The signage on the rear window of this 1970 Plymouth Barracuda says “the lowest mileage Hemi ‘Cuda on the planet. Period.” And given the history of the car and the documentation the seller says exists; it could very well be true. After all, there were only 652 Hemi ‘Cudas built in 1970 and just 368 came with an automatic, like this one. Located in Jackson, Mississippi, the car will be auctioned off starting June 2, 2021 here on sonicbidder.com, although our reader, Boot, found the car on Hemmings. How high will the bidding go on this gem?
Plymouth gave the Barracuda a new platform in 1970, ditching its six-year heritage with the Valiant. That E-body platform would be shared with the new Dodge Challenger, although no sheet metal would be common between the two cars. The changes were a success right out the gate, with sales increasing by nearly 50% to 48,867 units for the year. Of that total, only a few hundred ‘Cudas, the performance edition, were built with the super-powerful 426 cubic inch Hemi V8 engine that produced nearly one horsepower per cube. Based on the paperwork that is said to come with the car, it was one of the last built this way in May 1970.
As the story goes, the car was special ordered by a gentleman from West Virginia. It apparently was a bucket list kind of purchase and was dubbed “True Grit” (perhaps after the John Wayne movie of the same name that was out about that time). The owner’s goal was to race it at the drag strip, so it was modified for that purpose, but all the original parts and components were saved. The car would see about 30 passes at the local tracks, clocking times in the 10-second range. Unfortunately, that would be the end of the car’s racing career as the owner passed away unexpectedly. The car stayed in the family until 1977, when it and all its parts were sold. The buyer brought everything back up to stock specifications with just 42 miles on the odometer.
Today, the same odometer reads 86 miles, the difference from being moved around over the past few decades. With this level of mileage, the seller believes the car is the lowest-mileage example of its kind. It’s never been restored, still wearing its original Tor Red paint (always looked like orange to me) with a pristine black vinyl interior. Documentation that comes with the car includes its broadcast sheet when it was built five decades ago. Everything is numbers-matching, so it literally seems to be the way it rolled off the assembly line.
The 426 Hemi engine is flanked by a 727 TorqueFlite automatic and twin 4-barrel carburetors. The car has the appearance of a sleeper with its matching painted steel wheels and “dog dish” hubcaps. The SonicBuilder listing erroneously says it’s a 1971 model, but it’s a ’70. There is no actual mention of how well the car runs, but we assume it’s a terror waiting to be unleashed. If its brief racing career did no harm. If you Google the name of the dealer that first sold the auto (Shreves Plymouth-Dodge), you’ll get a page full of article links about the ‘Cuda going back at least three years. So apparently the latest auction is not the first attempt to sell the car. What’s your prediction of how high the bidding will go on what is essentially a new 51-year-old car?
It’s been up for sale before…..not sure what it will take to make it yours.
I have seen this car before,in another article.it went up for auction ,and I think it sold for over 1,000,000.00.
I am usually a low mileage denier on most 5 digit odometer cars, because they usually have a 1 or 2 in front of them, and the shifty seller is trying to sell it as original mileage. This one though, judging from the wealth of pictures, I believe is the real deal! My only question would be the rusted through muffler, which seems odd to me. The rest of the undercarriage rust appears to be surface, and very well could be from sitting for so long in less than perfect conditions. I honestly have no clue what this will sell for, but I am anxious to read what the expert (Moparman) has to say about it..
While I appreciate your awarding me “Expert” status, I’m just an ordinary guy who grew up during the heyday of these cars! As far as the muffler is concerned, it’s possible that the car has never been run long enough to evaporate the moisture out of the exhaust system, thus leading to a rust out. Hemming’s currently has a 1970 Hemi Cuda all matching numbers/completely restored car for sale w/ 345 miles, @$290K: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/plymouth/hemi-cuda/2120457.html It’s optioned a little higher than this one though. As to how much this one will go for, this is well out of my league! There is a current listing on this car for sale @ $1.2 million! A few years ago, a Hemi Cuda convertible sold for $3.5 million! So, just like you, I’m awaiting the result as well! :-)
The Mecum auction people have a Hemi-Cuda convertible that was a France delivery. Now it’s home and they expect this car to bring between 6 and 6.5 MILLION dollars. You can look it up. After reading the price, I fell off the couch ! !
I have pictures of his car if you would like to see them i know everything about her
Muscle car market has significantly cooled since it peaked in the mid to late 00’s. The cars at the tippy top like the Hemi Cuda Convertibles, Original 289/427 Cobras and ‘69 ZL1 Canaros might be exceptions. I would be shocked if this goes for more than 400k.
