The wild beast that was meant to kill the Cobra | Mighty V8 Chevrolet Cheetah

[@MaxCruise73]

What a great sounding car. I still have the fondness for the sound of a naturally aspirated V-8. What a handful to drive.

[@ronsimmons7239]

Couldn't have said it better!!! What a sound.

[@j.osborne4914]

Carbed v8s have beautiful sound

[@comethiburs2326]

@@j.osborne4914 that's mechanical injection.

[@richardbaumgart2454]

that was an excellent pass though..he really ripped on it...looked like old period correct tires on it to

[@richardbaumgart2454]

@@comethiburs2326 it looks like dual quads but now that you mention it there is no carbs...i had to watch it again after seeing your comment.

[@lowellmccormick6991]

I had a yellow Cheetah in 1966. It ran on my 4-lane HO race car set in our playroom. I also had a DeTomaso Mongusta, an AC Cobra and a GT40. I love getting to see the real thing. Very cool cars, indeed.

[@Frank289100]

STILL HAVE MINE AND SEEN IT THE OTHER DAY AT MY MOTHER'S HOUSE SITTING IN AN ASHTRAY.

[@Frank289100]

MINE WAS ALSO YELLOW. I GUESS THEY WERE MOSTLY MADE IN YELLOW OR POSSIBLY THEY WERE RED ONES MADE TOO.

[@ericschulze5641]

I had one too I think it was Grey or purple

[@Frank289100]

@@ericschulze5641 IT WAS A GIFT GROWING UP IN A PRE-COMPUTER ERA WHERE EVERYBODY HAD RACE CAR SETS.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@lowell mccormick - Mangusta.

[@gountzas]

Shelby Cobra: Widowmaker Bill Thomas Cheetah: Hold my coffin

[@Cobra_427]

as someone who loves Shelbys I absolutely love the look of this car, really any vintage race car looks stunning, I don't see how people can pick sides when it comes to car manufacturers

[@foxthooot5090]

ye lmao all these “oh im a ford guy” kinds of comments. car enthusiasts love all cars

[@pgtmr2713]

@@foxthooot5090 A few years back I saw a video of AC Cobra type car. Probably a kit, with some very nice mods. Had something like 800 hp it was done up nice, Coyote I think. My comment was "Put an LS in it" ... in the trunk, it looks too light! I think a similar joke would work here. I'm a Ford guy. I spose it would call for something of the era 289, 302? That would be a fun race class, something like a race with one extra rule, you carry your competition's short block in the trunk like ballast. It can't be from your manufacturer, must be production line (homologation,) no aftermarket light weight ringers.

[@spikespa5208]

@@foxthooot5090 Definitely. As a kid at the LA Times Grand Prix in '65 - '67, I didn't give damn who won. The racing, watching these things start down the back straight under full power, was mesmerizing. The sound and look of the Cheetahs was/is glorious.

[@BM205]

Love that statement. I'm primarily a Chevy guy but if I see something beautiful or an outta the box design that works I don't care what badge it wearing. We have always baught Chevy SUVs but my wife now drives a Ford Edge because it was just so much better than the Chevy Equinox.

[@Loulovesspeed]

Easy, It's called being decisive!

[@keithbarker7552]

Duncan Pittaway always comes over so well, exuding enthusiasm and knowledge with an amazing lack of any pretentiousness. Thank you Godwood. Not so sure about electric "Mustangs " or 350000 repro BMW s but I love this real stuff.

[@williamsporing1500]

Doesn’t Duncan own the beast of a Turin too?

[@Lt_Tragg]

For sure for sure! Hat-tip to folks like him!

[@trob1731]

Genuine race car enthusiast. An Englishman showing that kind of excitement for the little known Cheetah! I think Mr Pittaway loves cars that are challenging to drive.

[@anthonypetty9288]

Fantastic to see and hear the Cheetah in action, and thank you for including Duncan's commentary. It's always interesting to hear extra little tidbits of information that you can't normally access.

[@XrayxRich]

My favorite car of all time. I'm surprised that someone hasn't started making kit cars.

[@angrychihuahua7923]

"this is the first of the two prototypes..." and he still takes it out to go "balls to the wall" on a track. love that!

[@PowerslideSWE]

It's a somewhat of a paradox this thing, it's the cutest racecar ever, it looks like a little red frog, while sounding angrier than pretty much anything. Love it.

[@maurices5259]

Got to love Duncan's approach, even wears a collar and tie under the race suit and in the workshop in another video. Wonderful man and so humble.

