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Cheetah Racing Cars was a prolific Australian manufacturer of race cars. The cars were almost solely designed, engineered and constructed by Brian Shead in a small factory at the rear of his home in Mordialloc, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
The first Cheetah was built for Shead's personal use in 1960. It was a 'Cooper Copy' built to race in Formula Junior. A second Cheetah was built in 1962 and third in 1963. A completely new design was commenced in 1970, after which a friend (Don Biggar) persuaded Shead to construct an additional car, Mk4H Hill-climb car powered by an Oldsmobile V8 engine. By 1973 Shead gave up his usual job to design and build race cars full-time. The final car was produced in 1989, being a Mk9 for use in Formula Holden. Cars were constructed for Formula Junior, Formula Libre, Hillclimbing, Australian Formula 3 (AF3), Australian Formula 2 (AF2), Australian Formula 1 (AF1 or Formula Atlantic or Formula Pacific) and Formula Holden. Cheetah Race Cars dominated Formula Three during the 1970s and in Australian Formula 2 they were the dominant manufacturer during the late 1970s and most of the 1980s. In Formula Holden, the sole Cheetah built for the category in 1989 was still competitive in the mid-1990s against far newer carbon fibre cars built by Ralt and Reynard.
Brian Shead also built one car that was not an open wheeler, being a Cheetah Clubman built for the Sports 1300 racing category. It was raced by Peter Jones, winning 132 races, including seven New South Wales titles and three Victorian titles.
Cheetah race cars are common sights at Australian historic race meetings, hill climbs, sprints and in Australian Formula 2 and Formula-R. In the latter two categories, Cheetah Mk7 and Mk8s which were built in the late 1970s and early 1980s are still winning races and championships against far newer carbon fibre tubbed Dallara and Reynard Motorsport cars.
Although Cheetahs are no longer manufactured, Shead is still actively involved with Cheetah race cars, supplying parts and advice to Cheetah owners.
| Name | Category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 1 | Formula Junior | Cooper Copy |
| Mk 2 | Formula Junior | Major revision of Mk 1 |
| Mk 4H | Formula Libre Hillclimb | |
| Mk 4A | Australian Formula 3 | |
| Mk 4B | Australian Formula 3 | |
| Mk 4 | Australian Formula 3 | First production chassis |
| Mk 4E | Australian Formula 2 | |
| Mk 5 | Australian Formula 3 | |
| Clubman | Sports 1300 | Clubman Sports 1300 |
| Mk 6 | Australian Formula 2 Australian Formula 3 | First monocoque chassis. |
| Mk 6E & Mk6GE | Australian Formula 2 | Mk 6 cars with ground effects revision |
| Mk 7 | Australian Formula 2 | First ground effects car, inboard front springs |
| Mk 8 | Australian Formula 2 Formula Mondial | Full ground effects, clean sheet design |
| Mk 9 | Formula Holden | Last Cheetah made, clean sheet design |
| Season | Driver | Car | Series / Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | Brian Shead | Cheetah-Corolla | Multiple Formula 3 State Titles |
| 1970s | Brian Shead | Cheetah-Corolla | Four Formula 3 Stillwell Series |
| 1977 | Ian Judd | Cheetah-Oldsmobile | Australian Hillclimb Championship |
| 1979 | Brian Shead | Cheetah Mk6-Toyota Celica | Australian Formula 2 Championship |
| 1979 | Brian Shead | Cheetah Mk6-Toyota Celica | Formula 2SM (AF2 Series at Amaroo Park Raceway) |
| 1980 | Peter Macrow | Cheetah Mk7-Holden Gemini | Victorian Formula 2 |
| 1981 | Bob Prendergast | Cheetah Mk7-Volkswagen Golf | Victorian Hillclimb Championship |
| 1983 | Peter Beehag | Cheetah Mk7-Volkswagen Golf | Victorian Formula 2 |
| 1984 | Peter Glover | Cheetah Mk7-Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 Championship |
| 1985 | Peter Glover | Cheetah Mk8-Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 Championship |
| 1985 | Jonathan Crooke | Cheetah Mk7-Volkswagen Golf | Victorian Formula 2 |
| 1985 | Robert Rumble | Cheetah mk6 Renault | NSW Hillclimb Championship |
| 1986 | Jonathan Crooke | Cheetah Mk8-Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 Championship |
| 1986 | Derek Pingel | Cheetah Mk8-Volkswagen Golf | Queensland Racing Car Championships |
| 1986 | Robert Rumble | Cheetah mk6 Renault | NSW Hillclimb Championship |
| 1987 | Arthur Abrahams | Cheetah Mk8-Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 Championship |
| 1988 | Rohan Onslow | Cheetah Mk8-Volkswagen Golf | Australian Drivers' Championship / Australian Formula 2 Championship |
| 1993 | Graham Blee | Cheetah Mk6GE | Champion of Winton |
| 1994 | Craig Lowndes | Cheetah Mk9-Holden | Australian Silver Star |
| 1995 | James (Jim) Gleeson | Cheetah Mk8-Volkswagen Golf | Proflite Australia N.S.W. Formula 2 Driver's Championship |
| 1997 | Hugh Gartley | Cheetah Mk4 Toyota Corolla | Champion of Winton, Formula Libre |
| 1998 | Bruce Combe | Cheetah Mk7 Toyota Celica | Australian Hillclmb, Under 2 litre |
| 2002 | Brendon Cook | Cheetah Mk7-Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 Rookie of the Year |
| 2004 | Kevin Lewis | Ransberg Cheetah Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 |
| 2006 | Kevin Lewis | Ransberg Cheetah Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 |
| 2006 | Edward Gavin | Cheetah Mk8 Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 Rookie of the Year |
| 2007 | Edward Gavin | Cheetah Mk8 Volkswagen Golf | Australian Formula 2 |
| Track | Distance | Class | Driver | Car | Year | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symmons Plains | 2.4 km | AF2 | Jonathan Crooke | Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW | 9/3/1986 | 54.73s |
| Baskerville | 2.01 km | AF2 | Jonathan Crooke | Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW | 16/3/1986 | 50.24s |
| Surfers Paradise | 3.2 km | AF2 | Jonathan Crooke | Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW | 18/5/1986 | 1m07.3s |
| Oran Park | 2.62 km | AF2 | Jonathan Crooke | Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW | 8/6/1986 | 1m05.8s |
| Lakeside | 2.4 km | AF2 | Jonathan Crooke / Arthur Abrahams | Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW | 15/6/1986 | 50.6s |
| Sandown | 3.9 km | AF2 | Arthur Abrahams | Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW | 14/9/1986 | 1m40.2s |
| Amaroo Park | 1.946 km | AF2 | Arthur Abrahams | Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW | 21/6/1987 | 46.52s |
| Winton Motor Raceway - Short Circuit | 2.03 km | AF2 | Arthur Abrahams | Ransberg Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW | -/12/1988 | 56.9600s |
| Eastern Creek Raceway | 3.93 km | AF2 | Arthur Abrahams | Ransberg Cheetah - Golf VW | 25/08/1991 | 1m29.3500s |
| Wakefield Park | 2.2 km | AF2 | Craig Smith | Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW | 16/09/2001 | 59.0361s |
| Adelaide International Raceway | 2.41 km | AF2 | Peter Glover | Cheetah - Golf VW | ?? | 52.5 |