Okay, first I would like to acknowledge the fact that, yes, I have already featured both a Plymouth Cuda and two Hemi car’s before. I have not, however, featured a Hemi Cuda before, let alone a convertible. I chose this car in the spirit of the Barrett-Jackson auction that is currently going on, and also due to the fact that it is one of the rarest and most sought after muscle cars in history.

How about a little history on how the Cuda came to be shall we…The Cuda started it’s life in 1964 as the Barracuda, was actually the first pony car (14 days prior to the Mustang and was owned by the Ford in popularity), based on the already existing Valiant body style. It spent the next 4 years of it’s life being at the bottom of the performance food chain with only a 235 horsepower 273 cube V8 being it’s most powerful engine option. There was a glimmer of hope in 1968 and 1969 when the 340 V8 could be ordered as well as an option with a 383 powerplant good for 330 horses. A few were even made with the 440-6 barrel iron lung however these were small in number. The real start of the success for the Barracuda came for the 1970 model year when Plymouth designers threw everything off the drawing board and created a new E-body platform on which the new car would lie. Although it looked the same as it’s brother the Challenger, it had shorter wheelbase by 2 inches and used single headlights instead of dual lenses.

Engine options for the Cuda were the same as the Challenger and ranged from a inline six through the Hemi. I seriously doubt anyone wants to hear about a 225 cubic inch straight six, so let’s just talk about that Hemi one more time. The Hemi was one of the most potent and feared engines of the muscle car era. With it’s hemispherical heads, high compression and dual-quad carburetors, nobody could mess with it on the street save for the likes of the occasional Yenko Chevelle or Buick GSX. The Hemi was rated at 425 horsepower and 490 pound feet of torque although it was almost certain the factory lowered the ratings and the Hemi was really putting out much more. If you really wanted to make a statement you would have gotten the Shaker hood (pictured above) so that every time you revved the engine at a stoplight the driver next to you could see the mighty Hemi rubble.

Now, there were a total of 652 Plymouth Cuda hardtops with the Hemi installed in them, 284 with the 4-speed transmission. That doesn’t seem like an extremely rare number does it? However, there were only 14 Cuda convertibles made, only 5 of them had the 4-speed gearbox. ARE YOU SERIOUS?! There are only 14 Hemi Cuda convertibles in existence. That number is why I chose this car, because if you ever have the chance to see one in person, you are seeing a 1 of 14 ever car so please appreciate it.

Big_Blocker out.