Cheetah Trasporter, the fastest car transporter in the world
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By the end fiftiesNorman Holtkump, racer, tuner and sports car salesman from Inglewood, California, had big problem to be solved: The trailer he used to transport the racing cars swayed and swayed eerily as the van that was pulling him picked up speed. For this reason, forced to drive very slowly, it took him twice as long to cover the path from his garage to various US race tracks.
As a big car enthusiast, Norman often and willingly traveled to trip to europe follow the Formula 1 World Championship. It was in the Old Continent that he was "blinded" by the sight of the Blue Portento Mercedes, a fast car transporter based on the Mercedes 300 S chassis, with which the Stuttgart company took the legendary 300 SLl racing cars to European tracks.
Like an airplane
As soon as he returned to the United States, Norman set to work in his garage. Together with his designer friend Dave Deal (today a famous designer of cartoons dedicated to the automotive world) he developed first sketches... General Motors later acquired a new Chevrolet pickup cab. Roadwith a rounded windshield, he mounted it on the sturdy frame of an old Mercedes-Benz 300 S.
The rest of the construction was entrusted to the famous Construction Company Troutman & Barnes Los Angeles, which, while retaining only the optical groups of the front of El Camino, gave the car a pleasant look. rounded aluminum spout; the aerodynamic design of the sides resembled the fuselage of an aircraft.
Nine months of pregnancy
Troutman & Barnes also increased the wheelbase from the original 94 "(2.336,8 mm) Deal design to 124" (3.149,6 mm) to give the car more stability. Holtkamp used a tried and tested Chevrolet V8 "small block"mounted behind the front axle. The suspensions were of noble Porsche origin. At the end of 1961, after exactly 9 months of "maturation", the little mechanical Frankenstein was completed and presented to the press in a decidedly aviation metallic gray paint.
Chevy V8 engine
For some time, Holtkamp's race car transporter was renamed to Cheetah (cheetah) Conveyor for its speed characteristics, he also gained fame thanks to a detailed article published in Issue December '61, Car & Driver magazine, which also dedicated a beautiful color cover to it.
Cheetah Trasporter was in no way inferior to its overseas source of inspiration. Thanks to the retractable platform, he could load racing car in the spacious rear floor. The powerful Chevy V8 engine was capable of propelling the car to 112 mph. or 180 km / h, Unlike Portento Blue Mercedes-Benz, which arrived at a still remarkable speed (for a vehicle) 170 km / h.
No industrial development
There is no evidence other models The Cheetah Transporter, even if Norman Holtkamp's dream was certainly about the industrial development of his project. Car & Driver magazine itself in its article production launch announcement Cheetah Transporter, estimated retail price is $ 16.
After about three years and three thousand kilometers of travel, Holtkamp, which by that time had become one of the most important dealers and compilers Porsche and Volkswagen from the USA decided to sell to their friend and colleague Din Mun, already at that time one of the most famous hot rod tuners, the Cheetah Transporter.
Devastating earthquake
First, Dean applied the famous eyes of Mooney, his car parts and modification company, to the car's already pretty nose. In 1971, Moon decided to replace the car's old drum brakes with more modern and functional ones. disc brakes... Thus, the Cheetah Transporter was sent to the Hurst Airheart Specialized Workshop in San Fernando.
Unfortunately, on the same day, the San Fernando Valley in California collapsed devastating earthquake... Therefore, most of the Cheetah Transporter remained under the rubble of the Hurst Airheart workshop. The remains of the car remained abandoned in the San Fernando garage until Dean Moon disappeared in 1987.
Mooneyes became an aftermarket colossus, many of Dean Moon's assets were auctioned off, including shabby Cheetah Transporter... Curious car won by a collector named Jim Degnan who restored it and kept it for about sixteen years. In 2006, a collector of special equipment bought Cheetah. Jeff Hacker in Tampa, in Florida.
