1964 #002 Aluminum Chevrolet Powered Experimental Cheetah Ser #126364002
Cheetah #002 was purpose built on orders from GM President John/Jack F. Gordon with the strictest secrecy due to the fact it was a GM Racing project produced off site even with the strict GM Racing Ban in place at the time. Bill Thomas made the deal with then GM President John/jack F. Gordon to build this Aluminum GM Experimental test mule in return for any GM production & Experimental Corvette parts needed to build the first batch of Aluminum Experimental Cheetahs. Thomas worked directly with Ed Cole head of GM Car & Truck group along with Frank Winchell head of Research & Development Chevrolet Engineering Center, Bunky Knudsen General manager of Chevrolet.Walt MacKenzie, Vince Piggins, and Charley Simmons.
#002 was completed in December 1963 and shipped off to the Milford proving grounds in secrecy. This Cheetah as received by Chevrolet Engineering Center was given an internal ID number 68001. #68001 explained: the 6 designates 1966 model year the 8 designates Corvette platform & 001 designates the 1st Experimental Internal prototype. Knowing today that GM worked on new model design-engineering & testing 2 to 3 years ahead of release dates of new models this makes perfect sense. GM would end up gaining so much knowledge of Design & Engineering on the future Corvette Platform for pennies on the dollar from testing #68001 compared to an in-house project of its kind.
We now have pictures of #68001 Cheetah on a test fixture inside Chevrolet Engineering Center along with genuine CEC test reports of #68001. Testing dates up to April 64. The most incredible genuine notes found in GM archives states John/Jack F. Gordon The President of GM was the owner of #68001 Experimental test mule. April 1964 Bunky Knudsen contacted Thomas and explained they had to get rid of (Jacks) Cheetah immediately due to internal concerns. It was offered to Thomas for $10,000. Thomas did not have $10,000 to buy it back so he went to his friend Thomas Friedkin owner of PSA Airlines out of San Diego to fund the buyback of #68001 Cheetah. Thomas Friedkin delivered the funds. Within days the Cheetah was back in the Thomas shop. A few short weeks later Thomas would get the worst Cheetah news ever from GM that the Entire Cheetah Project was terminated on May 12th, 1964. The Racing Ban in place at GM was at its boiling point (again) the heat was to much for all higher up Management, so they had no choice but to pull the plug on all future Cheetah Racing projects.
Once back at Thomas shop in Anaheim California #002 would go to Riverside Raceway with Jerry Titus at the wheel, again getting damaged. Thomas Friedkin funded the repairs & preparing #002 as a wild looking SCCA Race Car and it went racing as a flared fender #58 White with Red & Blue stripes up the bonnet. Thomas called the Cheetahs with Red White or Blue bonnet stripes PSA Airlines Cheetahs. By the end of 1965 #002 was turned into a Drag Car its Sports GT Racing days were over. It even ran some ½ mile drags. Then it was sold to Bill Burke of Salt Flats Fame, He turned it into a Salt Flats racer. Installing a Blown & injected Olds engine that was a record holder at that Flats in previous years. Bill Burke would hire Thomas to build him a 67 427 Camaro for the Salt Flats that did set a record, This ended the excitement with the #002 Cheetah and Bill sold it to Don Thorne of Tulsa Oklahoma where Don raced it at the local drag strip for 2 seasons. Then it was sold to a collector just outside Tulsa Oklahoma in the fall of 1969 where it was placed in 2 different barns over a 48-year time frame. Insert Robert Auxier chasing the dream of owning it & restoring it since 1992. 25 years later December 30th, 2017 it was purchased and removed from its barn. Robert Auxier having 4 genuine Cheetah restorations under his belt was prime contender for the restoration of a lifetime. As the World Expert on anything Cheetah related the task was clear restore the Holy Grail Aluminum 1964 Cheetah into a masterpiece. Today it is just that an Exotic stunning all American GT Sports Car. It should be placed in the Automotive Historical Artifact class. The design the engineering the super lite weight the sheer speeds of 217 MPH in February 1964. No doubt this Cheetah is an Automotive engineering Marvel.
This Aluminum Experimental Cheetah has the best Provenance of all Cheetahs built.
A Few Historical foot notes in our Dossier:
Photograph early 1966 of Mel Chastain sitting in #002 showing ¾ view rear body and chassis with Blown & Injected Olds Slat Flats Record holder engine already mounted in.
1966 magazine article about the Thomas Aluminum 2-seater with Bill Burke & Mel Chastain going to the Salt Flats with incredible photographs. Original serial tag in photograph.
Paul Van Valkenburgh book 1972 CHEVROLET RACING: Story on the Cheetah includes information stated from Mr. Valkenburgh Cheetah number 2 was sold to Chevrolet Engineering.
Automobile Quarterly Vol 19, No. 3 Mr. Thomas quoted the 2nd Aluminum bodied Cheetah was shipped to Chevrolet Tech Center.
Stay tuned for more updates.
