Name Hummer entered public consciousness with a thunderous reputation, yet the narrative could have taken a very different route.
In 1979 the United States Army issued a request for a versatile wheeled vehicle, the HMMWV, commonly pronounced hum-vee. Several manufacturers responded to the competition, and the winner emerged as AM General. Yet another contender, Teledyne Continental, advanced a design known as the Cheetah, pushing a bold alternative path for the military light vehicle market.
The Cheetah concept was crafted by Mobility Technology International, a Chrysler subsidiary that had a hand in innovative automotive projects of the era, including an influence from the famous Lamborghini Cheetah project in 1977.
Under the hood, the Cheetah was fitted with a 5.9 liter gasoline V8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. The military, however, favored a diesel-driven powertrain, prompting a conversion to a 6.9 liter diesel V8 sourced from International Harvester. The shift highlighted the practical demands of rugged field use, where diesel power could offer improved torque, fuel efficiency, and logistical advantages in distant theaters.
After the technical pivot, the story grew hazy. Teledyne Continental announced a program to build an initial batch of 11 prototypes, featuring variants that included a soft top, an ambulance, and a combat-ready model designed to bear weapons. The prototypes were delivered in 1982 for rigorous testing, yet the project did not secure the coveted state contract. The Cheetah concept faded from the primary competition, becoming a footnote in the broader history of military vehicle development. [Attribution: Army procurement history and contemporary vehicle archives]
Nevertheless, the Teledyne Continental Cheetah later resurfaced in the public imagination as a rare example of ambitious engineering that nearly shaped the U.S. Army’s small, agile vehicle fleet. One example, restored and preserved, has circulated in private hands and at special events. It features an aluminum body painted in olive green, with black fender arches providing a stark contrast.
The auction item offers a glimpse into the vehicle’s rugged character: a tubular front bumper, four-wheel drive as expected, a black soft top, black running boards, a short cargo bed, and five-spoke wheels shod with Goodyear tires. The model carries a distinctive, compact silhouette that echoes its military heritage.
While there is no published auction estimate, the vehicle is expected to attract interest from military collectors and automotive historians alike. The Cheetah’s story sits at an intriguing crossroads of innovation, competition, and the practical realities of defense procurement, illustrating how a promising concept can still fade from the main line while leaving a lasting imprint on the collector universe. [Citation: vehicle auction records and enthusiast documentation]