Photo: Mecum
We all love a good, properly-made custom car, but for the truly passionate it is originality that makes them empty their bank accounts. And this month, few cars get as original as this here 1971 Plymouth Cuda.
We uncovered the bright red over black wonder on the lot of cars going under the hammer in mid-August in Monterey, at the hands of auction house Mecum. It’s not only a mostly original machine, but one so rare its sellers are hoping to fetch anywhere from $950,000 to $1,200,000 for it.
Listed as the main attraction of the auction, the Cuda is one of just 17 to have been made that year packing a V-code 440 6 BBL engine under the hood of a convertible body. What’s more, the automatic transmission controlling the engine makes it even rarer, as just 12 of them were made this way back in 1971.
The complete drivetrain, as well as the sheet metal, are all original, although we are being told the car only looks this good thanks to an extensive restoration performed sometime in the car’s past, but even that was made using only original and NOS parts.
No bling was added to the Cuda, and because of that, it looks just as stunning as it did decades ago, complete with black vinyl bucket seats inside, a Rallye instrument cluster, and an unpretentious AM/FM radio.
Propped on Goodyear Polyglas tires, the car is ready to take on the road, although most likely whoever will get it will keep the car hidden from view and the elements. At the time of writing, the clock on the thing reads a little over 21,000 miles (almost 34,000 km), which means it hasn’t been used all that much, to begin with.
We’ll come back on this story as soon as we learn what the Cuda managed to do at auction. The car is selling on August 19.
Listed as the main attraction of the auction, the Cuda is one of just 17 to have been made that year packing a V-code 440 6 BBL engine under the hood of a convertible body. What’s more, the automatic transmission controlling the engine makes it even rarer, as just 12 of them were made this way back in 1971.
The complete drivetrain, as well as the sheet metal, are all original, although we are being told the car only looks this good thanks to an extensive restoration performed sometime in the car’s past, but even that was made using only original and NOS parts.
No bling was added to the Cuda, and because of that, it looks just as stunning as it did decades ago, complete with black vinyl bucket seats inside, a Rallye instrument cluster, and an unpretentious AM/FM radio.
Propped on Goodyear Polyglas tires, the car is ready to take on the road, although most likely whoever will get it will keep the car hidden from view and the elements. At the time of writing, the clock on the thing reads a little over 21,000 miles (almost 34,000 km), which means it hasn’t been used all that much, to begin with.
We’ll come back on this story as soon as we learn what the Cuda managed to do at auction. The car is selling on August 19.
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