There have been numerous cars from every automaker that enthusiasts have deemed legendary examples for a variety of reasons, and Mopar sure has its share that’s earned this badge. But a few cars in particular that seem to be in the upper-upper echelon of what Chrysler collectors’ dreams are made of include the Rapid Transit System Caravan customs that toured the country back in the early seventies, wildly showcasing what the Plymouth RTS and Dodge Scat Pack were all about. Some of these cars surfaced a while ago, but the one that remained most elusive is this ’70 Plymouth Cuda, but that’s all changed as it’s recently resurfaced and getting ready to cross the auction block next month. Make your plans for a trip to Indianapolis in May to see this beauty in person, or sit back and check out the E-Body here on the Mecum website if you just want to drool like I’m doing.
Mitchell G. spotted this rarity and sent it our way, and we’d like to thank him for the tip! The Rapid Transit Tour traveled to different Chrysler dealers and featured customized cars for potential muscle car buyers to admire during the roadshows in 1970 and ’71. A few of these automobiles found their way into the hands of Mopar lover Steve Juliano, who purchased them one by one. Sadly, Steve passed away in 2018 and his autos were auctioned off.
In any great car collecting story, there’s always the one that got away, and I’m sure Steve would be chomping at the bit to add this missing puzzle piece to the collection if he were still living. The elusive car is this 1970 Cuda, which is said to have been hidden away from the public eye for nearly the last half-century, apparently in a garage somewhere in the Detroit suburban area. It’s a bit challenging for me to try and wrap my head around the kind of money this car could exchange hands for!
Hot Wheels toy designer Harold Bradley came up with the body concept, which was then actually created by Chuck Miller, who can be seen talking about the RTS Cuda in this YouTube video from the Auto Archaeology channel. It’s nearly 40 minutes long but well worth checking out. The custom metal work appears about as good today as it did over 50 years ago, with the paint not quite perfect but looking far better than one would expect considering its age.
The Cuda has traveled less than 1000 miles since new, and in spite of the low mileage the 440 6-Barrel isn’t presently running, but it’s still under the hood and things in the engine compartment look to be in reasonably decent order considering how long the car has been off the road. The transmission is a 727 TorqueFlite automatic with no mention of its condition, but even if a complete drivetrain rebuild is needed to get this one going again it seems like a great investment for such a rare Mopar.
With all the attention given to the outside, almost everything inside appears to be stock, with a set of under-the-dash gauges being an obvious add-on. The condition seems to be surprisingly good and untampered with, and even the factory radio is still intact. Truth be known, there are several cars I would consider my dream Cudas, and with the unearthing of this one now there’s another. I’m eager to hear any reader speculation about where this car may tip the auction scales. Is anybody planning to attend the Mecum auction in Indianapolis next month, and perhaps make a bid on this or any of the other offerings?
Could you imagine dropping by that (suburban) house to deliver a package and see that thing in the garage? Stunning.
I stepped out of my front door one Sunday morning in the late 90s to find THE Tasca Super Boss ’69 Mustang in my driveway. It had exactly the effect I think you’re talking about. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
How can you drop a tidbit like that and then not tell us the rest of the story? Now, why was that Super Boss Mustang in your driveway????
Sorry about that. How it happened is not all that interesting. A Ford collector named Brent Hajek who lived in a nearby town acquired the Tasca mustang and was about to send it off for a restoration, as I understand. The brakes on the car needed attention, so Brent asked one of my Ford fan street racing buddies to do a brake job on it, which he did. My house happened to be on the way back to Brents, so my buddy, who was literally driving the car the thirty miles back to Brent’s place stopped by to rub it in my face. Lol.
As far as I know, Brent still owns the car and keeps it in the old Ames, Oklahoma high school which he turned into a museum for all his stuff. Google up Hajek Motorsports Museum. Brent’s story of wheat farmer turned Ford collecting icon is pretty amazing. I drove by his house once when he had two Thunderbolts, The Gas Rhonda mustang, the Daddy Warbucks mustang, and another car parked in his front yard taking pictures of them. The other car might have been Dyno Don Nicholson’s station wagon, but I’m not sure about that.
While I do not know Brent Hajak personally I am well aware of who he is and his Ford collection.
It was locked in the garage. You wouldn’t have been able to see it!!!
It looks really rough for only having 967 miles on the clock. Lots of paint dings and scratches, not to mention the passenger side looks pretty wavy. The engine bay also looks like it’s been through some stuff, like overheating, and a leaking rusty radiator.
