It appears that this 1971 Plymouth ‘Cuda 340 Convertible has led a very sheltered life. It presents superbly and has spent an extended period on display in a showroom. With Plymouth only producing 374 examples of the ‘Cuda Convertible in the 1971 model year, spotless examples will always generate interest when they hit the market. This particular car has already received 27 bids since the owner listed it for sale here on eBay. It is located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and while the bidding has reached $90,200, the reserve hasn’t been met.
This ‘Cuda is a striking car, and the High Impact colors will always make them stand out from the crowd. This one wears its original Curious Yellow paint, which appears to be flawless. The owner treated the vehicle to a rotisserie restoration, and the car has spent most of its life since then as a showroom display vehicle. The paint is flawless, with a deep shine and no evidence of chips or marks. The original owner ordered the ‘Cuda with the optional Black “Billboard” stripes, and fresh ones were applied as part of the restoration process. This classic also features a Black power top, and while the owner offers no information on its condition, you would probably expect that it should be as nice as the rest of the exterior. The panels are laser straight, and rust is not a problem that the buyer will need to consider. It is worth noting that the Convertible is not 100% original. The owner made some changes during the restoration, and there will be purists who will object to these. They include fitting a rear spoiler, the Shaker hood, and color-keyed elastomeric bumpers in place of the original items. The good news here is that all of these changes could be reversed if the buyer is striving for complete originality.
The underside of the Convertible is just as impressive as the rest of the vehicle. The paint is consistent and shows no signs of damage. There is no evidence of any rust or surface corrosion and no signs of any fluid leaks from the drivetrain. If anything, it looks better than it would have the day the ‘Cuda rolled off the production line in Hamtramck, Michigan.
Lifting the hood of the Convertible reveals its numbers-matching 340ci V8 that should be producing 275hp. As part of the refurbishment of the ‘Cuda, the owner chose to swap out the 3-speed TorqueFlite transmission for a 4-speed manual unit. However, this is another change that the buyer could reverse if they wanted to. The owner has had the numbers-matching TorqueFlite rebuilt, and this and the linkages are included as part of the deal. In its original guise, this Plymouth would have stormed through the ¼ mile in 15.2 seconds, and interestingly, the 4-speed would see that figure increase to 15.3 seconds. Frustratingly, the owner doesn’t supply any information on how well the ‘Cuda runs or drives, but if appearance is used as a guide, the news should be pretty positive.
The Plymouth’s interior is tidy, and it seems that it needs nothing. As they would have been when the car was new, the upholstered surfaces are finished in Black vinyl. There are no significant flaws or problems to mention with the upholstery, while the dash, carpet, and plastic pieces are all in the sort of condition that you might expect in any classic that has led a sheltered life following a restoration. It is worth noting that the owner has also made a few changes to this vehicle’s interior. When he fitted the 4-speed, he has removed the center console. He has also installed a rim-blow wheel, while the Music Master AM radio has made way for an AM/FM unit. Once again, these changes could be reversed if the buyer wants to present the ‘Cuda in its original specifications.
It is easy to understand why the bidding has been so solid on this 1971 Plymouth ‘Cuda 340 Convertible when you look at its overall condition. This is a car where the presentation is close to perfect, and if that were the sole criteria on which to judge this classic, it would be an undoubted winner. It has undergone a few changes during its restoration, but none of these are irreversible. However, these are a factor that needs to be considered. If a potential buyer is seeking spotless originality, it would be possible to achieve that with this car. To do so would mean added expense over and above the purchase price. The reserve hasn’t been met, which begs the question of where the bidding is likely to go. I would be shocked if it didn’t find its way into six-figure territory, and I think that it has the potential to push beyond $110,000. The big question will be whether potential buyers will view the changes positively or negatively. That is a question that I can’t answer with total conviction, so maybe this is an auction that will be worth watching to see if we can draw a conclusion from the result.
Okay, lets discuss value of altered cars. Who really cares except the money men. Cars are for driving and for pleasure, that all changes when you worry about resale. With all that said, I also think that if you are going to change a car when restoring, why go with the idiotic shaker hood, rear spoiler, and those horrible gaudy side graphics? These were beautiful cars, why turn them into a cartoon? Oh yeah, lose the idiotic dog dish covers, no one outside of Grandpa had those. The cars were only ordered that way because the new owner intended to use after market wheels.
I was ready to stand up and cheer this comment in public until you called the shaker hood idiotic. I could agree that the spoiler looks tacked on. Settle down a bit, General.
I am very pro shaker hood.
Well, if the shaker floats your boat, who am I to try and sink it? Just for the record, I have never been in the Army Air Corp nor flown a plane. With a name like Lemay, why did my folks have to call me Curtis? Been hearing that stuff for years, but the last 30 or so, it has died down. Thank goodness for the subpar state of history teaching in our schools today.
Curt,
At least you’re not named Michael Bolton…
Dave, time heals (most) wounds. At this point in time, maybe even Michael Bolton is getting obscure in pop culture. I bet that guy from Office Space sure hopes so.
