SEPTEMBER 2019 45

Energy

By Scotty Lachenauer

M

opar connoisseurs may recognize the name Steve

Klein, whether from the internet or another muscle

car publication over the years, especially when

big-time Plymouths were featured. Steve’s been at

this hobby for more than 40 years, buying, selling, owning, and

driving some of the hottest Pentastars on the planet. His ride of

choice is, without a doubt, the “bad to the fish-bone” ’Cuda.

Steve’s love for the Mopar ponycar goes back to his high school

days, when he scored his first fish. “It was a 383-motivated 1971

Sassy Grass Green (code FJ6) ’Cuda convertible that I bought

for $3,000,” he says. He was instantly infatuated by not only the

Mopar’s performance but also its High Impact paint scheme.

The rare hue exponentially boosted Steve’s lust for his new ride.

The pair was soon inseparable, hitting the streets of southern

Connecticut with a vengeance, with Steve persistently testing its

factory-installed big-block. It was his dream ride, as well as his ev-

eryday driver and errand performer.

Soon the collector car market would realize the rarity of a drop-

top, powered-up fish bearing the rare Mopar High Impact color.

Values went up, and opportunities to own them started to fade.

After a dozen years of service, the now valuable car was sold

off to fund other cars. But Steve never got over his ’Cuda addic-

tion. In 1998, the bug hit him to drive one again, and he was soon

on his way, seeking out new rides to purchase for his sparse but

intense collection. He went on to collect many prized ’Cudas,

including the crème de la crème of the Mopar world, a true 1970

Hemi ’Cuda convertible.