After both growing up and working for many years in the automotive industry I will admit that the attraction that I once had to vehicles has somewhat diminished over time.  That might be a little harsh, as what I am trying to get at is that after many years of being very spoiled in having the opportunity to own and use so many different types of classic, high performance, muscle and sports cars, it really does take a lot of vehicle to make me say WOW! 

We have recently had the opportunity to showcase a very unique car that we restored here at Corvette Specialties over ten years ago.  We pulled it out of storage, merely drove it to the recent Classic & Custom Motoring Show in Abbotsford B.C., and washed it.  It took home the Best Chrysler in Show award, hands down.  I have always been a huge GM fan, but I have to be frank, when I say that this car holds a very special place in my heart.  It is a 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda.  Now I know most of you are going to ask, "How can a GM guy love a Mopar?"  Easy!  I have always tried to consider myself a lover of all things nice and if you have ever had the chance to drive, listen to or even just look at one of these Bad Boys, I have a hard time believing that you can't or haven't fallen in love. 

Let's start with some history, so I can help you understand just how rare these cars are.  At the end of an era of high performance muscle cars, Chrysler was the only manufacturer that did not de-tune their flagship engine and when the Hemi went out in '71 it did it just as it arrived in '66, as the highest horsepower production engine offered to the public.  Of all the 'Cuda's built in 1971 115 were equipped with the 425HP power plant.  Of those, there were 108 Hardtops and of those, 60 were equipped with a four speed manual transmission.  That is also how our subject car is equipped.  One of 60 built, it just doesn't get any better.  Some Mopar fanatics may argue that the 1970 model was a better car, however the rarity of the 1971 model is what has made it a more desirable collectors piece.  One attraction to the '71, as far as drivability, was the hydraulic camshaft that perhaps didn't make quite as much power, but it certainly improved the car's ability to stay in tune on the street.  Major cosmetic differences that made the 1971 model a little more desirable were the refinements to the grille and the addition of "Billboards", a decal kit that advertised the size of engine under the bonnet of your Plymouth 'Cuda.