@curt lemay
Why are you even commenting on a car you hate?
I don’t like having to read your disrespect of cars.
Agreed, spoiler has to go but the shaker hood, nope beautiful
Yeah. Well, there no accounting for taste as they say. To each his own. To me it looks like a goofy mismatch of every bolt-on you could fit onto one car. Like those guys who buy all the chrome portholes and door edge guards from Autozone a make a custom edition of an everyday car…And that paint…yuk…and $100k? Hard pass
The only external change would. be to switch to the Rallye wheels. And mechanically, put back in the Torqueflyte, (can’t drive stick.)
Another lottery dream car.
Stick is not hard to learn, just find some old timer to show you how. Once you learn, you will never go back.
Physical limitations prevent this old timer from being able to drive stick.
Put back the torqueflite, sacrilege
I seem to be in the minority here, but I love this car. I’ve always had a “thing” for ’71 ‘Cudas. And I love getting noticed. The only people not noticing this car would be sight impaired (but I am sure their guide dogs would love it). I agree with Allen L and switch to the Rallye wheels first thing. I would not switch transmissions however as that pistol grip looks wicked.
BTW (not) General Lemay, I also have a famous last name. Luckily for me, my parents didn’t choose the wrong first name (as it (the last name) did not become famous until after I was born).
Mike, you not in the minority. It’s just that the actual minority are very vocal about their disdain for certain car models.
Wow just wow
It’s a good looking car but unsure if I’d put $100K into a toy I’d be afraid to take on the road. I’d rather have something a little less impressive that I could take out and have fun in.
Exactly. Well said.
Just don’t race a new Challenger GT AWD.
Who cares…that’s not the point. Head down to your local dealer and buy a new car that everyone else has if you’re so inclined. Boooooooooorrrrrrrrrring. Why are you even here?
While I would keep the original transmission with the car, it would never go back in under my ownership. Also, some people don’r go for the exotic colors but, they’re my favorites over the sedate browns and and golds etc. It may be different if I was driving it every day however, just to cruise on the weekends…. make the color loud.
The fully painted underside is over-restored. That being said, if I were to do it I’d have used black rather than Curious Yellow down there. That’s how VW did it when they made a selling point of a fully painted undercarriage, and how Mopar would’ve if they’d felt the need not to leave it in primer as they actually did, especially with the black rocker-panel accents. Some industrial pigments are surprisingly expensive, carbon black is cheap.
When I worked at Big Westinghouse a favorite thing of the resident gearheads was to coat rust-prone parts in electric motor epoxy. I can tell you that more than a few Corvettes had their frames and suspension parts done up with that stuff.
WHy spend all that stupid money….and not put a console in it? Its Naked without it
Sweet ride!! $96k now, reserve not met, they probably want way over $100k.
In my humble opinion if the billboards are factory I like them and I have always been a fan of the shaker original or not. As long as I had the original trans that’s enough for me I would never change it back under my ownership.
Yep….a little over restored and paint where it shouldn’t but hey someone has the money ! Me – I want a driver !
That K frame looks a bit rough under the paint, and what’s going on there where the sway bar attaches to it? There should have been more effort put into restoring this piece and leads me to think this was originally a rust bucket.
Love this find. Im a 70 over 71 preference but as a 71 this one tics right. This, IMO is the best color on a 71. The billboards are then required to help break up the yellow a bit. Ive never heard anyone say theyve hated a shaker hood before, that was kind of interesting. They look great on cudas. The elastomerics are a nice touch but chrome wouldve been ok too. I dont mind the steelies and dishes but with this color combo the magnum 500 wheels look the best. There is a local mopar collector by me who has just about this car. 71 curious yellow, black billboards, 340 shaker, magnum wheels, black vinyl top, black interior, but dont recall which bumpers or trans it has, havent seen it in a long time but it was a stunning car.
:-) FWIW back in the day this car would have struck me as a “wish I was an AAR” wannabe…hood, motor, paint/stripes, spoiler, side pipes, and all…in a “straight” yellow or most any other 1970 color.
Acknowledging other tastes, to me the ONLY reason for this car would be the ragtop, so if that’s your cup of tea, so be it. To my (circa 1970s) taste, the add ons and overall look recall JC Whitney. (Some folks may need to look this once popular company up). In this category, I think this car (the barn finds link brought me here) is much nicer looking, regardless of the motors.
https://barnfinds.com/1-of-5-1971-plymouth-cuda-convertible/1971-plymouth-cuda-convertible-1-2/
To each his/her/their own…just extending the thread comments above.
I Just like the thing! I would be extrmely happy to drive this around my town (Edmonton,Canada) for the summer. It looks like a fun summertime ridé🙂
I’m fine with all the the changes except one. Why in the world cut the tunnel and switch from the smooth running TorqueFlite and a slapstick to an unlivable A833 4 speed ? Horrible choice.