And now for something really different
Driving a 1967 Exemplar I or 1964 Cheetah promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience
Usually when people talk about a car offering a “unique” driving experience, they tend to mean it is merely special (or perhaps terrible). But donning our Official Pedantry hat, “unique” properly means one-ofone, with nothing else out there like it. Happily, today we've got two ways for you to have a properly unique drive, and all it'll take is for you to make the winning bid.
First up at Bring a Trailer, it's a one-off 1967 Italian-American hybrid you've probably never even heard of. The 1960s were a great time for clothing easy-to-maintain U.S.built V8s in swishy Italian coachwork. Just think of how exotic and desirable the Bizzarrini 5300 GT still is, and how you can still just pop down to your local parts store if you need a few spark plugs for it.
This car is called the Exemplar I, and underneath it's mechanically identical to a Buick Riviera GS of the same year. That means a GM 7.0L V8 good for 360 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque, mounted to a lazy threespeed automatic transmission. It should be quick, but it's a cruiser, not a racer.
And what a cruiser. Coachbuilt by Turin-based Carrozzeria Coggiola, the Exemplar was meant as a showcase for the copper and brass company who commissioned it. Brass, bronze, and copper fixtures are found all over this car, from inside to out and even under the hood. In an era where chrome ruled the road, it's certainly something different, and the interior treatment is especially fantastic.
However, perhaps a personal luxury coupe dripping with excess fails to stir your soul. Well, then, how about another thundering V8, this time in a car that weighs nearly 200 kg (441 lbs.) less than a first-generation Miata?
Say “hello” to the prototype 1964 Cheetah driven by GM's then-president John F. Gordon, but say “hello” carefully as this thing looks like it could eat your face right off. Dreamed up by SoCal racer Bill Thomas as a Corvette-based riposte to the Shelby Cobra, the Cheetah tips the scales at less than 800 kg (1,763 lbs.) but comes with a 360-hp 5.3L V8 out of a Sting Ray. It looks like the world's most dangerous clown shoe, and offers eye-watering performance levels.
This example is the second prototype, and, unlike the very-limited-run production models, is skinned in aluminum (the later ones were fibreglass). It's like a Hot Wheels come to life, and while a change to racing rules meant the Cheetah never became as well-known and respected as the Cobra, it's got that same damn-the-torpedoes attitude in spades. The prototype Cheetah is currently up for sale on Hemmings, with a US$2 million ask.
So pick your 1960s ride — glamorous copper-hued cruiser or riotously runty hooligan. Either way you roll, it'll be actually unique.