A 1970 HEMI Cuda with 40,000 miles, born with a HEMI 426 V8 4-speed engine, hides a bigger V8 surprise (and price).
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Here we have something you don't come across every day: a real 1970 HEMI Cuda that's no longer a 426. The story behind it is mostly unclear, but the owner is asking $200,000 for it, although it's so far removed from the old world that it hardly deserves the title of hemispherical nobility anymore.
The Barracuda made a spectacular comeback in 1970, adopting the 426 cubic inch (7.0 liter) engine after seven years of the nameplate's appearance. The new Plymouth car was launched on April 1, 1970, beating the Mustang by two weeks and two days.
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In 1966, Chrysler introduced another signature product, the Street HEMI, and Plymouth took the lion's share. By the end of 1971, the famous elephant engine was used more in the Belvedere, GTX, Road Runner and 'Cuda than in the Charger, Coronet, Challenger and other Dodges.
In the Barracuda's case, the HEMI was a passing fad, lasting only two years (a fate shared by the Challenger, the 'Cuda's twin brother that was created and disappeared along with the revamped Plymouth). In 1970, the Barracuda entered its third generation, but it had nothing in common with its predecessors.
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The new E-body platform – designed specifically for the two iconic cars, the 'Cuda and the Challenger – allowed the car to accommodate the big blocks that were impossible to fit in the cramped engine bay of the A-body. Unfortunately, the second-generation HEMI poser fell victim to the Clean Air Act and insurance premiums and died after two short years.
The legendary 'hemicuda' medal of distinction was awarded to 666 of the muscle Plymouths built for the 1970 model year (God only knows whether the production number was a coincidence or a fitting and deeply ironic nod to the serum Chrysler had just released). The following year, production plummeted to 114, so of course some of them are valuable collectors' items today. All the more so because there aren't that many left and the original examples are absolutely priceless.
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With prices reaching deep into the seven figures for survivors, restored examples aren't exactly cheap. However, the particular car we're featuring here is the exact opposite of that example. The desirable Plymouth was born with a 426 HEMI, a four-speed Super Track Pack with a 4.10 gear ratio, and a Sure Grip differential.
According to the sales ad, the body has only 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers). I wish that were a typo, but it’s not: it’s the miles on the body – or what remains original – not the engine. We’re not told what happened to the original V8 and the hemispherical afterburners, but this Rally Red hardtop now offers a 472 under the shaker hood.
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The air grabber is also a reproduction with New Old Stock parts (but the car originally had one, as a HEMI), but the critical components are under the car. The big 7.7-liter produces over 600 horsepower and 600 pound-feet (814 Nm) of torque, according to the seller, who highlights the hydraulic dampers and 10.5:1 compression ratio.
That's a far cry from the original 425 hp and 490 lb-ft (431 PS, 664 Nm), and it's up to the $200,000 owner to decide whether the modification lives up to the legend that surrounds that name. Again, the owner reports that the dual carburetors were rebuilt and tuned for the newly balanced and blueprinted engine, which is now 5,000 miles from new.
Source: autoevolution.com