It’s a plausible possibility that the owner started it several times over the years and allowed it to run. This would have kept the motor freed up and allowed the valve-train to be re-positioned occasionally and just prevent rust and corrosion from accumulating on sedentary parts. By letting it run in the driveway it would have received some benefit, but this idling would have been much like those short trips that never get the exhaust hot enough to remove all the condensation from the muffler. The acidic water would accelerate rusting of the muffler, but no clicks added to the odometer
This was a drag car and . It ran out of West Virginia named true grit i have the pics
We owned this car and if you wanna know the history feel free to call me 304-208-3704 we are the Chapman’s from ona Wv had her several years before someone restored it
Truly incredible that the mileage has been kept down, especially after it was retired from racing and then the owners passing.
Regardless, the question now is….even if one could afford it, outside of putting it in a museum (where it really belongs as restored) what would one do with it other than to trailer it around and sit in a lawn chair behind it in 90 degree heat? To each his own, but I would have kept it and with little changes kept putting mileage on it a 1/4 at a time.
A Boss 429, Hemi Mopars, a Charger Daytona, big-dollar Camaros and Firebirds…. please don’t follow Bring-a-Trailer down the path to the unobtainable. That site used to be fun, but now it’s just a place for the country club set to wield their checkbooks. What makes this site great is that the featured cars are affordable by many ordinary folks. Don’t change that.
Moparman the guy who bought that hemi vida convertible lives in the same town as I do. I would see it in front of his office once in awhile, I was driving it to work!
I have been matching the market on these cars for a few years and they aren’t bringing what they did 15 or 20 years ago. I believe some of the new cars like the hellcat are bringing the price down of these cars. Now the E body hemi convertibles are still bringing big money but they only made a handful.
Plymouth – Tor Red
Dodge – Hemi Orange
From what I understand, it’s the same color.
If I had the money and bought this car I would have Mark Worman build a replica of so that I would whip the sh#$ out of it and make a bigger ass out of myself.
Back around 1982 or 1983, a local Mopar collector picked up a Tor Red 71 Hemi Cuda convertible, loaded with just about every option, in a trade for a new at the time Corvette. When he brought it to the local Mopar show we all just couldn’t believe he traded a Corvette for it. We all thought he was nuts. Turns out we were the nuts as it’s now valued at $3.5 million.
What was a new Vette in ‘82 going for? I imagine a decently equipped one would’ve approached $20k. Back in summer (either Jul or Aug) 1988 I recall a collector in Colorado purchasing a ‘70 Hemi Cuda Convertible for a (then) record of $60,000. He sold it barely over a year later for almost $200k and I believe it sold again in the 90s for $350k and more recently at auction for $2M to $2.5M. There was also a ‘71 offered in Hemmings August ‘86 for $40k, and I remember thinking how astronomical of a figure that was, this was a new 7 series BMW at the time!
So that would’ve been like $20k for a new 82 Vette with some options?
August ‘86 Hemmings had another ‘71 advertised for $40k, which was a new Porsche 911 at the time, and I remember a collector in Colorado paying $60k for a ‘70 convertible back in Jul/Aug ‘88. I believe he sold it a year later for almost $200k and it sold more recently at auction for $2 to 2.5 M
Mopar dude, appreciate your comments and input. Was always a MOPAR guy also. This one is like the holy grail if an auto trans is ok to the owner.
Just a truly beautiful Elephant here.
Even if I could own it, the temptation to drive it would be too much to bear. Then again, we have nobody to leave an estate to so maybe not to worry about putting miles on?
The only car I ever wanted more than my 69 Super Bee.
I wonder how much it sold for in 1977
Given the mileage, probably around $7k back in 77, and he likely was getting ragged on by his buddies for paying that much! Typical Hemi Cudas in the mid to late 70s were around 3500 to 4K.
If the original owner/racer was in the tens in the quarter mile with this he was close to Pro Stock numbers, modified production maybe? The modifications to get it there interest me a bunch. As it sits right now,,ahhh, what are you going to do with it? Nada.
Nice machine but non- driver status.
