1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda Convertible in Blue & 440 Engine

Tom Lembeck has owned fourteen 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda convertibles, but this Jamaica Blue example with the 440 Six Pack still holds a specific title: the first big-block ‘Cuda he ever bought, back in 1997. Nearly three decades later, it still looks close to showroom-fresh. Watch to hear why, out of fourteen cars, this is the one Tom keeps coming back to.

Tom Lembeck has owned fourteen different 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda convertibles over the years, which makes his answer to “which one is your favorite” worth paying attention to. It’s not the rarest, not the most valuable, and not the one with the biggest engine option on the order sheet — it’s this Jamaica Blue example with a 440, the first big-block ‘Cuda he ever bought, back in 1997. There’s a reason a man who has owned this many of the same car still calls this specific one his favorite, and it isn’t really about the car at all.

The 440 Option Inside the ‘Cuda Lineup

Plymouth offered the 1970 ‘Cuda with a range of engines topping out at the 426 Hemi, but the 440 — available in both standard four-barrel and 440 Six Pack tune — represented the more attainable big-block choice for buyers who wanted serious power without the Hemi’s cost and complexity. A commenter identifies this particular car’s setup as the Six Pack configuration, three two-barrel carburetors stacked for a factory tune aggressive enough to worry Hemi owners on the street.

⚑ Featured Gear

Start Car Conversations →

← Prev Next →

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Why the First Big-Block Sticks With an Owner

Tom explains that out of fourteen ‘Cudas owned over the years, this Jamaica Blue convertible holds a specific distinction: it was the first one he bought with a genuine big-block under the hood, which makes it the car that changed what he expected from the model going forward. Once an owner has felt what a 440 does compared to a small-block ‘Cuda, there’s rarely any going back.

A Car That Looks Like It Never Left the Showroom

More than one commenter marvels at how close to showroom-fresh this example still looks, crediting both the original owner and Tom’s care since 1997 for a level of preservation that’s increasingly rare among convertibles from this era, which were frequently driven hard, modified, or simply used up rather than kept original.

How These Cars Turn Up Decades Later

One commenter shares a detail that captures how much of this hobby runs on chance: finding an original broadcast sheet — the factory build sheet placed inside a car during assembly — for a 1970 ‘Cuda convertible with the 440 Six Pack and four-speed, tucked inside a truck they’d just purchased for unrelated reasons. Broadcast sheets like that are treated as gospel by restorers trying to verify a car’s factory-correct specification.

The Comparison That Says the Most

A commenter based in Germany recalls a friend who owned a similar ‘Cuda that wasn’t nearly as well sorted, describing steering that barely seemed to communicate with the front wheels and soft factory springs that made for genuinely unpredictable handling at speed — a reminder that even celebrated muscle cars from this era had real, well-documented handling limitations compared to what came after.

A Convertible That Rewards Patience

One viewer notes a small but telling detail: he always prefers power windows in a convertible specifically because it makes lowering the rear windows easier when the top is down, a comment that reflects the kind of lived-in familiarity only someone who’s actually owned one of these cars would think to mention.

Why ‘Favorite’ Means Something Different Here

For an owner who has cycled through fourteen examples of the same model, “favorite” isn’t about rarity or investment value — it’s about which car taught him something the others didn’t. This Jamaica Blue 440 convertible earned that spot by being first, and by staying exactly as good as the day Tom bought it.

How the 440 ‘Cuda Compares to Its Hemi Sibling

The 426 Hemi option cost significantly more, required more specialized maintenance, and ran hotter in daily use than the 440, which is exactly why many original ‘Cuda buyers chose the big-block six-pack instead and never regretted it — a pattern reflected in Tom’s own collecting history, where the 440 became the car he actually drove and the one he kept returning to as a favorite rather than a garage queen.

What Convertible ‘Cudas Command in Today’s Market

Convertible ‘Cudas from 1970 command a substantial premium over their hardtop counterparts specifically because Plymouth built far fewer open-top cars that year, and a big-block convertible with genuine, documented history — like the broadcast sheet story shared in the comments — routinely draws serious collector interest well beyond what a comparable coupe would fetch at the same auction.

Why One Owner’s Fourteen Cars Matters to the Hobby

An owner who has cycled through fourteen examples of the same model develops a level of comparative expertise that few appraisers can match, and Tom’s willingness to share that knowledge — both about this specific car and about the fourteen others he’s owned — gives viewers a rare, first-hand education in exactly what separates a good ‘Cuda from a truly exceptional one.

What Makes a ‘Cuda Convertible Different to Drive Than a Coupe

Removing a hardtop’s structural roof panel meant Plymouth had to reinforce the ‘Cuda convertible’s chassis to compensate for lost rigidity, which added weight and changed the car’s handling character slightly compared to the coupe — a tradeoff buyers accepted gladly in exchange for open-air motoring and the visual drama only a convertible ‘Cuda delivers. That added complexity in the body structure is also part of why finding an original, non-rusted convertible chassis today is harder than finding an equivalent coupe, since the extra reinforcement points and convertible-specific sheet metal are exactly where decades of moisture exposure tend to do the most damage. A well-preserved example like this one, still wearing its original panels after more than fifty years, represents exactly the kind of survivor that’s becoming harder to find with each passing year, which is part of why an owner with fourteen ‘Cudas to compare against still singles this specific car out. The 440 Six Pack’s triple-carburetor setup also demanded more attentive tuning than a single four-barrel 440, a maintenance reality that likely factored into why Tom describes this particular car as the one that taught him what a proper big-block ‘Cuda should feel like on the street.

Catch the full video above and leave your thoughts below.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related posts:

Handsome 1969 Chevrolet Chevy Impala Custom SS in Blue & 427 Engine Dodge Challenger 1970 R/T Convertible 383 4 Speed in Blue Plymouth RoadRunner 1970 – “440 Six Pack” Cruisin’ The Coast 2015 The COPO Camaro’s SEMA Legacy: Chevy’s Drag-Strip-Only Secret Weapon American V8 Muscle Cars – Sights and Sounds! Ford Mustang 1968 Ford Mustang 1969 Mach 1 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air Ford Mustang 1969 Mach 1 351W Fastback Porsche 550 Spyder – Great Exhaust Sound Chevrolet Impala 1967 SS