Some classics wear the title of a genuine muscle car, while others are pretenders to the crown. This 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda leaves us with no doubt that it’s the real deal, making it one of the most desirable classics to roll off an American production line. It presents superbly, which is made more impressive by the seller’s claim that it wears most of its original paint. As you will see, the color and trim combination makes it one of the rarest of the rare and one that needs a new home. Located in Winter Garden, Florida, the ‘Cuda is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding sits at $125,850, although that figure remains short of the reserve.
When John E. Herlitz penned the lines for the new-for-1970 E-Body ‘Cuda, he left little doubt that it was a car with genuine muscle credentials. These remain my favorite Mopar product from a styling perspective, and our feature car is a gem. The seller indicates that most of the Black Velvet paint gracing its panels is original, with no significant restoration work performed during the car’s life. The photo resolution makes it difficult to be sure, but it might wear a couple of tiny nicks and chips. However, it still possesses a beautiful depth of color and shine. A perfectionist may be tempted to touch up any flaws, but given this car’s originality and value, I suspect that it will remain untouched. The panels are laser straight, while the red pinstriping offers a striking contrast that ties the exterior perfectly to the interior trim. Rallye wheels add a further sense of purpose to an already tough classic. The trim, chrome, and glass appear flawless. It’s becoming easy to see why the price of admission to this classic is likely to be high.
There were no genuinely slow offerings within the 1970 ‘Cuda range, which is hardly surprising considering they rolled off the line when many people believe the muscle car era was at its peak. Our feature car is 1-of-652 Hardtops equipped with the legendary 426ci Hemi V8. While the manual versions remain the rarest, only 368 featured the three-speed TorqueFlite, as we find with this classic. With 425hp feeding through the transmission to the Sure Grip rear end, this Plymouth should demolish the ¼ mile in 13.5 seconds. That figure remains impressive today, but it placed the ‘Cuda in rarified company in 1970. Cars like the big-block-equipped Corvette or Chevelle SS could potentially match or beat the Hemi ‘Cuda, which explains why these cars are the most highly prized in the current classic market. However, it is the rarity of the Hemi that trumps the rest. It is worth noting that many Hemi ‘Cudas lived a harder life on the road as owners sought to exploit their fantastic engines, and a few required new motors when the original was stretched beyond its limit. That may be the case with our feature car. The seller indicates that while the transmission and rear-end are numbers-matching, the dealer installed a warranty replacement Hemi when the vehicle had 4,000 miles on the clock. Although the seller doesn’t expressly state it, the ‘Cuda appears roadworthy and in sound mechanical health. They encourage interested parties to inspect and test drive this classic, suggesting they have nothing to hide. It has a genuine 42,000 miles on the clock and comes with a massive pile of paperwork. It includes two Build Sheets, Title history, and other documentation
When we reach the ‘Cuda’s interior, we find the final piece of the puzzle that makes this a 1-of-3 classic. The owner claims that the combination of Black Velvet paint, red pinstriping, and red interior trim only found its way onto three Hemi ‘Cudas. Many resources can verify this, so I see no need to doubt the claim. The interior remains unmolested, and it presents superbly. There are no signs of wear or damage and no evidence of physical abuse or UV impact. It retains its original equipment as per the Build Sheet, including the console, Rallye gauge cluster with tachometer, and the AM radio/8-track player with dual rear speakers and fader. There are no aftermarket additions, and slipping behind the wheel would be like stepping back to 1970.
Writing for Barn Finds is a privilege because it provides me with the opportunity to review some great classics. It also comes with a genuine downside. So many of these cars tick the right boxes for me, and I want to take them home. If I did so with every vehicle I genuinely love, my garage would need to be the size of the average shopping mall car park. This 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda is one such car, and I candidly admit it is far beyond my financial means. The bidding on this classic hasn’t been as strong as you might expect on a vehicle of this type, but that reflects its price range rather than its desirability. When a classic car delves into six-figure territory, it requires a dedicated individual with a thick wallet if it is to find a new home. While the bidding is well into six figures, I believe it may need to surpass $220,000 before hitting the reserve. Even if this ‘Cuda is out of your price range, it might be worth watching the auction to see where the bidding heads. I’m going to. After all, a man is allowed to dream, isn’t he?
DROOL!! I wonder if I could charge eBay for a new keyboard, LOL! This beauty is priced stratospherically WELL above my range of disposable income. Sadly, I think that it is now destined for the life of a trailer/show car queen, never again to be really driven. At any rate, best wishes to the new owner!! :-)
💰 💸 💰 💸 💰 💰 💸 💸
I will trade my rare 1983 Corvette with low miles for it 👀
want!
Hemi madness was full bore in 2005 and 2006. 70 Hemi Cudas were fetching $500,000 and more. Those days are over. But this black beauty is certainly a keeper. I have had the pleasure of driving an FE5 70 Hemi Cuda 4 speed in 2006. What a thrill. I applaud seller for disclosing the car had an engine change. Most did as they were blown up.
Def not digging the red interior
You would have to wear sunglasses to drive that baby
This is a thoroughly impressive car. But IMHO that red trim strip ruins the flow of the body.
The side stripe is actually a rub strip designed as a stripe; a thick resilient center section with matching thin upper and lower tape stripes. I thought it was an ingenious factory option to guard against parking lot “idiot nicks”
Someone please enlighten me. I’d always thought all Hemi equipped cars were sold with no warranty for engine failure.
