Rare 1971 Hemi Cuda Convertible

[OldGuy]

I was at a car show on Saturday in American Fork, Utah.  Looked over to the road near us and saw a convertible Cuda parked on the side of the road.  We saw the Hemi labeling on the side and the air cleaner coming out of the shaker hood that said "Hemi".  Went over and looked at it.  The interior was totally trashed, but it had the original paint, interior and top.  The owner - an older guy; probably in his late 60's early 70's came over and was looking at our cars (my 1969 Charger, my buddy's 1968 Coronet, my brothers 2012 Challenger and a friend's newer Charger).  He said, "yea, I own that Hemi Cuda over there".  We asked, "does it have a Hemi in it"?  He said, Yea".  We walked over with him and talked with him a while.  He popped the hood and sure enough - a 426 ci Hemi was sitting in it.  I asked him where he got it and how long he has had it.  He said he went to a junk yard just south of American Fork, Utah in the mid-70's and saw it.  The yard was getting ready to pull the engine and junk the body.  He asked if he could buy the engine and they said sure.  He then asked since the engine was still in the car if he could buy the car with the engine in it.  They told him sure.  He asked how much.  They told him, "$350.00"!!!  He snatched it up and has held on to it since then.  Now that was a find and a steal!!

[OldGuy]

Another pic

[OldGuy]

One more-

[charge69]

That's amazing!  He got a lot better deal than I got on my Hemicharger! I had to pay almost twice that for mine in 1976!  Ha!!

[Mopar Nut]

Cool story!  About 15 years ago a shop owner bought a TA Challenger's 340 motor, trans and rear end before the salvage shop crushed the car. This happened up here in Ogden.  

[hemi-hampton]

Is it a clone or real thing? I thought they all been accounted for?

[Ghoste]

Thats what I thought too, of course nothing says this car isn't an accounted for one. 

[Mytur Binsdirti]

Did you check the 5th digit in the VIN?

[F8-4life]

Great story. He was in the right place at the right time to save that cudas life.
Those selfish salvage guys can only see $$. Why else would you pull the hemi & junk the car?
The body looks good.
Is this a unknown car then?

[OldGuy]

Didn't check the VIN - however, it was an automatic.  The guy is around; hopefully he comes to some more shows in the future and I can inquire further into the car.  He did state the fact that he knew there were only 11 of them built.

[myk]

Hard to fathom that this car was being junked just years after it was born...

[Ghoste]

Insane insurance rates along with normal used car depreciation and gas crisis all combined to kill it.  Really its hard to fathom it escaped death.

[myk]

Insane insurance rates along with normal used car depreciation and gas crisis all combined to kill it.  Really its hard to fathom it escaped death.

I can't even imagine those times.  When my parents tried to tell me about the gas crisis back in the day I just couldn't understand it; it was like a pre-Mad Max story, or something to me...

[The70RT]

 

[Ghoste]

The worry in some places was exactly like that.

[Mopar Nut]

Insane insurance rates along with normal used car depreciation and gas crisis all combined to kill it.  Really its hard to fathom it escaped death.

I can't even imagine those times.  When my parents tried to tell me about the gas crisis back in the day I just couldn't understand it; it was like a pre-Mad Max story, or something to me...

I remember those days, gas was insanely priced if you could get it. They only allowed you to buy on odd or even numbers according to your car plate. But muscle cars were newer and VERY cheap.

[myk]

And on that note, I wonder how many other muscle cars got crushed even though there wasn't anything truly wrong with them other than the burden they represented during those times...

[F8-4life]

And on that note, I wonder how many other muscle cars got crushed even though there wasn't anything truly wrong with them other than the burden they represented during those times...

Don't think about it to long its depressing. Very different times for sure.

[OldGuy]

Update...
Made some inquiries with the MOPAR guys in Utah.  Some know about the car and didn't speak very highly of the owner.  The car is a clone.  Originally a 318 car.  So, the known count remains the same.

[hemi-hampton]

I suspected so. I've probably seen 10 of them past few years in Detroit area & they have all been clones. After that one got like 2 million 10 years ago every body started cloning them & then asking like $250,000. The market was so flooded with clones that people were then lucky to get $100k. LEON.

[stripedelete]

Insane insurance rates along with normal used car depreciation and gas crisis all combined to kill it.  Really its hard to fathom it escaped death.

I can't even imagine those times.  When my parents tried to tell me about the gas crisis back in the day I just couldn't understand it; it was like a pre-Mad Max story, or something to me...

Atlanta had a fuel shortage about 4-5years ago.  May have been due to a hurricane and something else.   It was very unsettling.  Watching it as an adult (I was about 10 in '73) you could very much describe people's behavior as pre-apocalyptic.

[Mopar Nut]

Atlanta had a fuel shortage about 4-5years ago.  May have been due to a hurricane and something else.   It was very unsettling.  Watching it as an adult (I was about 10 in '73) you could very much describe people's behavior as pre-apocalyptic.

Wow a water shortage and a fuel shortage.

[1974dodgecharger]

I would of crushed it too back then.......and don't say you guys wouldn't crush because you would have also back then. 

[TUFCAT]

Clone or not....he needs to do something with that ugly wheel hardware  

[Ghoste]

Kind of look like Cadillac or Lincoln covers don't they?