[@MrBurgerphone1014]

Amazing machine, still love the Daytona Coupes more but Cheetah's are so damn rare to see in motion so seeing one go full send up the hill is a beautiful thing.

[@alexschmidt3692]

The proportions of that thing are nuts! Love it

[@Gmacrone]

As a kid with an HO scale racetrack when I found the scale model of the car I was absolutely in love with it. When I found out more about it and that it had been discontinued I was heartbroken. It had the best looks of any race car I had seen, including the GT40 and of course the Cobra. What a wonderful video to be able to see it driven at speed.

[@Abe_Chormin]

2:52 mark: Can you repeat that, Duncan? Couldn't hear you over your snarling beast. Lol!

[@SamuelsShea]

I tried using the auto-generated subtitles and it couldn't even detect him talking anymore at that point.

[@badgerbait8351]

"...like a lot of Americans in 63...(Internal combustion overload)"

[@ikhwanshofa3351]

I assume he was talking about how gnarly loud american v8 sports car at that time lol

[@spikespa5208]

Nice sound editing on someone's part.

[@allareasindex7984]

I saw a Cheetah in Mark Gerisch’s coachbuilding shop in Wisconsin, USA. It looked as if it was engineered specifically to kill the driver after first terrorizing him while roasting him like a joint of beef. The mid/front engine gave it very low polar moment of inertia to make it turn sharp as a tack but with a big V8 engine and tiny wheelbase the fore/aft weight transfer must have been abrupt. Factor in squirmy bias-ply tyres, too. Looking over the rear suspension I was astounded to find the upper spring perches welded onto the ends of tubes which themselves were not triangulated or even gusseted. They simply projected aft from the rear bulkhead into open space. It looked like a catastrophic failure waiting to happen. I cannot imagine driving one of these in anger.

[@pashakdescilly7517]

Hearing the commentary on the 'first try' rear suspension, I really wanted to see what was so suspect about it.....

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@pashakdescilly7517 I used to own a 240Z with knockoff McPherson strut suspension and later an AM General M825 Weapons Carrier (Jeep) with independent coil suspension on all four wheels including rear-suspension in which the top mount for the struts was outside of and rear to the arc of the swingarms. Oh, boy, was that thing alive! No wonder the US Army published a speed and overturn advisory for that vehicle (it's short-wheelbase woes weren't helped by it's uprated rear suspension to carry the weight of first a 107mm recoilless rifle ATG and later a TOW ATM). Considering the stability of the M825, I think the US Army would have been better buying 240Zs, fitting Ferguson Formula 4wd systems, cutting the rear bodywork off and installing the AT weapons on the back of them for desert warfare. The M825 Jeep was fun, but I wouldn't have taken it rough road/off road if it didn't have a roll-cage.

[@TheCobraman45]

@@aaronleverton4221 I drove that Jeep series in Army training. With the 107 mounted you were instructed to never make a 90 degree turn over 15 mph. We had turn overs during my training phase with regular jeeps. It was an engineering catastrophe.

[@stuartbritton7408]

Designed and made to frighten the life out of you!

[@flavortown3781]

Watching it wiggle through the turns, I bet it's nuts scary to drive

[@allwheeldrive]

The stuff of dreams for a six-year-old growing up in Detroit. I had a Cheetah HO slot car I couldn't get enough of. Great to see this in action, and an excellent intro by Pittaway. Context is everything.

[@earlwright9715]

I could listen to that machine sing all day.

[@peterherrington3300]

Duncan reminds me of Andy Green , very British & an excellent , knowledgeable & very likeable presenter.

[@andresperez5387]

This is what a video by car enthusiasts for car enthusiasts looks and sounds like. BRAVO.

[@Kropikovo]

I always loved the Cheetah simply for its beauty, and the deep voice. The best sounding vintage ever.

[@RapidFyrez]

My grandfather owns and races one of the prototypes, up until a few years ago when he got too old for it. You could see it during the Montaray and Cornado race events. Always glad to see someone talk about it.

[@washinours]

It's crazy how it appears stable from the outside but in the onboard vid it looks like a constant fight where the car is committed to kill its driver. Insane machine from another time for sure

[@empoweryou1]

Wouldn't it be amazing to have Factory Five or some other, make a stable, reliable version of this? I love the looks of it.

[@bigredc222]

Bias-ply tires don't help.

[@tualatindave3797]

My first "real" slot car in 1967... soon moved on to hand built tube frames with pitman motors, but for a starter car it was great fun. Loved the design.

