How Rare Is A 1971 Plymouth HEMI Cuda & What's One Go For Today?

Chrysler formed the Plymouth division in 1928 as an entry-level brand, borrowing the name from a brand of twine popular with farmers. Both companies leaned on the name's association with early English settlers in Massachusetts; the automaker even featured the Mayflower on an early version of its badging. Plymouth peaked during the muscle car era of the 1960s and '70s, producing high-potency beasts like the GTX, Road Runner, and Barracuda. Chrysler built its first HEMI car engine in 1951, and a larger version appeared in 1964. 

Plymouth lopped off the front half of the Barracuda's nameplate starting in 1969 for high-performance models with big-block V8s. The next year, the newly minted 'Cuda got Chrysler's 426 cubic inch HEMI, and a tire-smoking legend was born. The HEMI 'Cuda was carried over to the 1971 model year, and the engine in that car produced 426 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque. That was enough to hustle it from 0-60 in just 5.2 seconds and to a terminal velocity of 140 miles per hour. But just how many 1971 HEMI 'Cudas were made, and what are they worth today?

The $4,000-plus price of a HEMI 'Cuda convertible and the high cost of insuring such a car meant it didn't fly off dealership lots as fast as it was capable of doing, and Plymouth stopped using the 426 HEMI in E-body cars after 1971. That year, only about 100 'Cuda hardtops and just 11 convertibles got the HEMI option, making these cars extremely valuable and hard to find more than half a century later. If you have your heart set on a 1971 HEMI 'Cuda convertible, you had best jump in a time machine and head back to 1970 to pay the MSRP, or at least 1994, when Apple stock traded at about 25 cents per share. It cracked the $100 mark in 2014, and is now worth more than twice that amount. 

You'll need that kind of money and a lot of luck to land a HEMI 'Cuda convertible today. According to Auto Evolution, one sold in 2014 for $3.8 million, another went two years later for $2.5 million, and the top bid of $4.8 million on a third in 2021 failed to meet the seller's reserve price. Listings for more 1971 HEMI 'Cudas on Classic.com are muddled by the presence of clones, re-creations, and other non-original examples. Three fairly original specimens sold this past January for $577,500 and $600,000, and $360,000, and another went for $407,500 a year prior to that.