Steve Klein purchased this FJ6-
skinned Hemi ’Cuda coupe in Montreal,
where it was known back in the day as
the fastest street car in the city. It’s un-
restored, with just a repaint in 1975. The
odometer shows just over 34,000 miles.GREEN ENERGY
Among the rare
options on the ’Cuda
is the electric plug-in
block heater, installed
at the factory. It was a
must for cars that lived
in the upper reaches of
the U.S. and Canada.46 SEPTEMBER 2019
AT A GLANCE
1971 HEMI ’CUDA COUPE
Owned by: Steve Klein
Restored by: Original (repaint in 1975)
Engine: 426ci/425hp Hemi V-8
Transmission: A727 TorqueFlite 3-speed auto.
Rearend: Dana 60 with 3.55 gears and Sure Grip
Interior: Black leather bucket seat
Wheels: 15x7 steel
Tires: F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT by Coker
Special parts: Factory options include AM/FM
thumbwheel radio, rear speaker option, Rallye
gauges, power brakes, block heater, light pack-
age, color-keyed grille and racing mirrors, and
foglights.“It had just one repaint in 1975 ”
1971 Hemi ’Cuda Coupe
Once Steve got back into the hobby, he
started his search for the big dogs of the
Mopar world, the vaunted 440/6-barrel
and 426 Hemi ’Cudas. In 1998 he placed
an ad in Hemmings looking precisely
for those particular rides. He soon got a
response from a gentleman in Montreal
who said he had a nice 440/6 Challenger
for sale.
“It wasn’t really what I was looking for,
so I asked if he knew of any 1971 Hemi ’Cu-
das for sale,” says Steve. Low and behold
he knew of a guy with one, and luckily he
was sitting there right next to him.
The callers were well-known Mopar afi-
cionados Nick and Phil Panaritis. Phil had
a sweet 1971 Hemi ’Cuda in his possession
and was willing to part with it for the right
price. The more Phil talked about the car,
the more Steve realized that he knew the
car in question. Not only was he aware of
the ’Cuda, but he even had a picture of this
particular car on his wall at home!
Steve was definitely interested and
took a stab at getting the title. There had
been many courters over the years for
this ’Cuda, but the brothers always pushed
them away. Now they felt the time was
right to sell the cherished ride. After some
negotiating, Steve landed the car. Only
problem now was the fact that it was win-
ter, and, well, it can be pretty chilly north of
the border that time of year.
“It was now or never, so I packed for
the long haul to Canada. I was driving myBlazer and pulling an open trailer,” recalls
Steve.
When he got there he found that an-
other offer had come in on the ’Cuda that
was much higher than his. “It didn’t matter
though. They respected my bid and sold
me the car without a second thought,”
says Steve. Now the only issue was getting
the car back home to Connecticut without
damaging it. Luckily the weather held out,
and Steve brought his new prize back to
his garage.
What he bought was one of the rarest
rides that Plymouth ever sent down a
Chrysler assembly line. It is one of 108
Hemi ’Cuda coupes built in 1971, one of
only a handful skinned in the FJ6 hue, and
the only one built with both billboards
and louvers from the factory. It had just
one repaint, in 1975, and has never been
restored. With only 34,000 miles on the
odometer, the
Hemi is just getting
broken in. It was
also born with a
slew of great op-
tions, including
an electric block
heater, leather
interior, and those
super-rare
louvers out back.