19 Corvette-Powered Ferrari Killers: $520,000 Sale

A rare piece of American automotive history has changed hands for an impressive sum. The Bill Thomas Cheetah, a unique Corvette-powered sports car built to challenge Ferrari and Shelby Cobra dominance, recently sold for $520,000 on Bring a Trailer.

The story begins in the 1960s when California engineer Bill Thomas, who had gained experience building race-prepped Corvettes for GM, decided to create his own supercar. With support from Chevy's Performance Product Group boss Vince Piggins, Thomas founded Bill Thomas Race Cars in 1960 and began work on what would become the Cheetah.

Working alongside lead fabricator Don Edmunds, Thomas created a vehicle that was truly ahead of its time. The Cheetah featured a Corvette 327 drivetrain with a front mid-engined layout, built around a chrome-moly tubular chassis with independent suspension borrowed from the Corvette. Its distinctive profile pushed the cabin as far back as possible, placing the driver and passenger almost directly over the rear axle.

Powering this classic American sports car is a 377 cubic-inch Chevy V8 engine. The car's lightweight fiberglass body panels are painted red and sit on 15-inch Torq-Thrust wheels with Firestone tires.

Sadly, a fire destroyed the California workshop responsible for Cheetah production, limiting the total number built to between 19 and 23 examples. This particular car began construction in late 1965, shortly after the workshop fire. It was delivered to its original owner without a powertrain but was later equipped with the powerful Chevrolet V8 featuring mechanical fuel injection. Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission.

What began as a half-finished dream has become a six-figure collectible - not the worst outcome for what was once an ambitious project to take on the world's best sports cars.