Ultra-Rare 1970 ‘Cuda Convertible 440
Chances Are You’ve Never Seen Two 1970 Cuda Convertible 440s Parked Next to Each Other. Because Very Few Were Made
Plymouth’s history is littered with big displacement. 426 Hemi and 440 are two numbers that stand out among the rest. Auction blocks tell us the 427s are the ones to get, but 440s still have their place at a red light, as this “Muscle Car of the Week” video clearly shows.
The convertible 440 wasn’t at all a common sight in Plymouth showrooms. And that’s because only 17 were made. Being the sportier ‘Cuda, this one was equipped pretty sparingly, with a manual transmission mounted to essentially a bare floor. Tan vinyl adds a bit of luxury, exposed even more so when the manual top is folded down. AM radio and crank windows let you know this purchaser was more concerned with performance than coddling himself in luxury.
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Sporting a Shaker hood, and the 440 big block, this ‘Cuda had 390 horsepower, and a tire-smoking 490 lb/ft of torque. Engineers knew the kind of torque the car would produce, which explains the unusual leaf spring arrangement on the back axle. The front axle was also strengthened, but in a more conventional way.
Even though a 440 won’t fetch the kind of bid of a Hemi might, any rare Mopar will still take some decent cash to convince an owner to part ways. It’s not like the other 16 manual convertible 440s will be for sale any time soon.
Via [MuscleCarOfTheWeek]
