looks like they've mad improvements! Gonna have to read more on it!

[@dougiequick1]

A beautiful POS....wrong way to design a cobra challenger ...they shoulda basically just copied it duhh they ought to have known "cheetahs never prosper"

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Sadly due to the BABVVO and TEBBVO laws, all petrol cars will unfortunately soon be banned from public streets in the EU, CH USA and Scandinavia :-( In Germany, the Green People's Party has given the order to shorten the fuel supply from 2025 by reducing all conventional gas stations to just one state-run central gas station per city or county Now they even want to slow down all gas pumps by 20 liters per minute to 2 liters per minute... From 2027, some car spare parts will also be banned in the EU... such as exhaust systems, turbochargers and even some engine and gearbox oils. .. California and New York will do the same from 2027... So no more investing in petrol cars... They even created a new type of crime here called emissions and smoke crime . "Bundesabgasbespaßungsverbotsverordnung" BABVVO in Germany and HESCHLAVVO in Switzerland and SMORVERBIDDEN in Sweden. Unfortunately, aditionaly the Green Jesus Federal Exhaust Gas Funneling Prohibition Ordinance (BABVVO) will soon ban the driving of combustion engines in public outside of verifiable commuter trips and transport trips, as exhaust gas fun will then be a traffic offense! In addition, the green Jesus of Germany is probably planning to shut down all chimneys and have them filled with foam from June 2025.

[@bradrock7731]

Not in the U.S.A. Brother! We will be running Detroit V/8's for another 100 years !

[@TexJester-no8th]

All to prevent a problem they can't even prove is happening, much less that man is causing ... It's all for CONTROL. They don't give two rats about the environment - control the energy, control the people.

[@trance9158]

Your info is greatly exaggerated.

[@trance9158]

​@@bradrock7731no we won't..... 50 tops except for very rich who will be able to afford the fuel.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

@@trance9158 sadly not, the greens just banned the use of reverse gear in all cars from 2025, they are nuts

[@timr31908]

It's like this Ford beat Ferrari.. an Ferrari beat this thing.. the secret weapon..😮

[@deaterk]

What kind of AI generated garbage is this?!?! The images chosen don’t match up or make sense at all. Thumbs down, would never sub.

[@dougwilson6966]

Technically a Prototype. Never successful racing history. Driver is too far back ... I read that driver fatigue was increased with G forces, . High Temps, who would want to be in a hot cockpit in a race. Novelty car. Corvette wins.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@dougwilson6966 - Nope, Cobra wins!

[@thomasthornton5737]

😀😀😀👍👍❤❤❤

[@rchydrozz751]

I'd say the best looking sports car ever made. I say put this body on a 2024 designed chassis.

[@trance9158]

Porsche 917

[@JamesWoodring-mu2iz]

lol ur wrong! the most copied car of all time is the cobra! ill bet ur a stevie wonder fan!

[@commandercontraband]

a wanabbe cobra with a dogs hind end.............

[@aaronburratwood.6957]

Kinda like a WishApp Shelby Daytona Coupe

[@shaunphillips2961]

Shows how much you don’t know and didn’t listen. It’s more a wannabe corvette if you wanna call it that even though it’s apparent you know 💩🤣and are a wannabe car guy

[@commandercontraband]

@@shaunphillips2961 ya that's why they only built one.,,, the were too poor and no market for crappy low budjet wanna beees

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

​@commandercontrabanthey built over 20 , you would know this if you had paid attention .

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

​​that predated the Daytona coupe . So , who copied whom hmmm. ?@@aaronburratwood.6957

[@superduty2011]

LOL.. dont c his name on any cars

[@Monty7473]

If you can’t even get the basic right, then don’t make “historical” videos…👎🏼👎🏼

[@bobedwardsen]

Stupid. Cheetah was feeble at best .Never a serious contender. Another failed GM secret contender to try and beat the killer. Nobody could beat Shelby.