Cheetah
The global success of the Shelby Cobra inspired many American race car builders to build a similar car that could compete on an international level. From this perspective, nobody came close to beating the Cobra. But Bill Thomas, a famous Chevrolet tuner and race car builder, was a serious candidate. Unfortunately, the Cheetah was never given a proper chance due to several circumstances (via Car and Driver).
As you know, Chevrolet and GM pulled out of racing in 1963, but several independent race shops worked for GM’s backdoor programs where the company supported private racing teams with racing know-how and/or special racing parts. Bill Thomas’ shop was one of those outfits and he decided to build a Cobra competitor with Corvette power. That’s how the Cheetah was born. Built on a unique lightweight chassis with a small-block V8 moved as far back as possible, the Cheetah looked and performed like a race car. It had Corvette suspension and components and about 20 left the factory before fire ravaged Bill Thomas’ shop.