It’s nearly January, and you know what that means: it’s classic car auction season. Both Mecum and Barrett-Jackson have continued to highlight some of the impressive vehicles that are going to be crossing the block in a few short weeks.
However, Barrett-Jackson has an incredible rarity it will send off. The 1964 Cheetah race car is one of 15 known to have survived and it is the only one to have been raced with a Corvette 427 cubic-inch L88 big block V8 engine. It also has the aluminum racing head option equipped.
The Cheetah seen here underwent “museum quality” restoration by BTM LLC in Arizona, and houses the lowest miles on any 427 ci L88 V8 engine known. However, the mileage is not disclosed. As for the other main mechanisms, the beefy V8 engine is paired to a four-speed manual transmission and 4.11 rear axle, both of which have been rebuilt.
This 1964 Cheetah has five years of documented racing history under its belt including SCCA and FIA events at Times Grand Prix (Riverside), Laguna Seca (Monterey), Willow Springs, Pomona, Bend (Oregon), Odessa (Texas), Star Dust, War Bonnet, Davis Monthan AFB (Tucson, AZ), Santa Barbara, Airport #2 (Utah). It was also the SCCA Pacific Region A/SR champion vehicle.
Barrett-Jackson does not list an estimated sale price, but we can imagine it’s going to be a very, very big number.
Comments
My heart is pounding a bit. I saw these cars race at Mid-Ohio in 1965 SCCA races and have been in love with them since. I recall standing in the paddock area next to one when they fired it up. The exhaust blew cups and papers twenty feet or more. They were a handful to drive due to the very short wheelbase. The two I saw there were owned by someone who owned a plumbing supply/contractor business out of Columbus as I recall. There was a fiberglass bodied one built with a “normal” interior for street use also. Ah to have unlimited amounts of money.
Go to theHawk July vintage event at Road America and toucan still see them race
A very helpful article.