I found this last night , of all places ... Yahoo . The front end reminds me of the 72 Satellite my dad use to own . Even though the car is long gone , there's still a couple of parts laying around from it . Maybe I could get like $100,000 for them ?




For those of us who can't remember 1971, it might be difficult to explain why an automaker would walk away from muscle cars, especially one as dominant in its heyday as the Plymouth Hemi Cuda. By then, muscle cars felt played out; between smog laws, gas prices and rising insurance rates, power stopped being quite so cool. Those trends were temporary, but they still reverberate today with the reverse effect — making this 1971 Hemi Cuda convertible potentially the most valuable muscle car ever when it goes up for sale next month.
The last of the fire-breathing Barracuda variants have always been sought after; because of waning demand, Chrysler made only 11 Hemi Cuda convertibles in 1971, each with the 425-hp big-block V-8 and numerous optional go-fast parts. Another '71 Cuda was the first American muscle car to sell for more than $1 million in 2002, and a white convertible with an automatic transmission that was the final Hemi Cuda built had a bid of $4.1 million in 2005 without a sale.
This car set for Mecum's Seattle auction on June 14 purports to be only one of two Hemi Cuda droptops built with a four-speed transmission, and of that pair the only one with its original engine. Hemi Cuda prices came back to earth following the recession, but have recovered to well beyond $1 million for authentic but less-rare examples in recent auctions. Given the soaring values for authentic American muscle cars — like the $3.85 million paid for a 1967 Chevy Corvette L88 earlier this year — Mecum expects the Hemi Cuda to bring about $4 million upon sale, along with further confirmation of just how far we've come since 1971.

 

One of the Mopar Holy Grails. it will probably bring big bucks.

 

Such a beautiful car. Although my interests have always been mostly GM, My fav car of all is a 70 Cuda. My first memories of going fast were in my dads 70 440 6 pack cuda. Sadly, when he passed away, a so called friend claimed the car( by that time, a pure race car) saying he owed him money.

 

I wish all 11 of them would burn down at the same time so,1 we wouldn't have to hear about them anymore and 2 there artificially inflated prices would stop trickling down to other cars.

 

I wouldn't doubt that your right . The price sure is crazy !

 

These prices are an example of the supply/demand/rarity concept paired with uber rich people who don't care about the value of the $$. There's no way on God's green earth that car is worth 4 million dollars. Funny how the markets work, isn't it?

 

^^^ Agreed. 4,000,000?!?
NFW! But it shore is purty.

 

The 1% have done real well the last 5 years.

 

The funny thing is, the general public would be clueless that it was a $4mil car anyway, hard to impress the ignorant, and even if you clue the ignorant folks in....how many would think you're insane?

John Q public: "Cool old blue car, dude. Does it have a v8?" " my dad/grandpa used to have one just like it." LOL.

 

Thanks Jeremy, I'll keep my sanity and $$!

 

Would you like fries with that?

 

x10 couldn't agree more

 

A freind of mine's dad was a car dealer and he got a new car to drive every year, pops called it a 'demonstrator'. In 1970 my friend got a Cuda with a 440 & 6 pack. Purple with BVT and Black Interior, 4 speed car. Since I was a 'Car Guy', he offered to let me drive it Crazy fast. Only car I ever saw that could beat my L69. I bet he wishes he still hat that one (or better yet, I wish I had it...........lol)

 

The general public is not stupid enough to give 4million for anything especially a rattle trap soup can Cuda.

 

$4 million or not (hype courtesy of auction house), you know that car is gonna hit several million - such is the life of a 4-speed E-body Hemi ragtop.

Just be glad 4-speed W-30 ragtops are several hundred thousand dollars less....

 

This car appears to be owned by Kevin Suydam .
After visiting his web site , IF he sells this one , them he will be down to 6 of either Hemi Cuda's or Challengers . 4 of the 1970 , and currently 3 1971 .

Most of his friends believe he has his sights on something with different options or better colors . That is a dedicated collector .
He also seems to have a 1968 , and a 1969 Hurst Oldsmobile Cutlass's , and a 1970 Viking Blue 442 Convertible ..

Interesting guy to say the least . All of his cars are exceptionally rare and restored to perfection . Zero disappointments to buyer .
Cheers .

 

Who writes this stuff?
Records indicate Chrysler Corp. (Hamtramck, MI assembly plant) built at least 12 1971 HEMI'Cuda convertibles (7 for the US, 2 for Canada, 3 for France) & 4 of them were 4-speeds.

 

My dads was a 70 4 speed also. Back then he would do his own test and tune on a long lonely road behind a bowling alley. Last time I checked some yrs ago, the prices for an true 70 440 6 pack cuda were over 100k

 

My aunt still has her 70 Cuda 340 Auto, its been sitting since 1983 in the garage and they just rebuilt the engine and done a burn out down the alley last week.

 

Sorry, it's a nice car (not a 4million dollar car) but I've never been a hemi fan. My Dad passed his dislikes of Mopar on to me. He used to say, that he never met a hemi that didn't need to be tuned up at least once a week.

He was a GM man, and I am too.

 

Too bad. I like my Olds but I love my 69 Hemi Charger! Drives great, a true beast. Very streetable.

 

Awesome Charger, I'm a Mopar BB fan also, would love to have a Hemi powered 64/65 B body.

 

x2 Beautiful Car!

 

Nice Car !

 

Ohh and its a 500!! Very cool, best of the aero cars IMO. I'd have a '69 500 long before a damn E-body(Cuda/Challenger).

 

1969 is my favorite, but never fell in love with the 500. Gimme a white/red R/T with a 4-speed and I'll be happy.

 

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...on/?refer=news

3.5 million
Not that much, really... to a billionaire.

 

Sure looks alot like a clone I saw around 1990 in the Portland Swap meet that was for sale at the time for an exorbatant $70K. There are very few cars that look like that one. It makes me wonder....

 

Chances are that clone was the same car (based on location), which is not a clone. But I can't say I remember what they were going for in 1990 - they were much more than 70k at the time, I think. But clones were few and far between back then.

 

I seen that today

 

I'm not saying this is the car I had seen, but the one I was looking at back then was a freshly built clone and was being sold as such for $70k. An original was probably around $100 to $125K even back then (for a convertible that is). As I was formerly a Mopar guy (not ashamed of it) I recall the car.

 

Mopars are pretty hard to fake. Ser #'s are in the radiator support, trunk rail, and riveted in the upper dash as well as the sticker on the door jam. The engine serials are stamped in the block as well. If the buyer paid 3.5 mil without verifying this info then he deserved the scam!

 

VIN . # BS27R1B315367 . Verified through the Mopar Connection .
2 of the 12 were this exact color and option package . Information from Yenko.net . Owner and car are well verified .

New owner is out of Minnesota . I think I went to High School with him .
I will email him tonight . The original thread from this car goes back to 2004 . Owner was stating that he felt that the car just lacked "soul " to him .
Best quarter mile time for the car was 14.05 E.T. @ 105 m.p.h.
Regards , Jimi .