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Mint Mopar: 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Survivor

“Wow” is all I have to say about a car like this! This is something of a Mopar “holy grail” that is certain to sell to a collector. If I had an extra half million dollars lying around, I would’ve bought it already. When I view a car ad, I typically look at the photos first before reading the text. During my initial look at the photos, I thought “This is a really authentic, well-done restoration.” Joke is on me though, it is a survivor car and not a restoration, so that would explain the extreme authenticity. It has all its original sheet metal, 36,000 miles, and the tires have only been changed once–in 1976! Find it here on eBay in Oklahoma with a Buy It Now price of $499,000 with a starting bid of $350,000. 

The interior of this ‘Cuda looks showroom fresh, at least from here. You can see why one might think this was a freshly restored car at first glance! The original seats, carpet, headliner, and Hurst pistol grip shifter are all in place and in as exceptional condition as they could possibly be for a car of this age. This is yet another example of a car that I almost believe the mileage is too high, simply because of how nice it is.

This is the money right here: the original, number matching 425 horsepower 426 cubic inch Chrysler Hemi engine. Furthermore, as you can clearly see, this is a Shaker hood car and it is still equipped with the Shaker components. The engine bay is extremely original and correct, simply because it was never changed. This is where it starts to become clear that this is an original and unrestored car. The emissions sticker is showing some age, as are the inner fenders and the fender tag. The underside of the engine is immaculate and as clean as any other part of this car. The engine has its correct Mopar hoses, and even an authentic Mopar oil filter. It is also equipped with power brakes, and a Super Track Pak rear end with 4.10 gears.

There may be many high dollar Mopars out there, and many of them cost more than this car, but as far as ‘Cudas go this is the dream of many collectors. I will not be discussing the price, but I will say that this car is worth exactly what someone will pay for it. This is a time capsule and a rare find, being as original as it is. I would love to know the story on how a car like this got parked with so few miles on it! The only non-original part of this car is some minor paint work on the passenger’s side, which cannot be seen (at least in the pictures). This will certainly go to a collector and be kept as the time-machine it is!

Comments

  1. Avatar Dean

    Had it listed on CL at one time. Seems there was also a Superbird.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Gary

    Why in the world would you risk blowing a tire and being in a bad accident on a car that is this valuable. Put some new tires on the car, for goodness sake.

    Other than that…………….WOW is right.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Buick Fan

      No need, too valuable to drive…

      Like 0
  3. Avatar Jim

    Love these cars and I’m a big muscle car fan/collector but I just don’t see the price point. Then again, I don’t see the price point of many over priced relics.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Christopher Lochner

    “Hey Santa, hey Santaaa.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Mark

    This car has been missing something for a very long time. Driving! Let me be the first to volunteer!

    Like 0
    • Avatar Andrew Tanner Member

      I would also like to volunteer!

      Like 0
  6. Avatar mike

    Back in the day, my uncle had one. Plum Crazy Purple, with a white rag top. Hemi and an auto… I wonder where that is now…

    Like 0
    • Avatar Ed

      Mike
      Now that would be a ride worth half mil if your uncles car survived!

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Dodge boy

    My ultimate favorite of ALL vehicles!!!!! Right down to the colr. Only in my dreams.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Adam

    This guy is purely a flipper looking to take someone to the bank… he bought it at Mecum for $260k a year or so ago and he’s even using Mecum’s photos… caveot emptor

    Like 0
    • Avatar Steven

      Yeah as this owner should have used his own pics..

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Rock On Member

    @Gary- the seller doesn’t have to worry about blowing a tire, because he never drives the car. For some people cars are just a way to make 💰 money 💵.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar dirtyharry

    Why don’t the Chrysler folks, just produce 20,000 more, for those of us who never got to enjoy these at some rational price? I know this, I wouldn’t be happy just looking at it. I want to burn out and bang it through the gears. How about the rest of you? Would you pay for a new 1970? I would.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Steve R

      They do, it’s called a Hellcat. If you don’t want one of those try the SRT8 with the 6.4L and a manual transmission.

