'70 Cuda
The Last Plymouth
Yep, for me at least. This is the last Plymouth I purchased, and the last one that I'll buy. You see, ever since I relinquished the ownership of a '71 Black (TX9) Cuda which I purchased new, I’ve been obsessed with the thought of owning another someday. Well that day arrived on Dec.14, 2000, twenty-two years after I sold that ’71 (in 1978) for a paltry sum of $3,800. Yeah, I know; but who knew then what was around the corner.
Back to this beast. It’s a ’70 numbers matching 440 “survivor”. It still wears its original paint, small dings and just about every mechanical part except for the carb. The engine is a bone stock 440 backed by a 4 speed tranny. It’s so stock I won’t bore you with the details. What is unusual, is that there were only 334 1970 Cudas built with a 440 –4bbl engine. That makes it more rare than the ‘V’ code 6 packs, and second only to the Hemi as far as fewest production numbers. ( Go ahead, I didn’t believe it either and had to check this fact myself !)
What really got me, was the absolute absence of rust and the originality of this fish. This car was ordered as a street brawler, as it’s devoid of any options. The only power option is under the hood. To top it off, its odometer reads only 52,900 miles! The interior is tan and likewise stark, although a weird color choice to contrast the exterior Torred EV2 paint. No rally dash, no console, no premium sound system and definitely no A/C or power windows. No, this car was a no frills red rocket. I had to do something to make it stand out (and up), so why not a shaker? I thought it’s simple enough to replace if I ever want to get back to factory original status, and it just looks bad (as in cool)! Really the set-up is nothing more than a big air cleaner and a hood with a hole in it! The only pain about the shaker set-up, is the one in the butt; cause that where I keep my wallet! And of course it did snowball a bit with the necessary change to a three speed wiper motor, switch and linkage plus the prices of all those ‘small’ shaker pieces !
After I took care of the southwestern baked interior (new headliner, dash, panels, etc.), my biggest task lies in the decision of whether to paint it or not. After all it wears its original paint only once.
My last Mopar was a Charger R/T which was built to the hilt. I raced that car and know what a 12 second ride feels like. This fish will be ‘just’ a road warrior. (If you do see it on a trailer, please report it as stolen!) With the rebuilt suspension utilizing all new components and poly graphite pieces, it is a rush to drive. And that’s what I intend to do, until I’m too old to row a pistol grip! Mark Romano
