Plymouth Hemi Cuda 1971

Plymouth built only 115 Hemi ‘Cuda coupes for 1971, and just seven convertibles, for the entire world. This was also the last year Chrysler would offer the 426 Hemi in a production car for the next four decades. See the numbers behind one of the rarest, most feared muscle cars Detroit ever built.

Only 115 cars like this one were built for the entire 1971 model year, and if you wanted the same car with the top down, Plymouth built just 12 of those, for the whole world. The 426 Hemi under the hood of the 1971 ‘Cuda wasn’t just powerful, it was already living on borrowed time: this would be the last year any American manufacturer offered the Hemi in a production car for the next four decades. Collectors don’t chase this car because it’s fast, even though it very much is. They chase it because Plymouth built almost none of them, and then quietly killed the engine that made it famous. What made 1971 such an unlikely finale for the most feared engine in muscle car history?

425 Horsepower on Paper, More Than That in Reputation

The 426 Hemi V8 in the 1971 ‘Cuda was factory-rated at 425 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 490 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, a gross rating that, measured the more conservative net way modern engines are tested, worked out closer to 350 horsepower. Even by the more honest net figure, it was still one of the most formidable engines Detroit had ever put in a production car, and street racers of the era treated any Hemi badge as a warning to stay out of the way.

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A Production Run You Could Count on Two Hands and a Few Fingers

Plymouth built only 115 Hemi ‘Cuda hardtop coupes for the entire 1971 model year, and just seven Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles, of which only 59 total cars, coupes and convertibles combined, were ordered with the Hemi paired to a four-speed manual transmission. Widen the lens to every Hemi ‘Cuda convertible Plymouth ever built, any year, and the number is 21 cars worldwide, with just 12 of those built specifically for 1971.

The Last Hemi for Forty Years

1971 turned out to be the final year Chrysler offered the 426 Hemi in a production car, tightening emissions standards, rising insurance costs on high-horsepower muscle cars, and shrinking demand all combined to kill the engine after this single model year. The Hemi name wouldn’t reappear under a factory hood until 2003, and it would take until 2012 for a modern Hemi-badged Mopar to genuinely evoke the same street-racing reputation the 426 built in the muscle car era.

Why This Car Commands Serious Money Today

Extreme rarity combined with genuine performance is a rare pairing in the collector car market, and the 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda checks both boxes at once, a car built in numbers small enough to make counterfeits and re-creations a real concern for buyers, verified through broadcast sheets and numbers-matching documentation rather than badges alone. That combination of scarcity, performance, and being the literal end of an era is exactly why surviving, documented Hemi ‘Cudas from 1971 routinely rank among the most valuable muscle cars sold at auction.

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