[@toddbroeker187]

Got the opportunity to get a ride in a Cheetah in 1984 at Road America. Almost burned the skin off my calves because of the headers. He isn't kidding about the car being hot!

[@gtracer6629]

I was at Marlboro Speedway in Maryland in 1962 or 1963 when they brought 2 Cheetahs to race. I'll never forget then.

[@mrthunder8190]

Geeeez, that thing is a handful to drive! Such a bizarre, rare race car, I've been fascinated by them since my youth...

[@p80mod]

Seen a Cheetah live at Louis Vitton Classic and it shocked me with it's beauty!

[@3ducs]

I was 17 when these came out, I was in love with them! As basic as an enclosed car can get.

[@pixeldelic]

I could listen to the sound of that thing revving for the rest of my live and never get tired of it.

[@spikespa5208]

Top ten memory: watching and hearing a Cheetah come out of Turn 8 at Riverside in '66.

[@rofufoja]

Yeeeess 👍🏼 What an absolute brute machine. Love the Cheetah and love Duncan Pittaway's enthousiastic approach 😄

[@stunsisacul]

Let’s get slidey and floaty in a priceless piece of automotive history made by absolute mad lads and given drum breaks. Love it!

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

What a great driver to keep all that power facing forward.

[@goatflieg]

The Cheetah added an extra dash of scary into scary-fast... but what a beautiful car!

[@johnleonard8311]

I saw a Cheetah at the Vintage Fall Festival at lime Rock years ago, and true it was basically a vintage race but being a club racer I could see what a beast it was to hang on to. Afterwards I spoke with the driver and he said it was the scariest car he had ever driven. It was never competitive with the Cobra.

[@VeraTheTabbynx]

Always great seeing Mr. Pittaway. Such a passionate man, very dedicated to automotive history and quite articulate about his knowledge.

[@GreenJeep1998]

Damn, he has all sorts of cool toys, and he plays with them too!

[@ericohara2582]

And shares the fun with us, we all benefit from Duncan's cars and humble attitude :)

[@badgumby9544]

My favorite slot car when I was a kid in the 60's.

[@onespeedworld6979]

Fierce, and it looks absolutely terrifying to drive. What fun! Thanks for sharing!

[@marcust510]

I’ve always wondered about the history of this car & how it came to be! So awesome 🔥

[@jeffjames4064]

"Behind the scenes shenanigans " in racing? Gasp!!

[@MrSloika]

This was not in the same class as a Cobra and the decision was the proper one. The Cobra could be spec-ed out as usable street car but this? The Cobra was much closer to the Corvette than this is to a Cobra.

[@paulmcdonald9592]

Pure enthusiasm. Bravo!

[@patd5146]

What an absolutely stunning motor car! Looks a handful in the dry! Must be terrifying in the wet😬😬 that shape is just perfect and the sound....a bit like Selma Hayek on wheels.

[@MrGaryGG48]

When I look at that body (the Cheetah, the Cheetah!!) first thing I think of is "it's shrink-wrapped." OK, the dresses are usually snug also... but that's a totally different issue. 👍

[@greatnortherntroll6841]

OMG, that thing is an absolute BEAST! 😳😳😳

[@davidnoel2977]

I've grown up and worked in automobile collision repair and custom shops and have a love for racing. I wish i had one of each, cheetah and cobra. Great to see the mutual love for awesome automobiles, no matter the origin. Because i do admire different brands around the world, and especially the individual one offs either built by a company or the average person. There are some great new vehicles out today, don't get me wrong, but i think the older stuff is better for their own standout traits. No matter the subject, i believe things were made better back in the day. Great video sir. Have some fun for me and stay safe. Much respect from across the pond here in Mobile, Alabama, USA.

[@kimlground206]

Check out the Griffith from the same era . . .

[@kylem2010GT]

You can still have one of these from Cheetah Evolution (or so I hope). I think the company changed hands last year. The cars are a little wider and more aero stable. The suspension is based on a 84-96 Corvette and I liked how they handled. But if they're still doing business in 5 years I'd love to have one built with a LS3. Nothing crazy ;) Fun Fact: Hot Wheels produced the Cat-A-Pult as an homage to the fast cat. But it was roofless and had a strange spoiler.

[@donziperk]

Late 60s Strombecker slot car sets had a cheetah body in them.

[@MarthaRoseMoore415]

Now THAT is how to start a video!! My heart is all a-flutter! 0:09 can't wait to see the rest!!

[@deezynar]

It's wonderful to see a Brit who is objective about an American car. Not afraid to praise its virtues and express its flaws. And do both without exaggeration.

