Random Hemi E-Body of the Week

[RzeroB]

Hey it has the white interior back in it. A very unique car indeed. Thanks Dan for posting up the additional pics!! 

[71-440]

That's one nice 'Cuda. I like that color combo and the interior is sweet.

[RzeroB]

Our last January "baby" needs no introduction as it is well publicized being one of the Blake family Hemi E-body convertibles. Without further ado ... the Blake family's "Red Devil" BS27R0B236766    It is of course 1 of only 18 1970 Hemi Cuda convertibles ever made. 1 of 14 made for the U.S. market and of those, 1 of 9 with an automatic. It is also unique in that it is the only '70 Hemi E-body convertible (Cuda or Challenger) made with the column-shifted automatic.



It is finished in FE5 Rallye-Red with V6X black "hockey stick" stripes, a H6X9 black interior and a V3X black convertible top. Here is a cool retro picture of it from "back in the day". From the look of the cars in the background, I'd say this pic has to be from the late '70's, maybe very early '80's?? No idea who the two people are next to the car ... do you know??



This car, along with the Blake's other four Hemi E-body convertibles were all on display as part of the Hemi E-Body convertible invitational display at the 2015 MCACN show in Chicago. Dave Blake, and his dad Bob, were ahead of their time and true visionaries when they recognized the immense potential value of these cars and set about acquiring as many of them as they could during the early '80's. 



From the fender tag we can see that this car was equipped with the A01 Light Group Package, A22 Elastomeric Bumpers Package, A32 Super-Performance 4:10 geared Dana Axle Package, A62 Rallye Gauge Package, B51 Power Disc Brakes, G36 painted Sport Mirrors, P31 Power Windows, P37 Power Convertible Top, and R35 AM / FM Radio among other things.



Have to give credit to Dave Blake as his display boards and placards were loaded with information, facts, and history about his cars. He doesn't hid the cars VIN or fender tags but instead puts them up on his display boards for everyone to see. Thanks Dave!! 



As a final note, I found it somewhat interesting that when the car was purchased, Bob and Jo Blake went to Sarasota Florida and drove this 4:10 geared HemiCuda 'vert the 2,200 miles back to Phoenix Arizona! You got to wonder what that trip was like??

[6bblgt]

I'm almost related to the Deacons 

[RzeroB]

After the Blake's HemiCuda 'vert it's time to come back down to earth and post up some February built cars. Our next car might not be as celebrated as it's drop-top cousins, but this next car is certainly no slouch when it comes to getting up and going!! With the mighty Pachyderm strapped to a 4-speed and the Super-Track-Pack 4:10 geared Dana axle package behind it, this was a stampede on four wheels!! 

The Challenger Hemi RT here is JS23R0B251742 and thanks to James Sciarrino's post on the "Factory 426 Hemi Cars (no clones)" facebook page we can see it and it's window sticker. The picture of this purple pavement pounder looks "period correct" as does the window sticker where we can see that this car came equipped with only what was needed to go fast and not a whole lot else. This is the only reference that I can find pertaining to this car. I don't know if James owns it or not, but I do want to thank him for posting it up for me to find and you to see!! 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1853952028183638&set=pcb.1194874087263815&type=3&theater

[RzeroB]

Continuing our birthday celebration, 48 years ago today (210 - February 10th) our next feature car was scheduled to be built.    1 of only 652 made for the U.S. market, and of those 1 of 284 with a 4-speed. It is dressed all in black with a TX9 Black-Velvet exterior and a H6X9 black vinyl interior. Lets give a big birthday welcome to BS23R0B247347! 



Nothing fancy or flashy here  ... no High Impact colors ... no Go-Wing ... no contrasting colored top, interior or stripes ... just simple elegance dressed all in black ... kind of like a blonde in a black dress - understated yet gorgeous! Feast your eyes upon the lines of this beauty ... wow is it pretty! 



Nothing too flashy on the fender tag either. Looking at the tag we can see that this car was ordered with a simple, yet purposeful, idea in mind ... put in the mighty Hemi, back upped by a 4-speed and Track-Pack 3:54 geared Dana Rear Axle Package ... dress it all in black (including the G36 painted Racing Mirrors) ... and then "accessorize" it with an AM radio. Simple, but very purposeful indeed!



Nicely detailed engine compartment ... as is the rest of the car.



Look at those lines! This black beauty looks great from any angle! I don't know where in the world 247347 is today to celebrate it's "birthday", or who the lucky owner is, but whomever it is, they are one lucky person to have such a beauty parked in their garage! Happy birthday 247347 wherever you are 



247347 was up for auction at Mecum's 2010 Spring Indianapolis auction. Bang it here to see their ad for this car  https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0510-91149/

247347 later came up for sale through RK Motors in Charlotte NC. The ad is still up with LOTS of great pictures of this car. Bang it here to see their ad for this car  https://www.rkmotors.com/vehicles/1262/1970-plymouth-cuda

[anlauto]

Appropriate for "Black History Month" as well

[RzeroB]

Our next February "baby" is definitely special (well yes, they are all "special") and has a rather unique history behind it. Oh? You will see what I mean as we move along with today's featured car ...



