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The 1964 Cheetah

May 11, 2018 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

 

On a Friday evening with a thunderstorm slowly building in the distance, a gorgeous piece of automotive history changed hands off Park Avenue in upper Manhattan. The 1964 Cheetah, one of only eleven original design ever made, was auctioned off by its owner of 53 years who was only the second owner of the car. Built by Bill Thomas with Chevrolet to be their answer to the Shelby Cobra, Cheetah #4 was the first to be made of fiberglass after the aluminum prototypes. The unmodified, un-refinished car was raced extensively in its early years – and it’s got the pitted paint to prove it. Talking to the family, it’s amazing how many original parts it has. It was built with three fuel tanks for racing, but the two on the side were taken out (but kept), the injection holes visible in front of the side mirrors. Two original magnesium wheels – with original tires from the 60’s! – come with the car, though they aren’t on the car in the pictures. Even the headlights are original – in fact, the owner’s son-in-law said that this was the first time he had ever seen them in the car, re-installed for the sale.

Designed as a coupe for better aerodynamics, the Cobra Killer’s slim gullwing doors are lifted by hand for the driver to slide in. The driver’s legs are by the engine, and it can get a bit hot very quickly. Chevy influence is under the hood powered by a Chevrolet Corvette 327 Rochester in the front and a C2 Corvette rear differential. It was clocked at speeds up to 215 MPH. It hasn’t been driven than hard for years though; it has enjoyed a long retirement being displayed at classic car shows and driven moderately at vintage races. Either way, there’s no way to tell tow many miles have been put on the car as the original design did not include an odometer.

The Cheetah was much-loved by the family gathered in New York City, and the auction was bittersweet. While sad to see such a cherished member of the family go, they were also excited about selling the car and passing it on to the next owner to be enjoyed. Held outdoors in the courtyard between Guernsey’s auction house and the Russian Orthodox Church, there was no reserve – the car was going to be sold no matter what. Sam Goins, the seller, started the engine for the very last time before bidding started. Bidding began at $300,000, with several bidders present and on the phone. The bidding slowly went up, up… until the auctioneers on the phone both gave the cut-off signal. The final in-person bidder won the auction and the car for $625,000. After chatting so much with the family about the car, I even got a little lump in my throat when the bidding was over. The old and new owner shook hands and the Cheetah legacy was passed on to another enthusiast.





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Indifferent Corvette girl gets blown for her birthday

May 8, 2014 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

vettegirl

You may recall a video from last year, when a guy bought his girlfriend a brand new 2014 Corvette Stingray and she didn’t seem overly interested in it. A lot of internet users called that young lady a lot of not so nice names. My guess is she’s just the reserved type who wasn’t overly interested in her boyfriend documenting her birthday surprise on camera. Either that or she truly is a spoiled, ungrateful being. I would rather give her the benefit of the doubt.

For this year’s birthday, the boyfriend decided to up the ante a bit by sending the Stingray out for some tuning. Specifically, the installation of a supercharger. The video is a bit slow and I would love to see more of the car in action, but the beast sounds spectacular at idle.

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15 Seconds With: 2015 Chevrolet Corvette

15 Seconds With: 2015 Chevrolet Corvette

April 8, 2014 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

russ vette

Our buddy Russ Bond from Painkillerz was intending to drive the 2015 Chevy Corvette today. Mother Nature had other ideas.

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Who let the dogs out?

April 3, 2012 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

This is one of those images that would be hard to believe if we didn’t know the shooter involved. Florida photographer Louis Galanos grabbed this shot of “Fast Phil” lapping at Sebring in 1973 with his faithful pooches, Moss & Fangio. Galanos tells the tale:

“On one of his laps he stopped the car on the back airport straight and let out Moss because the mutt wanted to get out and run. Fangio, with his short legs, was not interested. The photo shows Fangio with his head out the window and Moss keeping pace with the Corvette. Those were the early days of IMSA. While the dogs are long gone Phil still has the vintage split-window Corvette and still races. No wonder they call him “Fast Phil.”

April Fools gag or just another example of how things have changed since the golden years of racing! Read the whole story over at Sports Car Digest.

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Paul Newman’s race winning Vette sells for $275,000

March 12, 2012 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

Over the years we’ve seen more than a few actors who have taken their fortune and gone racing. Some of them were even pretty good at it. Guys like James Garner, Steve McQueen and new school guys like Patrick Dempsey have all been regarded as talented racers. Possibly the most successful of the bunch was none other than Paul Newman, who raced for decades, right up into his Eighties. Racing under the name PLN, Newman scored wins in both IMSA and Trans-Am racing.

Using his home track, Lime Rock Park, as a base, Newman raced this Riley & Scott Corvette Trans Am car from 2003 onwards, scoring his final win a year to the day before his death. Think about that, in 2007 at age 82, Newman won a GT1 race behind the wheel of a 700 horsepower TA car! This was that car.

It was in this car that Paul Newman took his final laps of Lime Rock, at 83 years of age, just one month before passing away from cancer.

The car was offered up for auction at Amelia Island recently by Canadian auction house, RM Auctions. When the bidding came to a close, the final sale was made for $275,000.

Head past the jump to read the full press release and catch a glimpse of the freshly restored #83.

[Read more…]

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Amy Ruman becomes first woman to win a Trans Am race

October 3, 2011 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Having come oh so close to winning her first Trans Am series race several times, Amy Ruman finally took top spot on the podium this weekend at Road Atlanta. Ruman got the jump on Mike Lewis on the 5th restart, when the race went yellow once again due to contact between Glen Jung and John Baucom. All Ruman had to do then was cruise for 3 laps under yellow to became the first woman to win in 45 years of TA racing.
[Read more…]

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Just because you can doesn’t mean you should

August 29, 2011 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

Do I really need to comment on this?

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Vette

August 24, 2011 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Click on the image to open the full size and then right click to save as your desktop background. Simple as that!

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Going Fast: Gateway Racing number 07 Corvette is up for sale

June 10, 2011 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

That’s right, Blaise Csida’s magnificent Corvette Trans Am car could be yours. Quite possibly one of the most attractive cars on the Trans Am circuit and certainly one of the best prepared, the Gateway Racing Vette is leaving the stable to make room for the next new build. For the experienced driver looking to move up to GT1 or go pro in the Trans Am series, this is the perfect vehicle. Meticulously built and maintained, this car is reliable and fast and comes with a comprehensive spares package.

Full details:
[Read more…]

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Tony Ave wins rain soaked Trans Am crash fest at Mosport

May 26, 2011 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

While the Trans Am cars sat on the mock grid, the World Challenge teams were circling Mosport International Raceway under a full course yellow. The reason? A damp track that deposited 5 cars into the tires between corners 9 and 10. Typical of Mosport’s weather patterns, the rain stopped and started a couple of times. As the TA cars made their way out on the track, the skies opened.

One quick lap behind the pace car and the field went green. For about 30 seconds.
[Read more…]

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