Who wouldn’t want to own the beautiful Bill Thomas creation?

If you are looking for a very collectible car with a great pedigree look no further than this rare Chevrolet Cheetah! This month, the Barrett-Jackson auction will offer this 1 of 29 built Bill Thomas Cheetah racecar. What you see here is a car that was ordered new in 1964 by Jack Goodman, the owner of Clarence Dixon Cadillac in Hollywood, California.

There are only 15 original Cheetahs still known to exist, so this truly is a rare collectible.

Mr. Goodman ordered this car in Sebring Silver with a black interior, a fuel-injected 375 horsepower 327 cubic-inch small-block, M21 four-speed, and 3.55 rearend gears. Did you notice the clear plexiglass bubble on the hood? That was also ordered with the car.

Mr. Goodman drove the car around Hollywood, California, for a short time, until he received his racing license. In July of 1964, the Clarence Dixon Cadillac-sponsored Cheetah entered its first race at the Riverside Olympic Relays – finishing in Fourth Place.

We’re told the interior retains 80 percent of the original equipment.

The car received multiple engine swaps and passed through multiple owners until 1973 when David Luria acquired the car. After a 41-year hibernation while in Luria’s care, it was purchased by Robert Auxier and received a complete restoration by BTM of Arizona.

The car retains its original 4130 chromoly tube chassis and original body components. As hard as it is to comprehend, we’re told that it also retains 80 percent of its original interior parts. That being said, this is a racecar and received numerous upgrades throughout its racing career. We’re told that in August/September of 1964, Bill Thomas prepared a 377 cubic-inch engine with a tuned Rochester fuel injection unit, two rear 1 1/4-inch rollbar down tubes, and multiple hood vent holes for cooling added.

The engine is a 1967 dated 427 cubic-inch L88 with 650 horsepower.

In April/May of 1965, a new 396 cubic-inch engine with an M22 four-speed was installed, along with various other parts and chassis upgrades. According to BTM, the chassis upgrades are all unique to this Cheetah. The rear body was widened using wheel flares to clear the new Ansen rear 15 X 10 wheels with Firestone Indy tires.

In 1967, the big-block was upgraded with GM L88 12.5:1 compression pistons and L88 dimpled connecting rods, a heat-treated and cross-drilled crankshaft, an L88-spec camshaft, and aluminum cylinder heads (part number 3904392).

The Cheetah running around Goodwood in 2016.

During the restoration, another era-correct 427 cubic-inch big-block was acquired, rebuilt, and installed.

It’s not very often that such a rare vehicle is publicly offered, and if you have a lot of spare change rolling around in your pocket, you could think about owning this rare racer for yourself. You can find the complete Barrett-Jackson auction listing by clicking here. Let us know if you win the auction, we’d like to ask if we could take this rare Chevrolet Cheetah for a drive.