There’s so much provenance, but so many questions on why the condition looks so bad for a 1 of 4 that has supposedly been garaged for half a century. Still, I’d love to have it! :)
Not sure if it’s the case here, but I worked at the auto show in Philly for a couple years detailing cars when I was in college. The cars get pretty banged up being loaded in and out, people around them, etc. the upside was I got to sit in the Pontiac Banshee!
I’m surprised they didn’t get it running. Would love to see it rumble onto the auction stand under its own power.
Agreed and the left front wheel is a steel one
It doesn’t make any sense that they didn’t reinstall the original Cragar (which they have), the tire leaked air, but they could just put a tube in it and I’m sure it would work just fine. For a 6 figure presentation it should get more respect. The video below tells the story in a lot more detail. What a find!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FF8044pKtY
Steve found the Duster abandoned in a parking garage years ago so these didnt really lead sheltered lives.
The car was parked in a garage and not stored properly. The only saving grace is was it was parked inside.
“Traveled less than 1000 miles”…1/4 mile at a time with the skinny pedal mashed
Eh, not so much in this case.
I never guessed this would be a v-code car. I always assumed it would have been an original hemi. Personally, I’d prefer the 6 bubble, for what that’s worth.
I wonder what happened to the LF wheel.
If you go to the Mecum site the last picture shows the wheel on the ground with no tire on it. Still does not explain why Seller would not take the time to find a tire comparable to the other side and put that back on the car before advertising it in a high profile auction.
I am a big fan of the whole “as found” thing, but a picture would more than suffice to show what the temporary wheel/tire stuck on it looked like when it was “found”. The car should have been put back on its proper rolling stock for the auction pics, or at least before it crosses the auction block, IMO.
Interesting that it looks like it began life as a red car, and the customizer just nuked the trunk and under the hood with flat black, apparently without really preparing the red paint to have the black adhere very good. But I guess no one expected back then that the car would even be in existence for more than a couple years. Amazing that the entire fleet of those RTS cars survived.
Its all about the outside and interior, like the 50’s customs. No one cared about the underhood areas for the most part.
Useless for anything but a show car (and it is looking a little long in the tooth there as well). E Bodies in six or small block form were a fairly well balanced, reasonable all around car. Add in a front heavy big block, too much HP, and the silly over sized tires, and it will not handle at all. Plus the added fiberglass is going to make it useless in a parking lot or near any curb. Okay, the grumpy old man is finished typing (for now), need to get my diapers changed and it is nap time.
Description says all the body mods were done in steel, no glass involved.
I had a 73 Cuda that we dropped a 440 into backed with a 4 speed. 18 year old me didn’t realize that a 73 didn’t have front springs capable for a big block. Also had Cragars and big meats on the back, so shackles. The car was basically on a 45 degree angle to the ground. I drove with the high beams on for a while until we beefed up the front springs. Then it had the gasser look. Also header mufflers. What was I thinking?
I would like to know how you ” beefed up the front springs ” on a car with torsion bars???
How did you do that with torsion bars?
Why didn’t you just jack up the torsion bars my 73 didn’t have coil springs
Yeah Grant, you need a nappy time. You have apparently never driven a Hemi Cuda or Challenger. You want handling, buy a T/A or a AAR.Or you could be like a guy I worked with, 50 years old and likes 6 cylinder 40-50’s Chevys. Why? Strap some horsepower on your ass
He comments the same thing on every v8 Plymouth or Dodge ; apparently , his Crosley was enveloped in tire smoke at a traffic light from a Super Bee years ago and he’s had a hatred for v8 Mopars ever since
steven juliano (r.i.p) aquired most of the rts cars.i was fortunate enough to be involved in the restoration of 13 projects for steven includind a little bit on the rts duster and full body and paint on the rts dart to name 2.steven was a great customer and friend.it was my pleasure to be involved with his projects and to call him my friend.
I sort of remember reading that steven found this car but the owner wouldn’t sell. That would of been in Mopar Collector Guide, is that magazine still in print? been years since I have seen it
Tim, yes, MCG is still in print. Been subscribing to it for years.
Boy howdy, there’s a saying I haven’t heard in ages,,,”The Rapid Transit System”. Just another in the long line of corny automotive gimmicks to sell cars in the 70s. During that particular time, car companies knew their clientele was changing. Each one trying their best to out do the others cleverness with catchy sayings and gee-gaws. Like the word “Shaker” under the hood. It reminds the owner it has that everytime they added oil. Old people were too set in their ways for any real profit. The young spoiled brats OF those older people,,,boss, there’s our target audience. If they didn’t kill themselves, at least they will kill the cars, needing replacement. I think Chrysler was the absolute corniest, with “Dodge Boys” ( who do you think THAT was aimed at?) mod tops,( hippies) and motors that could pull a reefer trailer( I believe, the 440/6 was faster than the hemi) and it sold cars, until the feds pulled the plug on that.
