WSJ First Hemi Cuda Ever Built??

[CudaMoparRay]

Interesting article I wonder how true it is?
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-bold-barracuda-thats-all-muscle-1510669049


By  A.J. Baime
Nov. 14, 2017  Wall Street Journal

Gary Dodane, 70, owner of Karl's Barber Shop in Fort Wayne, Ind., on his 1970 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda, as told to A.J. Baime.

In 1983, I bought a Hemi Cuda for $500. At the time, I did not know much about these cars. They had huge "elephant engines," but they got terrible gas mileage. Gas prices were surging at the time, so people were dumping these cars. When I bought mine for $500, I thought I was overpaying.

I noticed the serial number had a lot of zeros in it, so I contacted a man named Galen Govier of the Chrysler Registry, a well-known expert, to find out more about it. He asked me to tell him nothing about the car, only some numbers on an identification plate.

Two weeks later, he called and said, "Are you sitting down?" I said no. He said, "Maybe you should." Using the numbers on the identification plate, he was able to tell me all sorts of accurate details—the car's color, the fact that it was a four-speed and not an automatic, that it had an eight-track tape deck, etc. He knew that the speedometer of this car tops out at 120 mph and that it had no tachometer.

Most importantly, he told me that my vehicle was the first Plymouth Hemi Cuda street car ever made. The car was only built in 1970 and 1971. I have a document signed by Mr. Govier that says, "This is the very first 1970 Hemi Cuda hardtop built."

[Mr. Govier confirmed this story. A Chrysler representative who examined this document and the car's title said in an email that "it certainly looks like" Mr. Dodane's story is true. "I believe it [but] cannot prove it," he said.]

The Plymouth Hemi Barracuda has evolved into an iconic muscle car, highly desired by collectors. The Hemi refers to the 426-cubic inch V-8, a 425-horsepower motor with hemispherical combustion chambers. Very few of these vehicles were built, which means most people have never even seen one, except in pictures.

Since I found out about this car's history over three decades ago, I have driven it about 30 miles, and I keep it at the National Auto & Truck Museum in Auburn, Ind. Someday soon I am going to sell my car, but until then it's my prize possession.

[Cuda Cody]

Does anyone have a photo of the fender tag?  We know that 000010 was a Hemi Cuda, so this would have the be earlier then that to be the first one.  I think they used 000010 for a lot of photo shoots too.

[Culvers]

should be this one

[Cuda Cody]

       

[750-h2]

Wow! That is neat to see such and early car!

[HP_Cuda]

Funny those are screws and not rivets...

Maybe it was a first run thing.

[6bblgt]

VIN tag used rivits
fender tag used screws

[HP_Cuda]

Your right but those screws don't even look right.

VIN tag used rivits
fender tag used screws

[6bblgt]

0B100003 "JOB NUMBER 5" & 0B100010 "JOB #159" are both PRE-production hemi'cudas - hand built, not assembly line built  before production for 1970 models began in August of 1969.

Here is BS27V0B100004 it was 1970 model year Chrysler Corp. "JOB NUMBER 8" and appears to have been built May/June '69 - 0B100003 would've been built around the same time - 0B100010 probably a month later for press preview duties

things change & get added over the decades, but notably missing from 0B100003 & 0B100004 are STANDARD '70 'cuda equipment: fog lights, hoodpins & rocker mouldings

[CudaMoparRay]

Here are the pictures

[RzeroB]

New pictures of that car to me. Whoever found them and posted them up thanks! 

So, that's Gary with NATMUS in the background? For some reason I assumed the building would be ... bigger?

For a while there I thought that Gary had struck a part cash, part trade deal on this car. There was a rather eclectic group of cars listed such as an Amphicar (amphibious car), Messerschmidt KR200 and BMW Isetta 3-wheeled cars, a 23 window VW micro-bus and a Superbird, albeit only in FJ5 Limelight. I thought those cars were part of the cash / trade deal for this car, but as it turns out, these were only the cars that Gary was interested in trading for?? 

[73440]

Current view of The Car !
Visited the museum today , but did not know or read the signboard to realize the significance of the car.  UGH !!!

[CudaMoparRay]

Good to see the car is still Kicking and being enjoyed