Hidden away in this garage is a 1971 Plymouth ‘Cuda Convertible that is a rarity. It is a two-owner classic that has occupied this spot since 1986, but the owner has decided that the time has come for it to head to a new owner who can return this beast to its rightful place on our roads. If you think you could be that person, you will find the ‘Cuda located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and listed for sale here on eBay. It seems that there are a few people who like what they see because this car has already attracted an incredible 70 bids. This action has pushed the price beyond its reserve to $115,100.
This is one of those cases where I wish that the owner had supplied some better photos, because I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see this ‘Cuda in all its glory. It is finished in a shade called Glacier Blue Poly, and while the owner claims that only six examples of the ‘Cuda Convertible wore this color, I haven’t been able to confirm this beyond doubt. I know that our Barn Finds readers are a knowledgeable crowd, so hopefully, one of you might be able to provide further information on that front. The car has been sitting in dry storage for the last 35-years, which means that there is a reasonable chance that it might be rust-free. The owner doesn’t mention any problems in the listing, and the general lack of anything beyond some light surface corrosion visible in some of the photos gives us cause to be quietly optimistic. The panels sport some very minor marks, but there’s nothing that I would class as horrendous. The Black soft-top has a couple of seam separations, but overall, this ‘Cuda looks like it could be a pretty straightforward restoration project.
When we turn our attention to the ‘Cuda’s interior, we find an aspect of the car that will need some work. However, we also reach a point where the buyer will have some choices to make. The seats will need new covers, and various other aspects will require attention, but it does look like it would be pretty easy to whip it into shape. The owner is including a complete White factory interior in the sale, and installing this would make a bold and stunning statement. This leaves me a bit torn. There’s no doubt that it would attract plenty of attention, but I would be tempted to restore the interior in its original Black vinyl given the vehicle’s relative rarity. It will be interesting to hear what you think in a case like this. Otherwise, the door trims look good, as does the dash pad and console. There are a couple of aftermarket gauges that could go, but it is generally as it left the factory. The Rally gauges appear to be in good order, and the Convertible features the ultra-cool pistol grip shifter.
We’ve now reached that point where we can examine the rarity claim that the owner makes about this ‘Cuda. The original owner ordered the car with a 383ci V8, a 4-speed manual transmission, a 3.23 Sure Grip rear end, power steering, and power brakes. This combination should offer the driver 300hp under their right foot. Point the ‘Cuda at a ¼ mile, and the journey should be over in 15.3 seconds. The owner says that this car is 1-of-33 ‘Cuda Convertibles built during 1971 with the 383/4-speed combination, and various resources that I have accessed seem to confirm this claim. The owner also says that this is the only one with that combination and the 3.23 Sure Grip currently appearing on the National Register. If that last piece of information is accurate, that will make it well worth the effort to preserve this classic as it rolled off the production line. The car hasn’t moved since 1986, so it will undoubtedly take some work to return it to a roadworthy state. The owner says that he had the 383 rebuilt in 1984 and that this process included fitting hardened valve seats. It only saw service for a further two years before he parked it in its current location. He holds all of the receipts to confirm this work, along with the original Build Sheet and the dealership documentation.
The photos might not be great, but the bidding history on this 1971 ‘Cuda Convertible would seem to tell its story rather well. The auction opened at $10,000, and it rocketed to its current level in an astounding thirty hours. People want this classic, and they want it badly. With that sort of interest, this is an auction that should be worth watching. Of course, you might decide to join the action. If you do, then I wish you luck.
This car does NOT have the Rallye cluster, it has the standard one, w/ the rare clock added. Changing the interior to white would only lower the value of this alleged “1 of 6” etc. Never the less, this is really desirable, and the bidding is going to be a wild ride! GLWTA!! :-)
Owner has had it for 5 years and never bothered to transfer the tags? And driven? Nah, every cop in that town would know the car….
Crazy money for this car. 115k and needs a ton of work. What is wrong with people?The legalization of marijuana has helped the collector car industry greatly.
HA, come to Mile HIGH Denver and see what legal mary-jane is all about!
It’s got zero to do with weed. Lol
Two bidders have pushed this car from $50,000 to $115,000. I suspect that when the auction ends, neither bidder will follow through with the purchase.
CCFisher, I am thinking those two bidders were buddies of the owner driving the price up. While it has potential, you can get a completed one cheaper.
One of those bidders hit the reserve and he is the new owner unless he retracted the bid.
This is what happens to the price when u make that great lookin front end for just ONE year, there’s no dynacorn body, few people bought the convertible back then, & popular joe mannix drives one on tv, later fittted with ’73 tailites!
Plymouth should have retained this front end thru ’74.
Imagine the bids if it had a 340, 440, or 426 – & a shaker.
The 383 was hardly a hi po motor even in ’71.
“The 383 big block was further detuned in 1971 to run on regular fuel. There were now two 383s offered a 275 hp two-barrel and a 300 hp four-barrel. Both version had a lower 8.5:1 compression ratio. This was the last year of production for the 383.”
Foolishness. The value should come from what the car is, as a car, not some petty silliness of possible rarity. It is worth what someone is willing to pay for it based on this, and this alone. You know, I dropped a log in the toilet this morning, and I have determined that it is one of one in rarity, but is it really worth more because of that? BTW, I am taking offers on it, shoot me your numbers and I will get back to you. I would be willing to customized for you, maybe paint it in any color you choose, making it even more rare! Just make sure your check doesn’t bounce, and don’t waste my time if your a toilet kicker.
This is the reason why the rusted out hulks demand such a huge price.
Consider it the “356 Phenomenon”. Restorers are buying them and selling them at the big-name auctions.
This car needs a easy 25k put into it and at 140k all in on a 383 car he will never see a return on that money.
At $115,000 not much meat left on the bone I wouldn’t think.
Sold with a high bid of $115,700, 77 bids spread out among 16 bidders.
Steve R
The “1 of 6” claim is an estimation that’s virtually unverifiable. There could be 200 others, or this could be the only one.
Chrysler did not keep “hard number” records of options. They kept track of percentages. If 1.6% of all Barracudas in 1971 were painted B2, then of the 374 convertible ‘Cudas, 6 should be B2… but nobody knows. This applies to engines and transmissions as well. The “numbers” are line-based percentages applied to specific examples within; it’s the only info Chrysler kept.
The percentage of cars sold with an option determined whether that option would be continued. Export (including military PX) numbers were often excluded.
This is why the “accepted” amount of HemiCuda convertibles (both years) has gone from 18 in the mid-1980s to 25 today–4 more ’71s and 3 more ’70s appeared–all legit–that skewered the original percentage-based estimates. It’s also why there’s no definitive “report” available for Mopars like the Marti or PHS services. It’s also why “1 of 1” will always be “of known examples” rather than an indisputable number.
If you want to go far enough down the option list, most muscle-era Mopars are “1 of 1” at some point. If you know of another ’74 Challenger 318/auto in Dark Moonstone with gold vinyl, black interior, factory manual steering & brakes, AM/FM stereo w/fader, AC, 3-speed wipers, clock, and a J54 hood, hit me up. 😂
This is a rare car in fair shape that will attract the money in my estimation
I have the last Mannix Cuda a 383 vert 71, the one to be used in season 73 and later ditched in favor of the sunroof challenger.