Enough history, while I like the car featured, but seeing what these fools allegedly pay for a stock 440/6 ‘Cuda, this car is barking up the wrong tree. With a limited following as is, someone will probably turn it back into a stock ‘Cuda, and that’s a darn shame.
Between this E body and the other legendary E body crossing the block at Mecum in Indianapolis, should make for not only extremely entertaining viewing but also two record breaking sales. (The other E body being the “Black Ghost” challenger that has toured with Mecum all season so far. I got to be two feet away from that challenger at the world of wheels in Rosemont IL. And, I gotta tell ya… As rough as it might be, it’s only original once. And as a survivor, it’s glorious. I’d say between the two cars they’ll bring about 6 mil. But, we shall see now, won’t we?
I never seen this before in any major car shows back in the 70’s. I noticed the fender tag is not normal. This really was a Chrysler show car that I was told. Most factory show cars where destroyed. The fender tag is missing so much information. It’s definitely a wild looking Cuda. I guessing the right people who really want this may go for $1.2 million. The 70 Road Runner rapid Transit show car I seen that before. This should be interesting. 🐻🇺🇸
Does this have headlights? Today, you could squeeze in LED type ones & maybe Dodge should have made similar changes to the Chally 5 yrs ago!
I wana know what happened to these 2 cars! …
https://www.carstyling.ru/ru/car/1970_chrysler_cordoba_de_oro/
&
https://www.carstyling.ru/resources/concept/1964_GM_Firebird-IV_Concept_07.jpg
If you take the time to actually read the article on the Mecum page you would know that it does have headlights. It has Cibie lights mounted in behind the grille. In some of the straight on front photos you can see the lights in there.
Who cares about the firebird i wanna know what happened to the girl leaning on it 😁😁
Wow, my heart skipped a beat when the photo first appeared on BF. It is amazing to me the pull of a muscle car back in the day. The Rapid Transit posters were up on my wall for many years. No modern car has come anywhere close to the hype bestowed on them back then. Glad to see it survived. Its going to be expensive…
The lime green Duster is currently in The Brothers collection in Salem, OR.
I wonder if they’ll add this one to their already mind-blowing collection!
The aero on that car is awful. The front lift will be extreme
It would be worse than a C2 Corvette which wanted to become an airplane above 120 MPH
Mecum… And the bid goes on!
Reserve auctions, arghhhhh.
I remember that front end – I had a model of this!
Maybe it’s just me, but the rear tires sticking out beyond the body just doesn’t do anything for the overall look. Tuck them in or fabricate tasteful flares.
Steve that was the style back then before narrowed rear ends once the pro street look started everybody started tucking them in.
I think its got WAY more than 1000 miles on it.
Look at how the paint had been chipped off the front sides of the front fender rock guards.
Paint is chipped off and peeling in the trunk.
Paint peeling off the original red paint under the hood.
Looks like pretty sloppy customization job to me , done quickly, minimal prep work
This would have been the King during the drive-in cruisers of the day. Two laps around the In-N-Out Urge, er, uh, Burger place and every girl in the place would have been your friend. Those were the days that cemented our places as true car nuts.
I would love to have this car I would make it a safe reliable driver and drive the crap out of it
I would THINK you would get pulled over even these days driving such a car like this w/o headlites or front blinkers. You might have to remove that front grill extension & add stock headlites. Or somehow fit, say, the teenie tiny 1993-1997 camaro headlites in that small front opening.
Where there’s a safety inspection, like in NY state, they might flunk you for those things missing. Does any other state require one to inspect a classic car yearly? What a PITA, espec if u put < 150 miles a YEAR on such a car!
Not to mention the expense if the inspector always "finds something else wrong" with the car each year. lol
Also, back in the day, some states would ticket you for tires sticking out beyond the fenders.
Ooops sorry it does have cibie headlites, tho THEY may have been illegal in 1970 – in some states. Not sure about today.
Here in PA if you register your car as a Classic or Antique the car is exempt from the annual state inspection process. And here in PA back in the day, and even still today, you can get a ticket for the tires extending out beyond the fender line.
I have always loved this Rapid Transit System ad and remember seeing it in my Dad’s Car & Driver mags back in the day.
I wonder how many Sport Fury GTs were sold with a 440 6 barrel.