The Quest

Quest Motorcars Cheetah-style street car

By Steve Temple

Photos by John Chesnut

Some car designers say that there’s nothing new under the sun since most body shapes are derived from previous cars in one way or another and are simply revised and reworked. So if that’s the case, why not simply start with an earlier shape and modify it to suit your tastes?

Because the body is low and it’s a roadster, the doors are molded into the body as well.

The foundation of the Quest is a space frame with a 93-inch wheelbase, which will be fitted with a C4 Corvette suspension. John Chesnut built a jig from a C4 Corvette tub that he had turned upside down.

Molding in the cockpit and dash allows the body to simply slide onto the frame and mounts for a quicker and easier build process.

John used cardboard to make the sides and rear of the cockpit and foam for the dash and windshield base. He then fiberglassed them into the body.

That’s what John Chesnut has done over the years. He once bought a Cobra body and built his own frame for fitting in Corvette parts. And his Dragon design was actually inspired by a Lister but also modified to run modern Corvette parts. Following this same formula, his new Quest now in the works has a Cheetah-style body that is wider and taller than the original.

Foam board, measuring 1-inch thick, forms the bulkheads. It’s cut a little undersized and then secured in place with short-strand body filler. The aluminum skin is removed to allow the fiberglass to bond to the foam and make a light and strong structure.

Shown here is how John built a plug for the body molds, which are now completed. His plan is to have a running car by sometime this Summer. The initial Quest will be outfitted with a high-performance Chevy 350 crate engine. The estimated weight of the car is only 1,800 pounds, so the power-weight ratio should be in the extreme range. Just as the original Cheetah was a Cobra-beater on the drag strip, so too will the Quest be an “anti-Cobra” — but with a twist.

“I’m not trying to create a replica,” he maintains. “I’m imagining if the car had continued and a street roadster had been produced. … I’m taking a race car and trying to create a street version.”

Original Cheetahs had the carburetor sticking out of the hood. The new molded hood bulge was inspired by the Jaguar XKE and is tall enough to cover a carb or LS intake. Chesnut made a template out of 1/4-inch foam for every 2 inches of length. After sculpting one side of the bulge, he then made the templates to match the shape on the other side.

Moreover, he wants it to have the simplicity of a dune buggy to build, but with high performance and classic roadster looks in a car that doesn’t cost a fortune. And it has one other key aspect: “A design that everyone will wonder what it is when they see it.”

Why did he choose the Cheetah as his initial inspiration? “I just happen to think the Cheetah was badass looking, and it used Corvette parts,” he explains. “I’ve built all of my cars using Corvette parts. Seemed like a natural project for me to do.”

To make the front fender flares, John first applied masking tape to create the line for cutting the fender. He then partially sliced it with a 5-inch cutoff wheel, leaving the cut piece attached at the front and rear. After spraying glue onto the piece, he attached poster board and trimmed it with a razor blade to the shape of the cut piece. He then removed the poster board and attached it to the fender on the other side in order to keep the shapes the same. Once the fenders were cut, he spread them out by inserting a 1-inch piece of foam, and he applied fiberglass matte and body filler for the final shaping.

To make the headlight bucks, John cut out holes in the body and then used body filler to attach supports to the opening.

Then he glued poster board for the back of the bucket, bottom and sides. He also cut a circular piece out of 1/4-inch foam insulation board and placed it in the back of the bucket and fiberglassed over it. After adding more fiberglass to the underside of the hood, the poster board is removed and replaced with more fiberglass. The buckets taper so that the hood will pull out of the mold.

Indeed. Rather than going into great detail on the entire buildup, though, we decided to focus mostly on the body molds, in case other car builders have similar conversion projects in mind. So don’t think you have to reinvent the wheel. Just spin it in a different way.