Rotisserie Built Hemi 'Cuda Pro Touring EFI 6.1L SRT-8 HEMI 400 RWHP 5 Speed A/C

In the classic car hobby, the word “resto-mod” gets thrown around so much that it's hard to remember what the term really means. And, unfortunately, a lot of times it's used as a catch-all phrase for builds that have so many modifications they aren't considered stock but don't go far enough to fall in to any specific category. Thankfully, we have cars like this killer Plymouth 'Cuda, which provide a literal definition: take a solid factory cruiser and bump the dial to 11! The beneficiary of a spotless, ground-up restoration, this coupe wraps hot Black and Limelight aesthetics around a custom suspension, five forward gears and 400 Hemi-sourced, rear-wheel horsepower. If you like your MoPars mildly modernized but pure in spirit, step right up and take a look at your new muscle car!

BODYWORK/TRIM

This E-Body's thorough restoration began when its solid fuselage was meticulously stripped, lightly massaged and carefully coated in correct Limelight 2-stage. Once cured, that urethane was detailed with flamed war paint, purple pin stripes and appropriate “6.1 HEMI” callouts. And, with everything fresh and ready to roll, the car was buffed to a clean and substantial presence. Take one look down the profile of this sweet Plymouth and you'll see tough, slab-sided panels that have been straightened and finessed far past anything that rolled out of the factory. Pull the car in to the sunlight and its glossy glow accurately reproduces Chrysler's planar, straight lines while offering a level of showmanship that can only be achieved with today's advanced paint technology. And, in summary, it all adds up to one super slick, all-American muscle car that benefits from what its restorer likes to call 'reversible restification' – terminology that means anything changed could be taken back to stock if a future owner decides he wants to trade his one-of-a-kind show-stopper for a 'Cuda that looks like everyone else's.

Unlike many striped and decaled creations, which tend to throw good taste out the window, this awesome MoPar seamlessly balances a cool personality with flashy good looks. At the front of the car, a glossy, “PLYMOUTH” branded grille hangs green ghost flames and a purple pin stripe between bright headlights, a smoothed bumper and a familiar, sculpted valance. At the top of that grille, a pinned Rallye hood rides in front of like-new glass, straight stainless trim and clean, body-matched mirrors. At the sides of that hood, satin door handles, a power antenna and small marker lamps highlight a smooth, professionally finished profile. And at the back of the car, a flamed valance hangs LED taillights between color-keyed louvers, a second smoothed bumper and polished exhaust tips.

ENGINE

In the name of 'reversible restification', the builder tapped Chrysler's resurrected Hemi to continue this coupe's role as a small block barnburner. Measuring exactly 6.1 liters, the car's nouveaux elephant utilizes a revised block, a forged crank, lighter pistons, strengthened rods, new oil jets, variable cam timing and increased flow heads to turn stout 10.3 to 1 compression into 425 horsepower. The pros at Indy Cylinder Head decided to make the engine their own by boring and stroking the block, installing CNC-ported and polished heads and bathing everything in a familiar coat of Hemi Orange skin. At the top of that skin, eight Hilborn-style velocity stacks mix modern fuel injection with reliable F.A.S.T. programming. At the sides of that skin, coated TTI headers flow in to custom, mandrel-bent pipes. And, at the front of that skin, a Synister Serpentine system spins modern power steering, modern air conditioning and a polished alternator at the sides of a coated Edelbrock water pump, which is hooked to a large aluminum radiator and, by extension, two electric puller fans. Visually, the body-matched bay comes together every bit as well as the outside of the car, with its smooth firewall and bright green fenders providing a perfect frame for the tough Chrysler mill. There's a host of first-class ancillary components, like ARP studs, an Auto Gage fuel pressure gauge, “HEMI” branded coil covers and a Wilwood Hydratech brake booster. And the exceptionally installed motor twists 400 horsepower and 426 lb./ft. of torque directly to the car's beefy rear wheels.

DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION

Take a peek under this buff E-Body and you'll see the sorted chops that back up the car's handsome looks. The smooth-revving engine is hooked to a Keisler-supplied Tremec TKO600 5-speed, which stacks a proven McLeod clutch in front of a polished driveshaft. Not surprisingly, the car's old-school torsion bars have been completely replaced by a polished AlterKtion front-half, which includes: tubular controls arms, modern coil-over shocks and power rack-and-pinion steering. Out back, Heidts Superide technology provides a polished independent setup, which plays well with the car's polished 9-inch rear end. Naturally, that pavement-ripping suspension is augmented by first-class Wilwood braking, which pinches vented and slotted rotors via 6 and 4-piston calipers. An intimidating engine note comes courtesy of 3-inch exhaust, which, thanks to the techs at Arvada, Colorado's Rocky Mountain Street Rods, follows an X-shaped crossover with beefy Magnaflow mufflers. And power flows through polished and color-keyed American Racing Torq Thrust IIs, which spin 245/45ZR17 Nitto NT555 Extreme ZRs in front of 295/45ZR18 Nitto NT555 Extreme ZRs. As you might expect, this 'Cuda's over-restored floors are sprayed in a nice coat of Limelight Green urethane. And everything, from the car's polished sway bar to its coated fuel tank, is fully sorted and ready to bank some curves!

INTERIOR

In many heavily modified classics, builders are content leaving the interior just as the factory designed it. And, in the case of most MoPar muscle cars, that's a very good mindset! Like the aforementioned body panels, which subtly blend old and new, this Plymouth's cockpit takes everything great about Chrysler design and builds on it. Note the Barracuda emblem at the center of the custom steering wheel and tilting Flaming River column. Original seats, accompanied by modern shoulder belts, are churched up with clean ostrich inserts. The car's simple door panels, which found factory power windows, are now wrapped in tight leather. At the front of those panels, a padded dash anchors green-lit Auto Meter Pro-Comp Ultra-Lite gauges above crisp Pioneer audio and controls for Classic Auto Air conditioning. At the base of that dash, fresh carpet floats “Barracuda” branded floor mats between a Hurst Pistol Grip shifter and stainless-trimmed foot pedals. And behind the passengers, a matted trunk features plenty of storage space.

OUR SALE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION

* Photos of the car taken prior to its restoration
* A small pile of restoration receipts
* A stack of component paperwork
* An official dyno sheet

A lot of builders set out with the intention of making their vintage project best newer cars in as many ways as possible. That sometimes causes their muse to feel a bit boring or watered down. Thankfully, this Cuda stayed true to form with its 400 horsepower Hemi, tough, row-it-yourself gearbox and absolutely outrageous aesthetics. Virtually spotless and ready to roll, this classic is an impressive build that's sure to please any hardcore MoPar fan who enjoys grabbing gears and sliding sideways. If that sounds like your idea of fun, call your like-minded friends at RK Motors Charlotte!

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SUMMARY

* 6.1 liter Hemi V8 / Modified by Indy Cylinder Head / 400 rear-wheel horsepower
* Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual transmission
* RMS AlterKtion front suspension / Heidts Superide rear suspension
* Custom leather and ostrich interior
* Classic Auto Air conditioning
* Correct Limelight paint / Gloss black & ghost flame accents / Purple pin stripes
* Sale includes restoration receipts and component paperwork
* Power rack-and-pinion steering / Wilwood 4-wheel power disc brakes
* American Racing Torq Thrust II wheels
* Modern Pioneer audio