Just call it Demon Red and everyone is happy. Shame about the automatic but I have to live with one in my Redeye.
Arkie,
In the 1970s I was involved in processing warranty claims for BMW. One of the few times I refused to allow a warranty claim was for a new BMW owner who drove his 320i from Florida to Maryland with one of the front calipers sticking all the way, to the point the disc became red hot and the disc separated from the hub!
His claim was he was on vacation, and didn’t want to be stuck in Florida waiting for repairs to his new car, so he decided to drive home before taking it to the dealer. [It was so hot all the grease in the front bearings was boiled away, and the wheel bearings melted onto the spindle!
Things like casting defects in a block or head, or other clearly not racing-caused situations would allow a factory replacement engine install, especially if MoPaR wanted the original failed part to be sent back for examination. It’s rare, but all manufacturers would sometimes provide warranty coverage, especially if it could be shown the car was not involved in any competition situations.
Taking a car like this out onto a straight highway and “punching the pedal”, as long as they didn’t exceed the redline or speed limit, should not cause the engine to fail. It’s designed to take that kind of use [it’s not abuse!]
This hemi-cuda’s replacement motor situation, can fall into the “reasonable expectation of merchantability”, for consumer products in the USA.
Thank you, Bill, for clarification and further explanation of the warranty process and possible scenarios. Just another example of the wonderful knowledge and insight shared among BF subscribers.
Arkie and other BF readers,
If you are ever faced with an initial warranty issue that’s been denied, don’t holler and stomp your feet, simply ask for an appointment with the manufacturer’s warranty rep. It’s during that meeting you can have a cordial sit-down meeting before going to see your car.
If you keep your cool and discuss the situation in a calm manner, and if it’s clear the part and/or vehicle wasn’t abused, and even if you’ve not used the dealership’s service department for service items like oil changes, and as long as you’ve kept all the service receipts, you have a better chance of getting a one-time exemption for minor repairs under the factory warranty.
I had an issue with my 2008 well-known Japanese car; at about 80,000 miles the aluminum shield around the hot exhaust parts became loose where it’s steel support brackets were riveted to the shield. The aluminum shield had corroded away because the steel brackets were attached to the alloy shield without any insulation, to prevent galvanic action due to the different metals.
The manufacturer said it was out of warranty. I claimed this was a safety issue because without the shield, parking on a pile of fall leaves could cause a fire. I also said the failure to insulate the 2 metals was obviously a cost cutting measure, and the metallurgical engineers surely had to know the situation would likely occur within the warranty period, because MVSS safety issues are covered up to 100,000 miles.
The shield was replaced 100% under warranty. The replacement used a different set of shield brackets that slotted into the shield instead of rivets, and the brackets had an anti-corrosion material applied to the points where they touched the alloy shield. I suspect the manufacturer knew all about the problem, and it was probably a running production change!
$150,200 now with reserve still not met, seller has 9 other vehicles listed. Yes the red is a bit too much.
I love the red interior but di not like black cars but if I had the bucks would be tempted to buy this car if it is what it is. Definitly rare
This should be in a Mecum auction, even with auction fees it should do better than Feebay.
Me likey!
Call me a Pontiac traitor, but this ‘Cuda has my attention.
I traded a mint 70 re 383 magnum 4 speed pistol grip for a 70 hemi cuda red with black interior auto 8 3/4 rear with 4:11s in 72. The hemi was long gone but had radical 383 in it .after blowing up several big blocks I put a 340 in it and could not give it away as gas and insurance was not available because it was a hemi cuda. Even though the elephant was long gone. Yes I kick myself occasionally but it was wild ride for a 20 year old kid. I sure miss it and would love to know what happened to it after I traded it for a 78 rr 383 4speed bondo bucket
I traded a mint 70 rr 383 magnum 4 speed pistol grip for a 70 hemi cuda red with black interior auto 8 3/4 rear with 4:11s in 72. The hemi was long gone but had radical 383 in it .after blowing up several big blocks I put a 340 in it and could not give it away as gas and insurance was not available because it was a hemi cuda. Even though the elephant was long gone. Yes I kick myself occasionally but it was wild ride for a 20 year old kid. I sure miss it and would love to know what happened to it after I traded it for a 68 rr 383 4speed bondo bucket
Did the same thing with a 71 Boss 351, I’m glad I’m not one of those guys that keep kicking themselves in the ass for all the stupid things they’ve done.
Hi Mike Dont you still have a Hemi? If you do tell is about it . And Racing others.
I knew a partsman at a CPD dealer back in the late seventies and we got to talking race cars as I was involved with racing at the time. According to him he bought a new 65 Hemi Belvedere with a four speed through the dealership at cost to race. He pulled out of the lot the day he bought it and promptly blew the transmission up. CPD replaced it even though they didn’t have to. They also replaced the second one he blew up and told him it was the last one. He then went with a automatic. I’m sure that the fact that he worked at and was sponsored by the dealership had a bearing on CPD deciding to repair the car under warranty. I’ve never had an issue with a A833 and I’ve hammered the crap out of a lot of them over the years.
No, I actually traded it off last year. 67 coronet R/T 426 4 speed. Wish I had it back too.
Another of the old “dealer warranty replacement block” stories, lol. Just call a spade a spade…it’s a NON-numbers matching car with an automatic and an 8 3/4 rear end. Really, the least desirable of any Hemi ‘Cuda ever made. Sorry, but ask any of the real, big-money Hemi guys and, dollars to donuts, they won’t even contemplate this one.