A small piece of Champ car history has been discovered in Texas and will soon be making its way onto the historic racing scene. The original 1968 Gilbert Cheetah Indy car that George Follmer drove to a convincing win in the 1969 Phoenix USAC race was recently found and purchased by historic racing enthusiasts Pete Lewis and Jim Herlinger.
Built by Howard Gilbert in 1968, the Cheetah was surprisingly similar to Brabhams of the period, making it well suited for both ovals and road courses. This particular Gilbert Cheetah was originally equipped with a Ford 4-cam but was fitted with a stock block Bartz Chevy for the 1969 Phoenix USAC race. Follmer drove a blistering race, winning by over 3 laps and setting a new track record in the process. This win was significant in that it was the only time that a true stock block motor won a USAC Champ car event.
After their success at Phoenix, Ford loaned the team a turbo motor for Indy, where Follmer again drove the car qualifying 27th and finishing the same after troubles with the loaned engine sidelined the car after just 26 laps. After Indy, the Bartz Chevy was reinstalled, and Follmer raced several more USAC events before the car was sold to John Martin in 1970.
The Cheetah is currently undergoing a thorough restoration and should make its vintage debut sometime in late 2002.
