American former racing driver and Volkswagen and Porsche dealer Norman Holtkamp was inspired by famous Mercedes-Benz Blue Wonder in the mid-1950s. Some time later, Holtkamp acquired a wrecked Mercedes-Benz 300 sedan, which became the starting point for the future transporter.
Holtkamp wanted his brainchild to be able to reach speeds of 180 kph, so he slightly modernized the Mercedes suspension and replaced the power unit: the German engine gave way to a forced 300 hp eight-cylinder engine from a Chevrolet Corvette, connected to a three-speed gearbox. The first sketches of the transporter, named Cheetah, were drawn by designer Dave Deal. Then Norman bought a cabin from a 1960 Chevrolet El Camino, headlights and a bumper from a Chevy Corvair and took the parts to the Los Angeles body shop Troutman-Barnes. In 1961, the Cheetah was ready: the nose and body of the transporter were made of aluminum, the engine was located behind the front axle.
The first runs with the Retzloff Racing Team car revealed problems with the Cheetah’s handling: when braking hard on a downhill slope, the Cheetah’s rear wheels would lift off the ground and the Cheetah would hit its nose on the road. To fix this, Holtkamp decided to lengthen the Cheetah’s wheelbase and move the engine closer to the center of the car. Unfortunately, Norman never finished modifying the car and sold it in a semi-disassembled state to Dean Moon, a well-known manufacturer of hot rod parts, in the early 1970s.
| Season | Series | Team |
| 1961 | Sports Cars | |
| Scale | Manufacturer | Collection |
| 1:43 | Matrix | |
| Cat. No. | Quality | Rarity |
| MX50302-042 | 
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