805 HP 1970 Plymouth Cuda Custom Restomod & Engine Sound

From ten feet away it is a coveted 1970 Plymouth Cuda in Pearl Orange Metallic; lean closer and almost nothing beneath the skin is factory. Built over two years by Jeff Schwartz and his team, it hides a 426 Hemi making 805 horsepower on a modern Schwartz chassis — a road-ready race car that keeps every ounce of 1970 attitude. It is the restomod argument made at full volume. See what two years of work produced.

From ten feet away, this looks like exactly what it should: a 1970 Plymouth Cuda, one of the most coveted shapes Chrysler ever put on the road. Lean in closer, though, and the illusion starts to unravel in the best possible way, because almost nothing under that classic skin is what the factory installed. The number that gives it away is 805 — as in horsepower — and it is backed by a build philosophy that treats the original Cuda as a starting sketch rather than a finished painting. Filmed at Schwartz Performance headquarters in Woodstock, Illinois, this is a car that keeps every ounce of 1970 attitude while hiding a thoroughly modern machine underneath. What it took to get there is the part worth hearing from the man who built it.

805 Horsepower Under a Factory Silhouette

The car is shared by Jeff Schwartz, owner of Schwartz Performance and the head of the build team, and he does not undersell the effort. This Cuda took two years to complete, and the goal was singular: retain all the looks of a 1970 Cuda while making everything beneath it brand new.

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Two Years on a Schwartz Chassis

That 805-horsepower figure comes courtesy of a 426 Hemi — the right engine, spiritually, for a car like this — but tuned and built far beyond anything the original ever dreamed of. Bolted into a modern Schwartz chassis, the result is described as a road-ready race car, one that can be driven hard and often rather than babied to a show field. The company specializes in frames and full builds for hot rods and muscle cars, and this Cuda is essentially a rolling business card for what they can do.

Pearl Orange and All Business

Finished in Pearl Orange Metallic, the car photographs like a period-correct restoration and drives like something from a completely different era. That contrast — vintage silhouette, contemporary capability — is the entire appeal of a proper restomod, and few examples make the case as loudly as an 805-horsepower Cuda.

The Restomod Done Right

The best restomods resist the temptation to shout about their modifications, and this Cuda is a case study in that restraint. Rather than slathering the car in billboards for its own upgrades, the Schwartz team let the shape do the talking and hid the engineering where it belongs. The payoff is a car that can fool a purist at a glance and then embarrass a modern sports car at a stoplight. For anyone weighing a numbers-matching restoration against a modernized build, this Cuda is a persuasive argument for the second path — proof that you can keep the soul of a 1970 Mopar while giving it a body that finally matches the fantasy. Watch the full video and share your thoughts below.

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