Exceptional and very rare 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda. Today this car is considered as the archetype of the muscle cars, the ultra-powerful cars produced by the American companies at the beginning 70th. The Plymouth Cuda in the version Hemi 426 is the rarest and most powerful of the muscle cars.
This Cuda is one of 284 examples produced in 1970 with manual gearbox, what makes this car very desirable, additionally it has an exceptional racing history.
This car was delivered new to France in 1970 to the racing team Chrysler France, who decided to engage several Cuda in the French track and hill climbing championships. Driven by Henri Chemin this car won many races in the French Hillclimb championnship and won the French track championship three times in a row (1970, 71, 72) as well as numerous other races in 1973.
Current owner bought the car in 1976. The engine was entirely remade following the rules of the art by a well known specialist of Hemi engines in the south of France in 1997. The gearbox is entirely revised, the brakes restored, the exhaust, the clutch and the starter were replaced. The car is driven on a frequent basis since and works excellently. The rest has never been restored and is in its original condition.
The paintwork dates from over 30 years ago and its condition is exceptional regarding the age. We could just notice some traces of corrosion on non-structural elements like on the trunk lid or on the lower areas of the body behind the mudguards. The chassis is very healthy; we could detect a very light superficial corrosion underneath the original paint that starts to crumble away. In place of a complete restoration, it would be sufficient to carry out a fundamental cleaning and apply a paintjob on the chassis in order to definitely stop the progression of rust.
The mounted wheels are not the original ones, they were replaced by wheels with central fixation. This mounting can easily be removed and original wheels could be fitted.
The interior is in good original condition and the carpets are new. The seating surface of the front seats shows a strap that had been sewed on probably due to burst seams. The rest of the interior is in excellent condition.
A road test confirms immediately the excellent impression we could gain during the static inspection: The car is powerful and very good to drive.
The car is now waiting for a new owner, who takes the necessary care it merits. You can keep it in its present condition or make a real “racing beast” out of it by restoring from the naked chassis. The price-quality-ratio is exceptional for a car that has the potential to be on be on top of the rankings of historic rallies.
This is a rare car with en exceptional and certainly unique racing history in a very nice state of preservation. The same models restored in concourse condition but without racing history are sold currently for 500 000 $ in the U.S. This car is an excellent investment if you want to preserve it in its current condition or to be restored. This is a unique opportunity to own a Cuda with a prestigious race history, nowadays eligible for most of the prominent historic events.
This car is available in France with french papers. More info and pictures on www.carclassic.com