A52
A 52 THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013
THE
NEWSPAPER.COM
AUTOMOTIVE Classic cars
Hemicuda’s magic formula discovered in 1970
‹ from page 50 drop big engines in mid-sized family cars such as the Belvedere. All go and very little show, to be sure. In 1966, you could order the Street Hemi, but only if you could live with the looks of the stub-nosed
Belvedere/Satellite or hunchbacked Charger. Sorry, but that’s just the kind of Chrysler you had to buy if you wanted a Hemi. But what good was owning your very own elephant if you couldn’t really trumpet that fact to the rest of the world?
2012 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
2012 JEEP PATRIOT
2012 CHRYSLER 300
2012 CHRYSLER 200
And then there was the price. A $900 premium, referred to as “staggering” by Car and Driver Magazine in April of 1966, wasn’t making a Hemi an easy thing to afford. That ideology lumbered along for a couple more years
until the B-Body Dodges and Plymouths (Charger and Road Runner) were reinvented in 1968. While met with healthy sales success, they still lacked the all-out sex appeal of the smaller, glossier Mustangs, Chevelles and Camaros
ALL 2012’s MUST GO! GO! LOWEST PRICES OF THE YEAR! YOUR TRADE WELCOME! 2012 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY
2012 DODGE JOURNEY
of the day. It took until 1970 to come up with the magic formula. The redesigned Plymouth Barracuda and newDodge Challenger were built on a more rigid “E-body” unitized platform. With a short rear deck, long hood,
2012 DODGE RAM 3500
2012 DODGE RAM 1500
2012 DODGE GRAND CAROVAN
2012 DODGE CHARGER
in White Rock
www.haleydodge.com
CALL 604-444-3000 TO ADVERTISE 011013
D#7855
1-877-438-8182
regulations and gas shortages cut the knees out from the Hemi before more than a handful of examples could be built and sold. In fact, the politics of the day made it almost impossible to realistically own a muscle car during the beginning of the 1970s and, as such, demand for high-horsepower boulevard bruisers fell off a cliff. It was like a switch had been flicked off. Almost overnight - as early as 1971 - horsepower ratings plummeted for the Big Three’s muscle machinery. While the Hemi cars returned fully-charged for 1971, by 1972 it was all over. And in 1973, all you could get was the small block 340, then rated at 245 horsepower. At the end of 1974, the E-Body’s run was officially over. But that’s hardly the end of the story. By all accounts, the Challenger and Barracuda were the cars that showed Chrysler had what it took to lead the pack, both in terms of power and style. Back in 1970, the Hemicuda was the car to own, barr none. Forty three seasons later, it still is. ❚ Jeff Melnychuk is Wheelbase Media’s managing editor. He can be reached on the Web at www. shiftweekly.com by using the contact link. Wheelbase supplies automotive news and features to newspapers across North America.
DISCOVER A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES IN THE CLASSIFIEDS
3050 King George Boulevard • South Surrey Auto Mall *Plus tax and fees, on approved credit. File photos used on some vehicles.
trick-looking Shaker scoops, screaming colors, strobe stripes, decals, whistles, bells, gizmos and geegaws, there was no question where you would put your money if you wanted the hottest ride around. Finally, the Hemi engine was . . . home. And a great home it was. In 1970, buying either a Challenger R/T with a Hemi under the hood or a Hemicuda (the ‘Cuda was actually a separate model from the Barracuda) was akin to achieving talk-show-host status, because if you went anywhere, you spent most of your time talking about the car. The ‘Cuda was not only hot looking, but robust enough for Trans Am road racing - without the Hemi, though - against Boss Mustangs and Z/28 Camaros of the day. That type of popularity continues even to this day. The Hemi Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Hemicuda are so highly regarded today that prime examples have sold for millions of dollars. That might have to do as much with rarity as desirability. The 1971 Hemicuda convertible, for example, is the rarest of the rare with only seven ever built. That’s right . . . seven. You see, fate would play a bigger part in the Hemi’s future than even Chrysler could. Mounting insurance premiums, emissions