In the world of the American muscle car, there is a certain pecking order. If it were organized upon feudal lines, there would be earls, dukes, and barons aplenty, but only a few princes. The 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible is a prince, and one of the highest order. These cars are among the most sought after in the entire realm of American iron. Part of a cars value and collectability is determined by its rareness, all other factors being equal. The 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible is as rare as they come; only seven were ever sold domestically. Only eleven were even ever built at all. Out of those eleven cars, nine were built with automatic transmissions. The other three were built with four speed manual transmissions.

The appeal of the car itself is obvious in its styling. The car is a beast, a large, hulking expression of American ferocity in muscle cars. The engine, a 426 Hemi, is probably the most sought after model in the history of the American muscle car. Most consider this to be one of the best engines ever made for drag racing, and it is still a popular choice for the top competitors in that field. The Hemi 426 has become a benchmark for power and strength in engine design. The engine itself in most of its incarnations is appreciated and sought after by car collectors. The engine as included as part of the package in a 71 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible is a dream few will ever be able to attain.

The car’s rarity was due in part to the convertible’s declining popularity of the period. The car, however, was designed as a power machine, with nothing to slow it down, not even a roof.

The 71 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible has in the last few decades become one of the most sought after collector cars on the market. The few times that they have moved at auction in recent years they have fetched outrageous prices, with one topping four million. Experts predict that this is one of those car’s whose value is only going to continue to appreciate over time, and the outlook is that the next time one of them moves the sale price will be much higher than the last one that sold. The cars are a status symbol to the muscle car collector. They represent owning the absolute finest. The car was brought back into the non-car collector’s eyes by a replica being used in the Don Johnson drama Nash Bridges. Originally, Johnson saw the car and said that was the car he wanted used in the show, before realizing the sky high asking prices on one of the vehicles. Due the originals being cost prohibitive, several replicas were built for use on the show.

There are many muscle cars with a reputation for rareness, power, and collectability. The 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible brings together all three to create a true gem.