[@Workerbee-zy5nx]

Back racing was competitive.

[@BastardX13]

Great car. Sounds MAGNIFICENT. Nice driving!

[@robertmoulton2656]

Id be so nervous driving a legend around id likely drive so slow a bicycle would pass me yet this gentleman really puts it through its paces

[@sparkme123]

TIME!! We need the time the car ran...did he do 58sec???

[@stevenlewis5559]

Bill Thomas financed the design and building of the Cheetah. Don Edmunds did all the design and fabrication work!!!!!

[@KrashPad]

Imagine my surprise when sitting at a light in a sleepy suburb of Portland Oregon when a Cheetah pulls up in the next lane. It was incredibly loud.

[@Mark-mu4pj]

Brilliant looking car.

[@phillipthethird42]

I am so glad to have see this video. I've always known of the cheetah , but this short video has taught me more about them than I have ever known before.

[@DMAX_DIY]

Ohhhhh I remember these cars.. (WAY WAY back when.. ) Nice to see this performing on the Goodwood Hill! What a Machine! Thanks to Chev for 'dipping' their toe into the Shelby water.. DMAX

[@edog7059]

I had a blood red Cox Cheetah 1:24 slot car like this one when I was 10 or so. The 5 spoke magnesium wheels were gorgeous! Also remember reading that with the 'interesting' aerodynamics and flimsy bodywork, it was the only car that could blow it's own doors off.

[@mctube44]

Awesome! My favorite slot car on my track as a kid.

[@NathanNostaw]

Such a beautiful design and what a sexy profile with the cab so far back. It looks like a mission to drive and I bet it is exhausting when racing. Love it!

[@giovannilevoci941]

I've only seen 1 Cheetah in person back in 1998, recognized it emidietly...

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Only 11 were ever built.

[@RA-uj3nm]

Outstanding presentation. 🍻

[@marclebrun641]

Thank you FOS, that was GREAT

[@willjones7132]

Glad that car made it over there where it gets used and shown.

[@michaelcerkez3895]

While I was not of age to drive in the Cheetah's time, I do have to say that's one hot little number. Looks like it has so much power that it gets a little loose when you extend your right foot.

[@ytwhite5930]

I got a short ride in Alan Green's Cheetah when I was about 10...Back then I didn't realize just how few and far between Cheetah's were as I walked right past that one quite often.Saw the fastback Nova all the time too.

[@thecatsonholiday5932]

I'm a car fan. My whole life, but I've never heard of the cheetah. Thanx 4 the video + enlightenment.

[@davidsherley2652]

What a wild beast of a car!

[@badledgend1172]

Beautiful story and car, but explain to me how that moment of the car droning out the guy talking made it through QC checks and post-production supervision

[@triffidgrower]

Mr. Pittaway...Bravo!!

[@chrishay8385]

I'd love that noise as my ringtone awsome sounding beast,looks a hoot to drive,and it doesn't stop hilarious!!I want one

[@davidroush1224]

When I was a kid in the 1960s I had 1/32 slot cars - they were popular at the time and we would go race at public tracks. My two favorite slot cars were a Fort GT and an orange Cheetah. My Cheetah slot car seemed to swap ends quicker than my other cars so maybe it was an accurate scaled down version. Always a favorite car of mine, but watching this video the handling/rear suspension and drum brakes makes me less sad that I couldn't afford one as it looks like it would be more than a handful when driven in the even the slightest anger.

[@missinglink9973]

sounds amazing looks like it would be a over steering nightmare. But it looks sweet!!

[@LordMekanicus]

The Cheetah is a squirrel, no doubt about it. I chased one around PMI in a Bocar and was shocked by how much it danced in the corners. It seemed to like long sweepers and jiggled and janked in the tight stuff. I managed to squirt around it in "the hook", but only because my brakes had cooled coming up the hill. He caught me down the back strait a turn later. We weighed about the same, but the Cheetah had more oomph.

[@mewrongwayKOCXF]

The Cheetah was just that! A Cheetah that pounced on more than a few Cobras! With a fully independent front suspension and compact fiberglass frame, the 1,510-pound Cheetah was clocked at 215 miles per hour at Daytona during performance benchmarking, a speed that blew away the original Cobra's top mark of about 135 MPH. “The 427 Cobra ran the quarter-mile at 112 MPH. If the Cheetah was a squirrel the Cobra must have been a turtle. Slow but sure. lol

[@darrellbarnes6905]

They’re the best drum brake’s ever seen. “Wow”

[@michaelmartinez1345]

What a race-car!!! I wonder if there is a kit available to build these, that uses a lighter LS engine, 5-speed gearbox and serious disc brakes? I looks like it might be a little touchy coming out of turns... Maybe some suspension & steering upgrades can help to cure these issues... The placement of the driver, on top of the rear axle - looks like it could be something that can cause some spatial orientation issues but IDK , that's just my guess.... But it's definitely an agressive design that also has a lot of beauty... The name 'Cheetah' is PERFECT for this beast...