      Steve R

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      • Avatar Hagarcobra

        You are exactly right Steve.I used to be long to a challenger forum and they complained incessantly about the lack of a high horsepower Challenger to compete with a GT500.. Then the Hellcat comes along and you wonder how many of those whiners actually went out and bought one .I would say not many.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Steve R

        You are probably right. I do know a couple of guys with them, they are older and have other muscle cars, so at least some put their money where their mouth is.

        There are also a lot of younger guys buying them. Every Wednesday night race at the local track you typically see three or four Hellcats, most owned by guys under 40. Give them credit, the Hellcats and late model Challengers and Chargers outnumber late model Fords and Chevrolets combined.

        Steve R

        Like 0
      • Avatar SRT8

        I have a ’16 Scat Pack with the 6.4 and back in the day a ’70 six pack Super Bee. The Scat Pack has so much better performance and driveability that short of nostaglia I wouldn’t trade now. While it may sound crazy I want a car that I can drive whenever I want without fear of something bad happening. I also want something that I can jump in and drive cross country and get 21mpg.

        Like 0
      • Avatar SRT8

        I also had a ’70 R/T SE Challenger before the Bee but honestly as I am now on my 3rd SRT powered Mopar I would never go back. I no longer incessantly fret over it, I have fun in my modern one and I have no desire for a “trophy”.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Mark

        I work at a CJDR dealer. The trend now is to get an SRT8 and throw a supercharger on it. Guys 40+ old are doing it. 750+ horse at the wheels. I look forward to rebuilding their drivetrain soon.

        Like 0
  11. Avatar Mark Sherrill

    Beautiful car! I have a friend who owns one, but two unfortunate points: The hemi was sold out of the car before he bought it, and …we rolled it. I was in the front passenger seat. I think it’s definitely worth restoring.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar DR Member

    This car is well known in the Mopar world among Cuda aficianados. It is neither a survivor nor a low-mileage original. It is a resurrected race car that was hacked to bits for the quarter mile, and reassembled/restored recently using other cars. The narrative is pure fantasy. Stay. Away.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jim in Alabama

      I was just going to comment that there were parts that were “too perfect” The nice shiny pretty front suspension does not match the condition of the rest of the car. I would agree 100% that this car is a frankenstein and if you know where all of the hidden VIN’s were you could prove it easily.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Joe

      I am interested where i can find info on your statement. I dislike fraud and half truths. Seems to be a craze going on over muscle cars prices. Thanks.

      Like 0
      • Avatar DR Member

        My apologies, I confused it with this car which is also NO survivor:

        https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0515-214457/

        However, the ride height on this car featured above on Barn Finds – and the obviously touched up engine compartment and front suspension – tells me this car is no survivor.

        Like 0
    • Avatar Andrew Tanner Member

      Hmm, if that is true that would explain a lot!

      Like 0
  13. Avatar angliagt Member

    You mean that there are owners who ACTUALLY
    drive their older Musclecars?

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jack Anderson

      Yes, I drive my 71 Mustang Mach 1 429 SCJ Drag-Pack car. It’s a survivor 37K miles. mind you I ain’t going cross country in this car, it wasn’t made for that. It was made to go real fast between red lights, and for that it is a lot of fun.

      I will also say, that anyone whose driven a big block 4-speed w/ a 410 or 411 rear end will tell you that they couldn’t image logging over 100K miles in that car. It just isn’t made for long trips or extended driving over interstates, so it is entirely plausible that some of these cars are in fact low mileage survivors. The BF here might not be, but they are out there.

      At some point you’ll see my 71 Mach 1 listed on ebay. I’m ready to find a hemi Challenger/Charger/Cuda. Love these old muscle cars.

