70 HEMI 'CUDA " THE MOST SAUGHT AFTER OF ALL !! "

From 1966-71, Dodge stuffed their massive Hemi into the small E-Body platform and the 1970 Hemi 'Cuda is widely accepted as one of the most saught after of these. Only 652 were built when new, including 14 rare convertibles, making an original Hemi 'Cuda a rare sight. The Hemi 'Cuda was forced in scarcity due to the extra $900 it cost to build one-nearly a third of the standard purchase price. At $250, the 390 bhp 440 V8 became the norm and made the Hemi Cuda an exception. Motor Trend tested the 426 Hemi ’Cuda in their May 1970 issue, reaching 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 14 seconds at 102 mph. The long list of options made available for 1970 Barracudas included such goodies as a Track Pak with a 3.54:1 differential ratio, Rallye wheels, a range of exciting colors including Plum Crazy, pistol grip shifters, hockey stick sport stripes, hood pins and a variety of creature comforts. Of all the options, the R-code steet Hemi 426 was the most legendary Mopar engine. It typically delivered 425 bhp through the solid 727 Torqueflight automatic and a 3.55:1 Sure Grip rear axle. That is, unless the car was one of the 284 that got a 4-speed manual. With their classic shape, tire-shredding American power, limited production and huge popularity a 1970 Hemi 'Cuda can easily fetch over $150 000 USD. This is a remarkable amount for a car with the same build quailty as a mass-produced Plymouth. However, the aggressive sound of Hemi combined with visual street cred and Barrett-Jackson publicity now make these Cudas more expensive than most Ferraris produced in the same era. Changes for 1971 were minimal and included a more complex 6 inlet grille design and fender gill louvers. Only 100 or so of these were built and the seven ultra-rare 1971 convertibles are the most expensive muscle cars money can buy. In 72, the government and EPA kicked the muscle car in the ass with emissions regulations. After that time, no more Hemi or more big block models could be ordered

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Legendary " COPO Camaro's " One of the Fastest & Rarest !!!

When Camaro enthusiasts hear the word "COPO Camaro" the 9561 model of 1969 is usually the first one that comes to mind. Production numbers were in the hundreds, but the exact production totals aren’t known. However, we do know that 1015 L72 (427 cubic inch) engines were built for COPO Camaros – 822 to fit four-speeds and 193 for automatics. COPO 9561 Camaros were hardly plentiful but they certainly spent more time in the limelight because they served as the foundation for a number of "supercar conversions" including the legendary Yenko Super Camaro, in 1969.

The COPO Camaro rolled off the assembly line with dog-dish hubcaps, usually plain-jane interior, headers in the trunk to be installed by the dealer and best of all, no external badging whatsoever to warn the poor guy in the nearest lane.
It featured a huge, 850 CFM Holley four-barrel carburetor, a high-nine aluminum intake, and massive "rectangular-port" cylinder heads stuffed with 2.19 intake and 1.72 inch exhaust values.

A forged steel crank-shaft with forged steel connecting rods slung forged aluminum pistons. Also, Chevy gave the engine a 11.0:1 compression ratio. COPO 9651 Camaro was capable of ripping off 12-second elapsed times down the quarter-mile. To dip into 11 seconds required a set of slicks and traction bars.

This particular car has the hounchtooth interior, ducktail rear spoiler and a front spoiler, along with the original style polyglas tires. The car was purchased in Ontario, Canada in the September `03 after a complete restoration had been completed.

The L72 engine had all the appropriate performance parts any right minded speed freak could have wanted in the late 1960’s.

This Camaro placed 2nd at the Camaro Nationals in the Supercar Division in 2003. Now resides in Daryl Carter’s Personal Muscle Car Collection in Penticton, B.C., Canada.
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