Even though we didn’t know it back then, 1971 marked the end of the true muscle car. Mr. Regular calls the Plymouth Cuda from that era “the peak of muscle car technology,” and it’s easy to understand what he’s on about.
For starters, emissions regulations entered the scene in 1972. The following year, the Oil Crisis shocked the United States in such a way that Richard Nixon rolled out Project Independence as a long-term solution to OPEC shenanigans.
The end of true muscle didn’t stop there with the advent of the Malaise Era, though. Fuel injection, overhead cams, turbocharging, and coil-on-plug ignition have all contributed to the death of big-block land missiles. Alas, a numbers-matching Cuda 440 is an extremely collectible car these days.
As you’re well aware from the headline, the senior citizen in the following clip isn’t an original. A 383-ci (6.3-liter) V8 used to hide under the hood, and even though the exterior badging reads 440-6, the replacement engine is fitted with a four-barrel carburetor instead of the more desirable six-pack option. Be that as it may, “people who aren’t into cars know that this has worth.”
Does it, though? Given that 16,492 units were built that year as opposed to 151,000 Mustangs and 114,000 Camaros, it’s hard to escape the feeling that you’re looking at an automotive unicorn. You can also expect the Cuda to be “a horrific nightmare to drive" and "a scary freaking machine” with ridiculously light power steering and all-round drum brakes devoid of a brake booster.
Owned by a gentleman called Adam, the Cuda 440 clone reviewed by Mr. Regular also happens to be a little more powerful than you’d expect thanks to .030 overboring, a Purple Shaft camshaft kit from Mopar, a dual-plane intake, and TTI headers. In other words, this car “is moody and aggressive.”
As much as we romanticize about past glories, there is one more reason no-nonsense muscle cars won’t come back. More to the point, the things that consumers are willing to tolerate have changed in leaps and bounds. Even the Dodge Demon with its 840-horsepower HEMI is rocking air conditioning and heated seats, which says a lot about modern-day muscly boys.
The question is, what would you pick for a Sunday morning blast: a Cuda from the distant past or a contemporary muscle car like the Shelby GT500?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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