      To that point, yes I love driving my 650 horsepower BMW, the performance is outstanding, the ride and handling beautiful, but it’s a different experience, too me, to strap up in a old original muscle car, the nostalgia the absence of technology, just raw power.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Troy s

        That is one awesome mustang! How many super cobra jet 429’s did Ford actually build? That engine was an absolute animal!

        Like 0
  14. Avatar LAWRENCE

    Yep….it’s been around….funny it didn’t come with the rally dash – tach…..

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Michael thomas

    seems like not that long ago that all the talk was which hemi cuda car was going to break a million at auction. I though t a couple did. I think this is a lot of money for the car but I think someone who has it will be glad in 5-8 years that they bought it so cheap

    Like 0
  16. Avatar John D

    I believe a European Spec Hemi Cuda convertible was bid over the million $ mark a while ago.

    As mentioned above about Chrysler building 20,000 more, I submit they should follow Ford’s lead and produce them in kit form as bodies in white. Then you could build it as you want.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Steve R

      Do you mean the Ford motorsports late model body’s that are intended for racing and can’t be registered for street use? Unless you need a factory Cobra Jet car it would be cheaper and easier to start with a salvaged 6cyl car.

      Is Ford selling body’s for early cars? I haven’t seen or heard anything about that.

      Steve R

      Like 0
      • Avatar John D

        It is my understanding they have a 32 coupe, a 40 coupe, and a 68 Mustang Fastback. Sheet metal assembled and I think it is through the parts division. Maybe they were tired of seeing other people get their design work sold.

        Overhauling just did a show of a Mustang built for Marcus Luttrell, the Navy Seal whose survival story was made into the movie Lone Survivor.

        Like 0
      • Avatar John D

        I didn’t remember correctly. These are aftermarket bodies, but not just the ones I mentioned are available, there are more.

        https://www.hotrodhotline.com/steel-reproduction-bodies#.Wj3l59_tzIU

        Like 0
    • Avatar Chris

      French export Hemi Cuda white with a black top went for several million at auction a few years ago. Several Hemi cars have gone for in the Millions.

      Like 0
  17. Avatar Troy s

    It would be more interesting to me if they’d left it a drag car so we could all see it actually blasting down the drag strip, where this combination belonged, as opposed to hearing about thousands and thousands of dollars changing hands so this menace of a Mopar can be stashed away in some rich cat’s collection and never seen again. That kinda gets really boring after a while.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Mina

      Right on. I love old race cars with patina and a real story. I love “famous” race cars but I think I may love the local / regional race cars best. They’re out here, just waiting for a chance to race again.

      Like 0
  18. Avatar dyno dan

    this is becoming barrett Jackson barn finds.
    so sad…..

    Like 0
  19. Avatar David

    1970 HEMI CUDA my Dream Car, but not at $499K basically 1/2 Million Dollars that to me is way off maybe $250k. That Convertible that broke a Million Dollars was at a Barrett Jackson Auction it was 1 of 10 Convertibles made that year and it was a 1 of 1 Color Orange if I’m not mistaken. I use to live in Downey California growing up we has Ralph Williams Chrysler Plymouth down the street from us they had Cuda’s Roadrunner’s and Superbirds another of my all time favorites..
    MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
    Please everyone, be safe and don’t drink and drive!

    Like 0
  20. Avatar Henryfrederick

    I’m currently building myself a phantasm 71 cuda. I started with a basket case 71 barracuda gran coupe 318, 3spd. Stick. Now a 440_6 barrel 4spd. Ever see the movie? In part 3 a real 70 hemicuda conv. Was used.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Wheelman

      Yeah I seen that movie they even gave the car 3rd or 4th place billing in the cast of characters credits at the end of the movie.

      Like 0
  21. Avatar Crazyhawk

    Don’t care how much they want or who’s trying to flip it. It doesn’t change the fact that this ‘Cuda is incredible and looks so beautiful compared to the “pregnant” looking new style Challengers. I can’t afford it, but can certainly appreciate it…

    Like 0
  22. Avatar Fiete T.