This is BS23R0B249759. It looks rather unassuming in this picture, almost "plain-vanilla" with it finished in EW1 Alpine-White with a H6X9 black vinyl interior. Being that it's a true R-code HemiCuda we all know it's anything but "vanilla", but what is it about this car that is different? Lets look at the fender tag ...



Looking at the tag we can see that it's a 4-speed and has some nice options such as A33 Track Pack 3:54 geared Dana Axle Package, A62 Rallye Gauge Package, C16 Center Console, C62 Six-Way Seat and P31 Power Windows - pretty nice actually.

But also note that The fender tag reveals that this HemiCuda was originally built to export specs as evidenced by the "Y09" build spec code and the "E" at the beginning of the VON. This particular car was built and then shipped off to France to be part of Chrysler France's factory backed racing team. Say what? It's true! I'll be the first to admit that I had no idea that Chrysler even had a factory backed racing team in France until I started this little project of ours - did you?

Chrysler France's Henri Chemin had organized a race team to compete in various motorsport events such as road courses and hill climbs to promote the Chrysler brand. At least two of the cars on the team were original HemiCudas, which they extensively raced, crashed, rebuilt and thrashed throughout the early 1970's and they were amazingly successful. However, as with everything else, all good things come to an end and by the end of the 1974 season Chrysler pulled the plug on the racing team. The cars were sold off to "privateer" racers and they soldiered on for a couple of more seasons before eventually disappearing into obscurity.

249759 somehow wound up in the south of France tucked away in a dusty garage and long forgotten. Enter Michael Connell. Somehow Michael learned of this legendary HemiCuda and was able to strike a deal to purchase it. He then arranged for it to be "imported" back to the U.S. and had Red-Line Restorations out of Bridgeport CT complete the restoration of the car back to it's former racing glory. The restoration was completed in 2013 and the car debut at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance. Here it is in it's restored glory ...



Bang it here to see more pics of the restored car from Jean Guy Cote's post in facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=958231160928958&set=pcb.963554493729110&type=3&theater

And here to see a great magazine write up on the car:   http://autoweek.com/article/car-life/winningest-european-chrysler-hemi-cuda-back

And lastly here to see a great 26 minute video on the car, Henri Chemin and Chrysler France Racing:   https://vimeo.com/143514197

[Cuda Cody]

      

[Chryco Psycho]

Crazy , I have seen the car before since the restoration 

[RzeroB]

Surfed Hemmings yesterday (February 23rd) evening just to see what was there ... low and behold there was a HemiCuda with a SPD of ... you guessed it 223! So by virtue of this serendipitous event, BS23R0B257832 is our next February birthday "baby" 

This beautiful Rallye-Red rocket is being offered for sale by Patrick Krook (I'm sure Patrick is a great guy but that's a hard sell when your last name "Krook" ryhmes with "crook") and his Show Your Auto (SYA). According to the ad, the car recently completed a full restoration by Andrew White and his team at Apex Autosports in Grafton Wisconsin. This rockin' red HemiCuda is detailed top to bottom inside and out and looks better than new.

Patrick has the car listed as "best offer". What does that mean with the seller and today's market? I don't know. A deal to be made ... who knows? But with spring and the car show season just around the corner this could be your opportunity to get into a car that looks like it needs nothing but a new owner and garage to park in. So check your bank account balance, cash out the equity in your home, sell off some stocks, do what ever you need to and throw Patrick an offer ... and who knows ... this beautiful HemiCuda could be yours ... if the price is right!

Bang it here to see the Hemmings ad while it is still active  https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/plymouth/cuda/2070904.html

[6bblgt]

a "Y13" dealer demo also, but we'll have to hold off  on the birthday celebration it was a week+ LATE

https://forum.e-bodies.org/vin-fender-tag-build-sheet-and-date-codes/13/actual-production-date-vs-scheduled-production-date/810/

[Brads70]

Our next February "baby" is definitely special (well yes, they are all "special") and has a rather unique history behind it. Oh? You will see what I mean as we move along with today's featured car ...



This is BS23R0B249759. It looks rather unassuming in this picture, almost "plain-vanilla" with it finished in EW1 Alpine-White with a H6X9 black vinyl interior. Being that it's a true R-code HemiCuda we all know it's anything but "vanilla", but what is it about this car that is different? Lets look at the fender tag ...



Looking at the tag we can see that it's a 4-speed and has some nice options such as A33 Track Pack 3:54 geared Dana Axle Package, A62 Rallye Gauge Package, C16 Center Console, C62 Six-Way Seat and P31 Power Windows - pretty nice actually.

