Tig
Fucktangular
Documented as the only matching numbers 4-speed convertible in existence, its factory broadcast sheet confirms that it was equipped at the Hamtramck, Michigan assembly plant with the New Process 4-speed, Dana 60 rear end with 4.10 Super Track Pak, 26-inch radiator and power brakes. Originally owned by a famous cartoonist from the Southwest who later sold it to a buyer in Oregon, it was eventually seized by authorities there in a drug investigation and sold at auction for $405,000, an unprecedented figure at the time.
The buyer subsequently commissioned a restoration by highly regarded Mopar restorer Julius Steuer of Los Angeles, California, who completed the work in approximately 2000. A few years later it was then traded for a number of vintage Corvettes from the current owner’s prestigious collection.
For any diehard Mopar enthusiast, the process of decoding the Cuda’s fender tag can best be compared to sitting at a slot machine as it spins out a jackpot; everything is there to add up to the grand prize of Hemi Cuda convertibles. In addition to being exceptionally rare, the car is a visual feast, its code B5 Bright Blue combining with a Black power top and matching Blue high-back bucket seat interior.
Nominally adorned with rear deck lid bright trim and wide sill strips, the car’s exterior decor is kept to a minimum, its painted steel wheels, dog dish hub caps and White-letter tires establishing the look of a serious road-burner further bolstered by the rare Shaker hood, hold-down pins and chromed dual exhaust tips. Driver appointments in the bright Blue interior include the Rallye Instrument Cluster with 8,000 RPM tachometer, 150 MPH speedometer, oil, temperature and alternator gauges and clock, 3-speed wiper switch and Hurst Pistol Grip shifter. Perhaps most importantly, in addition to retaining most of its original sheet metal, it is the only remaining example with its original factory-installed drivetrain.
