The Roaring Season

Oldfart wrote:Sad to see you won't be finishing it John. I was looking forward to that sight on track. Hope the next custodian can progress it.

Oldfart. I agree, John B was looking forward to getting it all together, whoever gets it will have a very unique and serious racer. Good Luck to the buyer.

JB the TVR is great too !!.

Oldfart wrote:Sad to see you won't be finishing it John. I was looking forward to that sight on track. Hope the next custodian can progress it.

Not as sad as I am Oldfart. I was looking forward to racing it, but circumstances out of my control mean that I have to sell it. I really, really hope that the buyer continues along the 'period correct' theme, and doesn't change, update, or modify it. The Cheetah deserves to be raced in 1963 specifications.

Roger Dowding wrote:Oldfart. I agree, John B was looking forward to getting it all together, whoever gets it will have a very unique and serious racer. Good Luck to the buyer.

JB the TVR is great too !!.

Hi Rog. Yes the TVR will be fun, but not quite as 'rare' or as 'powerful' as the 500hp / 750kg 1963 Cheetah.

The TVR will be built to 1969 TVR Tuscan specs, with a period correct 289 ci.in. Ford V8; 4 speed; TR6 suspension; and Jaguar diff. The Tuscan is heavier than the Cheetah at 1000kg, but interestingly both cars share a 90" wheelbase.

Cheers, John

Here is an interview I did while I was in California recently. It was shot by Jeni Swanson and it is her father Fred Yeakel and myself talking about the Cheetahs.

[video=youtube;o0BB4yv4-p8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0BB4yv4-p8[/video]

Nice one Jerry, that was awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISxJ5HGZVns&feature=player_detailpage

For the promo of the Cheetah Evolution. Does a good looking girl sell cars?

Jerry Entin in his Cheetah at Santa Barbara in 1965

photo: Mike Schwartz

Jerry Entin in his Cheetah at Santa Barbara in 1965

photo: Mike Schwartz

Brian Garcia in the Ron and Jeanette Keck Cheetah at Elkhart Lake in 2016
Brian was leading Group 3 at the Hawk Vintage races until a tire failed and he limped home in second.

photo: Chuck Brandt

The Wine Box set, now has a photo of a Cheetah as a background



The teardrop " 8 " was a very well known Cheetah in the USA at the time

The background pic, the teardrop " 8 " - a Dave Friedman photo, Dave is a prolific motoring photographer who has produced many books, and collaborated on others.. " Modern GT Racing, " " Vintage American Road Race Cars 1950-1970" , " Corvette Grand Sport " " Pro Sports Car RACING in America 1958 - 1974 " and others - the last book features the grid at the June 1965 Players 200 practice with Gary Gove's Cheetah Chevrolet on the third row.

Jerry Entin wrote:
Jerry Entin in his Cheetah at Santa Barbara in 1965

photo: Mike Schwartz

Thanks Jerry, superb photo of you in your old Cheetah.

Roger Dowding wrote:The Wine Box set, now has a photo of a Cheetah as a background

[ATTACH=CONFIG]36067[/ATTACH]

The teardrop " 8 " was a very well known Cheetah in the USA at the time

[ATTACH=CONFIG]36068[/ATTACH]

This is cool!

A promising sign that a Cheetah will be at the Goodwood Members Meeting this month:

[video=youtube;zidWaqU-fjo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zidWaqU-fjo[/video]

Wow, thats a really cool video Alan. Great find! Its interesting the owner says the car was stopped from racing because of a change in the homologation rules when it was new. I believe this is incorrect. The intention was always that the Cheetah would compete in the FIA GT division against Cobras and Corvettes etc. But there weren't enough cars built for it to qualify. So it was forced to run in Group 7 against the emerging breed of Can-Am cars. Jerry Entin will know for sure.

I assume in historic racing the Cheetah will be allowed to race in the GT division? I hope so, it'll be extremely competitive, and one of the few cars able to give the Cobra Daytona Coupes a run for their money.

Jerry Entin wrote:Here is an interview I did while I was in California recently. It was shot by Jeni Swanson and it is her father Fred Yeakel and myself talking about the Cheetahs.

[video=youtube;o0BB4yv4-p8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0BB4yv4-p8[/video]

The owner of the ex Jerry Entin car Ron Way had lunch with me yesterday, I have known the Way boys since the early 80's he reports that he has almost completed the work that his late brother Albert started when he fitted a new alloy body. I had always thought of Als 2nd Cheetah as a late car but it seems I was mistaken , its an early car with a later lower front wishbone. Jerry positively identified some of the rear suspension parts on the car as his number 2 car.

Thanks for the video Duncan. Jerry and Fred are two real authorities on this subject.

Going back to the Goodwood MM video, I'm actually surprised a few more Cheetah's haven't appeared in European historic GT racing, particularly the continuation cars and replicas. The FIA rules do allow replicas, as long as they're completely accurate, and in recent years a number of Cobra Daytona Coupes have started appearing, which of course have usually been the fastest whenever they race. The Cheetah would have to be one of the few cars that could take the fight to the Daytona coupes.

The upcoming (April 2017) issue of Classic and Sports Car magazine is featuring a test of a Cheetah. The following is from https://magsdirect.co.uk/magazine/classic-sports-car-april-2017/

3. The beast of Anaheim
The Cheetah was one of the best looking and ferociously quick GTs of its generation, but its drivers had to battle with heat exhaustion and wild handling. Mick Walsh tells the compelling story of its early beginnings and race career before being shoe-horned into the famous Clarence Dixon Cadillac-liveried car for a heart-stopping drive at Goodwood.

Maybe the article will stir interest to the point that we are inundated with them in a year or two.

Thanks Alan I'll look forward to reading that.

Alan Hyndman wrote:The upcoming (April 2017) issue of Classic and Sports Car magazine is featuring a test of a Cheetah. The following is from https://magsdirect.co.uk/magazine/classic-sports-car-april-2017/

3. The beast of Anaheim
The Cheetah was one of the best looking and ferociously quick GTs of its generation, but its drivers had to battle with heat exhaustion and wild handling. Mick Walsh tells the compelling story of its early beginnings and race career before being shoe-horned into the famous Clarence Dixon Cadillac-liveried car for a heart-stopping drive at Goodwood.

Maybe the article will stir interest to the point that we are inundated with them in a year or two.

Just received a copy of the magazine, great article which gives a short but succinct history of the Bill Thomas Cheetahs, with input from TRS contributor Jerry Entin. Jerry also features in a photo on page 6 (separate to the main article on page 144) and shows " Jerry Entin blasts off the grid in his Cheetah at the start of the 1965 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside in California."
Many thanks to Jerry for sharing his experiences with these wild rockets, more to come I hope!