[@tomoday4450]

One of the Coolest cars ever!!!👍🏻🇺🇸

[@jerkofalltrades5430]

Cobras used to be my favorite til I heard about these, what an absolutely insane machine

[@randycoursey7230]

Cobra's still have all the wins and the trophies. You got it right the first time.

[@daffyduckling6958]

The Cobras made their mark in history. The Cheetahs got lost in history.

[@jetdr]

A crude but beautiful car! fantastic sounding N/A engine. take a skilled driver to keep that little beast on the road.

[@parttroll1]

What a beast of a car. Glorious sound

[@b4a9ksy]

What an absolutely fantastic sound!

[@thegearhead]

That sound gave me massive wood. Goodwood indeed! Brilliant car that you have to be a little insane to drive... but what a thrill....

[@johngranato2673]

I grew up with all these cars! This, like any other competitive car, would have made the Cobras better. Competition benefits everyone.

[@michaelmartinez1345]

@ John Granato, That is so true... The extremely competitive nature of this type of design, brings out the maximum potential of the engineers who designed it and the best possible way to put the existing equipment that they had at that time, to the best possible use....

[@69JJV]

This is the most incredible, brutal, loud, be on life thrilling car I ever have ridden in. Most people when you mention a Cheetah they have no idea what you are talking about.

[@gearyheidinewaccount3237]

Be interesting to see what an original one with the 377 did in the quarter

[@IrvingtonArms]

Wow, now that's a car to DRIVE. All these new cars do alot of the driving for you.

[@maverick1685]

WOW! Lovely exhaust note.

[@johnhiggs5932]

That thing is a straight nightmare! My hat is off to anyone mad enough push it through a turn at speed. What a brute!

[@Turbo4Joe363]

Awesome looking car! Looks like a real life HotWheels!! Just wish the front fenders weren't cut away from the front tires and the 'catfish eyed' headlights were bigger.

[@ronaldperrin9583]

What a beast! Beautiful car that's all about racing!

[@secretsquirrel3793]

What a brilliantly crazy machine. It makes a TVR look like a Honda Civic!

[@stevenslater2669]

Talk about a handful to drive: In the late ‘60s I drove my friend’s genuine 427 Cobra. There’s a kicker: The Ford 427 had been replaced by a race spec L-88. The original owner had campaigned the car for several years of club racing down South & wore out the engine. He found the price of a rebuild was ridiculous (ugly truth is Ford race parts cost way more than Chevy parts). The L-88 installation looked like a factory original deal except for the tunnel in the oil pan for the steering drag link. Jumping on the throttle was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and scary. 55+ years later I still remember how hard it pushed me back and how I prayed not to miss 2nd gear with that goofy shift lever position. 1-2 wasn’t bad but I lifted off the gas going for the 2-3. I helped the guy across the street swap the race cam for a standard L-88 cam to make the car more streetable. It did - and two weeks later my friend killed himself. Wrapped that Cobra around the front end of a Pontiac station wagon.

[@martygardajr2455]

Looks a wild ride! Wish Chevy stuck with this project but still thrilling to see one put through its paces.

[@mkay1957]

Very neat! I'm glad there is one Cheetah still around. But the thing looks damn squirrelly under acceleration.

[@GeneralMaDMaN]

I think the 60's must have produced some of the nicest sounding v8's ever produced. Duncan's gear changes (with what I assume is a less than refined gearbox) were crisp as could be!

[@Mechaniclemaniac]

Just total badassedness. Dude has a platinum mancard.

[@jessesalazar2021]

Ford will always be Chevrolets inspiration

[@Russell_and_Rosko]

Great commentary. Excellent review of the car and thank you for the backstory and walk around.

[@McVerne]

I found out about the Cheetahs existence through a Michel Vaillant Comic back in the day - I´m in love since then. It really looks as powerful and vicious as the Cobra in it´s own way.

[@nickabel8279]

Damn that opening sound was amazing

[@anaestereo810]

Why I am so attracted to machines that want me dead is beyond me...