But also note that The fender tag reveals that this HemiCuda was originally built to export specs as evidenced by the "Y09" build spec code and the "E" at the beginning of the VON. This particular car was built and then shipped off to France to be part of Chrysler France's factory backed racing team. Say what? It's true! I'll be the first to admit that I had no idea that Chrysler even had a factory backed racing team in France until I started this little project of ours - did you?

Chrysler France's Henri Chemin had organized a race team to compete in various motorsport events such as road courses and hill climbs to promote the Chrysler brand. At least two of the cars on the team were original HemiCudas, which they extensively raced, crashed, rebuilt and thrashed throughout the early 1970's and they were amazingly successful. However, as with everything else, all good things come to an end and by the end of the 1974 season Chrysler pulled the plug on the racing team. The cars were sold off to "privateer" racers and they soldiered on for a couple of more seasons before eventually disappearing into obscurity.

249759 somehow wound up in the south of France tucked away in a dusty garage and long forgotten. Enter Michael Connell. Somehow Michael learned of this legendary HemiCuda and was able to strike a deal to purchase it. He then arranged for it to be "imported" back to the U.S. and had Red-Line Restorations out of Bridgeport CT complete the restoration of the car back to it's former racing glory. The restoration was completed in 2013 and the car debut at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance. Here it is in it's restored glory ...



Bang it here to see more pics of the restored car from Jean Guy Cote's post in facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=958231160928958&set=pcb.963554493729110&type=3&theater

And here to see a great magazine write up on the car:   http://autoweek.com/article/car-life/winningest-european-chrysler-hemi-cuda-back

And lastly here to see a great 26 minute video on the car, Henri Chemin and Chrysler France Racing:   https://vimeo.com/143514197

Acme Diecast is actually  producing a 1/18 scale diecast of this. That's a pretty cool tribute! 

[fc7cuda]

Surfed Hemmings yesterday (February 23rd) evening just to see what was there ... low and behold there was a HemiCuda with a SPD of ... you guessed it 223! So by virtue of this serendipitous event, BS23R0B257832 is our next February birthday "baby" 

This beautiful Rallye-Red rocket is being offered for sale by Patrick Krook (I'm sure Patrick is a great guy but that's a hard sell when your last name "Krook" ryhmes with "crook") and his Show Your Auto (SYA). According to the ad, the car recently completed a full restoration by Andrew White and his team at Apex Autosports in Grafton Wisconsin. This rockin' red HemiCuda is detailed top to bottom inside and out and looks better than new.

Patrick has the car listed as "best offer". What does that mean with the seller and today's market? I don't know. A deal to be made ... who knows? But with spring and the car show season just around the corner this could be your opportunity to get into a car that looks like it needs nothing but a new owner and garage to park in. So check your bank account balance, cash out the equity in your home, sell off some stocks, do what ever you need to and throw Patrick an offer ... and who knows ... this beautiful HemiCuda could be yours ... if the price is right!

Bang it here to see the Hemmings ad while it is still active  https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/plymouth/cuda/2070904.html

I really like FE5 Cudas with red bubbles. 

[RzeroB]

Our last February car is a bit of a riddle ... is it, or isn't it, actor Nicolas Cage's former '70 HemiCuda?? 

If you look at the Mecum's ad from their Spring Indy 2010 auction you will see a black 4-speed HemiCuda that they claim use to belong to Nic Cage ...



https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0510-90163/1970-plymouth-hemi-cuda/

Then if you look at Russo and Steele's ad from their Scottsdale 2009 auction you will also see a black 4-speed HemiCuda that they claim also use to belong to Nic Cage ...



https://russoandsteele.com/vehicle-details/?show_vehicle=3737&current_index=2&total_results=232&auction_pk=40&=&caryear=&caryearto=&search_text=&page=&showpage=1

Maybe it didn't sell in Scottsdale, so maybe Nic sent it to the Indy auction to try and sell it there. Or did he?

Look at the two cars again. Look carefully. Did you notice that they are two very similar BUT different cars? The Mecum car has no black vinyl top and is a "radio-delete" car (it does not have a radio antenae) while the Russo and Steele car has a black viny top AND a radio (it does have the necessary antenae). Two different cars. Maybe Nic Cage had a thing for black 4-speed HemiCuda's and actually had two of them? Or did the ad-copy people for the auction companies somehow get their wires crossed and incorrectly attributed Nic's ownership to one of the two cars? 

The slick top radio-delete Mecum car is BS23R0B257824 with a SPD of February 23rd (SPD 223).



The vinyl top radio equipped Russo car is BS23R0B184309 with a SPD of November 8th (SPD B08).



So the obvious question is ... which one is the "real" former Nic Cage car?? Or are they both former Nic Cage cars?? Let us hear what you think on the subject ... caller number one, you're on the air, go ahead ...