Bought for $500, the Very First 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Is for Sale for $2.2M
The first Hemi Cuda is up for sale. It is serial number three, has a four-speed manual transmission, and has just under 18,000 miles.
The very first 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda is up for sale. Not one of the first, not one of those pseudo-rare muscle cars that happened to roll off the factory line on a Tuesday instead of a Thursday; this is the real deal. And the person who is selling it acquired it for just $500 in June 1983, and is now selling it for the astronomical price of $2.2 million.
Originally, Gary Dodane tried to auction the car with a reserve of $3.2 million and the car failed to sell. Bidding stalled at $2 million, which is still a huge number. Though this Cuda is extremely significant amongst muscle car collectors. While it is the first Hemi Cuda, it also has some options that make it an excellent example of a Cuda. Its serial number suggests that it is the third Cuda, but the first two were scrapped during production. Still, this Cuda is painted in Alpine White with a black interior, with deleted stripes, an unusual tachometer delete, an overhead console, premium trim, and the ever-important four-speed manual transmission.
While its significance lays in that it is the first production Cuda, there isn’t much that makes it unique beyond having a good drivetrain. In fact, it's been repainted once to its original color, making the claim of “unrestored” a little shakier than it should be. With 17,775 miles, the car was driven early in its life but has sat at the NATMUS museum in Auburn, Indiana since 1983. The car is not a driver, but a museum piece.
If you want a piece of muscle car history to stare at, this is one of the few largely unrestored Hemi Cudas around. It is a significant piece of the story of the muscle car, with huge horsepower and torque. It’ll just cost you a bit more than Dodane’s $500.
Got a tip? Email tips@thedrive.com