    Calling a Dodge or Chrysler these days a “Mopar,” is a laugh. They are FIAT’s…think I’m full of S?
    Open the “Mopar Performance” book and you can see FIAT pimping Abarth parts along with Challenger pieces.
    Yay for legendary Mopar heritage, yuck, yuck…
    Even funnier? Jeep being called an iconic American brand. Been foreign-owned since ’97

    Like 0
    • Avatar Henryfrederick

      Well said piete t. I 2nd the motion.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Chris

      You are dead wrong. It is a Mopar designed in Detroit built in Brampton Ontario it has true Mopar heritage. Chrysler saved Fiat not the other way around. Chrysler is the one that had all the innovation Heritage and product line up Fiat brought nothing to the table. Please educate yourself.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Mike H.

        Fiat brought money to the table, which is why the Fed forced them into that shotgun marriage. Fiat completely saved Chrysler after the bailout as the Fed was prepared to cut them loose and wouldn’t agree to the bailout without a strong foreign partner.

        More to the point: Fiat S.p.A. paid more than $5.6 billion to acquire the full ownership of Chrysler Group LLC, now renamed FCA US LLC.

        In detail, Fiat paid: $1.268 billion for an incremental equity call option, to acquire 16% of Chrysler; $500 million for the 6% formerly owned by the U.S. Treasury; $125 million to acquire the 1.5% formerly owned by the Canadian governments; $75 million to purchase the rights under an equity recapture agreement; and $3.65 billion to purchase the final 41.5% of equity interests in Chrysler Group that had been held by the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, also known as the VEBA.

        So I’m lost as to how Chrysler saved Fiat, Chris. Please educate yourself.

        Like 0
  23. Avatar ccrvtt

    It’s a Hemi Cuda, for the most part. Weren’t these rumored to be able to lift the front wheels right off the assembly line?

    For that much money the buyer should be hiring Galen Govier himself to verify it.

    Parts is parts. I still want it.

    Like 0
    • Avatar DR Member

      No. Showroom stock Hemi Cudas could not lift the front wheels – unless you put it on jackstands :)

      Like 0
    • Avatar Troy s

      I believe you are thinking of the race only super stock hemi cudas and darts of ’68, BIG difference in horsepower, and those will absolutely pull the front tires off the ground, very high in the air for that matter.☝

      Like 0
  24. Avatar ClassicCarFan

    @chris
    Sorry, you’re very wrong. You really need to go and read up a bit more about the recent history.

    Chrysler were in Chapter 11 bankruptcy by 2009. Fiat were a healthy multi-billion dollar company. Fiat agreed to acquire a 35 percent interest in Chrysler for… nothing. Chrysler at the time were in shared ownership between the US government, Canadian government and the UAW. The only alternative for Chrysler at that point if Fiat had not stepped in (there was no other buyer who wanted to take them on) was moving to Chapter 7 bankruptcy where the company would be shut down and broken up to be sold off in pieces. Fiat gradually took on additional stakes over time, and in 2014 Fiat completed the acquisition of the remaining 41.5% from the United Auto Workers, making Chrysler Group a wholly owned subsidiary.

    To say “Chrysler saved Fiat” is delusional. I love the old Mopars from the glory years, and it is accompany with a proud history – but I don’t fool myself about how it all ended up.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Henryfrederick

      Thank you for the correction on the fiat, Chrysler deal guys. I will try to do my homework better next time. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. Happy Holliday’s.

      Like 0
  25. Avatar dyno dan

    a fiat by any other name is still a fiat.

    Like 0
  26. Avatar Rob79Malibu

    take my money and my wife to pay for it! please take it all! i want it! just leave one of my kids so i can afford new tires!!!!!!
    bwuhahahahahahahaha!

    Like 0
  27. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Take that flipper!

    Ended: Dec 23, 2017 , 5:05PM
    Starting bid:US $350,000.00
    [ 0 bids ]

    Like 0
    • Avatar phil

      the market has spoken

      Like 0

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