Im going to take flack for this but I’d drive it. Cars deserve to be driven. I don’t buy them for resale purposes. If I buy them its cause I want it and to enjoy them for what they are. Doesnt matter what “its worth” because not long from now they wont be worth much. Im going to enjoy them while we still can. There is no fun in trailer queens! I know some people that are afraid to drive their cars because what if it gets a stone chip, or a scratch or they get nervous cause somebody is standing “too close” to their car. Thats sounds just aweful to have to deal with, why own it at all if all it creates is nervous tention?!? Why spend all the money to purchase or restore just to have it sit? That doesn’t make sense to me, just wasted money at that point. Uncage this elephant!!!
The downside with an 86 mile car is you are paying a huge premium for the low miles – so it is relegated to being a display piece trailered around to shows when not stored. It will likely wind up in some rich collector’s warehouse as an investment piece.
Everyone must be rich to afford any classic car these days. After raising 6 children and never having stayed in the market, now retired,there is no hope to get back in. Bought my first car when I was 17, 68 Firebird, then 69 Z-28 followed by a 65 Stingray coupe. Next was a 66 BB coupe, then 64 roadster and 70 Roadster. All 4 speed cars. Add 9 more Camaro’s, 3, 69’s, including a Z11 pace Car, 72, 73, 74 and my last which I sold to clear my debt prior to retirement, a 2002 35th anniversary Camaro SS 6 speed Co andvertible with only 27,000 miles on it. Had it one summer only. Miss them all. Just photos and many fond memories. Everyone should be enjoying driving these things as our days of getting together at big meets will soon be a thing of the past with the EV rollout and “The Great Reset”. Who would have ever thought that “The Last chase”with Lee Majors would become a true life event for us all!!! You can’t drive them without fuel fella’s!
I would think this would be worth a lot more money if NOTHING WAS EVER MODIFED. I bet no such cuda or chally exists like THAT with such low mileage.
we had a lot of fun with this car when we had it I wish we would have restored it The name on the side of the car was true grit and we bought it off of man around Ripley West Virginia
The ad says un-restored, original paint. Car was named True Grit. IF this scar has had NO paint work done and it is TOTALLY original, I could see a million dollar car. A low or no mileage car like this, with SOME paint work or SOME restoration work done on it is just another restored or semi restored car. Much different than an original un-restored car with same mileage. Just my opinion. But then again, it would cost a least $100,000.00 or $150,000.00 to build a correct ”fake” car (ie clone, tribute) like this. So………
They even swelled out the quarter panels to fit wider tires on it so it’s had a lot of work done to it true story i have pics when e owed it
If Elon Musk bought it for 6,000,000 it would literally be the equivalent of you/me buying a fancy coffee at Starbucks. Then one could embarrass him and his 6,000,000 Cuda in the quarter with a 40,000 Tesla. That’d show him!!
Starbucks & Dunkin are now closing stores. Fisker electric – RIP.
20% of electric car owners are switching back to gasoline cars cause they can’t find recharging stations. Recycling of electric car batteries is about as successful as it is/was for plastics.
Not everybody wants to be a racer. The 1970 barracuda had a base price of $2,765 and the convertible listed for $3,035.
After adjusting for inflation, you could buy 2 for the price of 1 Tesla.
I could look in awe at the styling of the Cuda all day long/day after day. But i couldn’t care less about the “styling” of virtually ANY “car” today.
Back in the day it would be even MORE embarrassing for a single person to be seen driving A N Y (especially dad’s or grandpa’s lol) 4 door, considering the bewildering # & VARIETY of great styled lower roof 2 doors to choose from – new(affordable stripper) & dirt cheap used(try finding those today).
I STILL can’t believe there isn’t even ONE 2 door suv or crossover that you can buy, let alone an affordable stripper one. & i bet Dodge could tool up a 2 door charger(& subaru could tool up a 2 door WRX – tho they would have to lower the roof) in probably less than a week, but they won’t – ever.
If all single people stop buying 4 door vehicles & complain to the makers, the latter will start making 2 doors again.
Even many younger families back in the day preferred the more stylish 2 doors, providing they didn’t have more than 2 or 3 kids.
I bet a new Chevelle would sell even better than the very old “modern” 2000s Chally.
Imagine a parking lot full of Tesla’s & trying to find yours when you are done shopping – especially with the few(say 5) colors avail, compared to 15 or even 20 colors & countless body styles avail back in the day!
What happened to the 2 door electric cars you USED to be able to buy? Total disregard & insult to single people – today.
If Elon Musk bought it for 6,000,000 it would literally be the equivalent of you or me buying a small coffee at 7-11. Then you could embarrass him in the quarter with a 40,000 Tesla. That’d show him!
Do it twice and really show him