The Legendary 1964 Chevrolet Cheetah a.k.a “The Cobra Killer” Was One Bad Ass Race Car
In the golden age of American motorsport, few cars stirred up as much excitement—and fear among rivals—as the 1964 Chevrolet Cheetah. Nicknamed “The Cobra Killer,” the Cheetah was a wild, uncompromising machine built with a single goal: dethrone Carroll Shelby’s mighty Cobra on the racetrack.
The Legendary 1964 Chevrolet Cheetah a.k.a “The Cobra Killer” Was One Bad Ass Race Car
153
views

The Cheetah was the brainchild of Bill Thomas, a renowned Chevrolet performance tuner. With backing from Chevrolet, Thomas set out to engineer a car that would outgun the Cobra in both speed and style. The result was a radical, compact racer with a wheelbase of just 90 inches, a featherweight fiberglass body, and a chassis built from chrome-moly tubing. The Cheetah’s design was so extreme that the engine sat so far back in the chassis, it was technically front-mid-engined, and the driver practically sat on top of the rear differential. This unique layout eliminated the need for a conventional driveshaft, using a direct coupler instead, which further reduced weight and improved power delivery.

Under its impossibly long hood, the Cheetah packed serious firepower. Most were equipped with a Chevrolet 327-cubic-inch V8, often with Rochester mechanical fuel injection, mated to a four-speed manual transmission. In race trim, some Cheetahs ran a 377-cubic-inch small block V8 producing over 500 horsepower—staggering numbers for the era. Weighing in at just 1,750 to 2,000 pounds, the Cheetah’s power-to-weight ratio was off the charts, and it could reach speeds in excess of 210 mph, making it one of the fastest cars of the 1960s.

But the Cheetah wasn’t just about brute force. Its independent suspension, borrowed from the Corvette, and NASCAR-spec drum brakes gave it impressive agility and stopping power for its time. However, the car’s radical design came with drawbacks: the cockpit was notoriously cramped and hot, with almost no heat insulation, and the chassis lacked the rigidity needed for consistent road racing performance. Drivers described the experience as sitting in an “aluminum oven,” and handling at the limit could be unpredictable, especially as the suspension geometry shifted under hard acceleration.

Despite these quirks, the Cheetah became a legend almost overnight. Its outrageous looks—an impossibly long nose, wide stance, and tiny rear end—made it instantly recognizable. On the drag strip and in straight-line sprints, few cars could keep up. The Cheetah’s reputation as the “Cobra Killer” was well-earned, even if it never had the production numbers to truly dethrone Shelby’s icon. Only about a dozen original cars were built before a fire at Bill Thomas’s shop ended the program, and Chevrolet withdrew its support.

The 1964 Chevrolet Cheetah was one of the most audacious and memorable American race cars ever built. Its rarity, wild engineering, and raw performance have made it a coveted collector’s item and a symbol of what happens when ambition, innovation, and a bit of madness come together on four wheels.

Every day our fanatical team scour the interweb, our auctioneers, the classifieds and the dealers for all the very latest 'must see' and simply 'must buy' stuff. It's garbage-free with there's something for every Petrolhead, from the weird and wonderful to ooooh moments, to the greatest and often most frustrating car quizzes on the planet ... So grab a cuppa and enjoy!