mean that other items were left off or skimped on. Opening the hood your eyes are drawn immediately to that mighty engine with its block finished in its trademark Hemi Orange, restored to perfection with the argent air-scoop atop the dual four-barrel Carter AFB carburetors. Check out the smallest details and you find that nothing was over-looked. But then your eyes may just wander over to the left inner fender well where you will find a total of three embossed plates filled with wonderful little codes that really tell the story on this car. Of course the middle plate spells out one of the most important features of this car, “HEMI FENDER” in big and bold letters. But it is the other series of letters and numbers that are equally important. First is the physical appearance of the car, finished in Blue Fire metallic, often referred to by Mopar muscle fans as “B5” blue due to its paint code, along with code “V1X” which represents the black vinyl roof found on this car along with the “V6X” black stripe kit plus the front and rear bumpers painted in body color. The interior is appointed with sporty bucket seats trimmed in genuine leather with vinyl bolsters, while other accessories from the factory include the center “woodgrain” console, Rallye Instrument cluster with the 150 mph speedometer, plus the tachometer and clock combination. For entertainment purposes there is the combination AM radio/8-track tape player, anybody up for a little Led Zepplin, Creedence Clearwater, Van Morrison or maybe pre-Disco Bee Gees? Other amenities adding to safety and creature comforts include the rear window defogger, tinted glass and dual outside rear view “Sport” mirrors.
rear spoiler, plus those all important rear window louvers. When new, Motor Trend magazine tested the 426 Hemi ‘Cuda and found they could cover a quarter-mile in about 14 seconds, go from a standing start to 60 mph in about 6.0 seconds and given another 7 seconds, they could hit 100 mph. The ‘Cuda with a Hemi wasn’t cheap, this entire package added about $1,800 to the original base price. It was a vehicle that took the word “extreme” to its limits, a muscle-machine that no car maker could today replicate at any cost. If this car had wings it would fly. Restored several years ago, it still presents as being fresh and ready for judging, or if you have a hankering to, a quick run on a quarter mile strip of pavement. The paint is deep and rich and the eye for authenticity has not been overlooked, including the numbers matching engine, which means unlike so many of these Hemi ‘Cuda’s the original owner didn’t blow up the engine on their first outing. A true piece of muscle-car history, this could be the brightest diamond in a collection of automotive jewels.
Adding to the performance of this car you will find those little plates confirm this was indeed a 426 Hemi V8 with the E74 code followed by the D21 code for the 4-speed manual transmission which by the way, is fitted with the Hurst “pistol-grip” shifter and is estimated to be one of just 284 fitted with this unit. The A33 code denotes this car has Track-Pack with the 3.54:1 rear axle gearing, what more needs to be said that the dual-exhausts and their factory chrome tips can’t say? Adding to the visual impact of this car is the genuine “Shaker” or “fresh air hood”, secured with proper locking pins, plus those original Rally wheels and Goodyear Polyglas “GT” tires that shows this ‘Cuda means business. Of course the Road lights are there as are all the moldings for the wheel lips, drip-rail and sill along with the rear deck molding, and wing-type
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