Craig Jackson’s 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda: Jay Leno Meets the Quintessential Muscle Car

Craig Jackson has watched more Hemi ‘Cudas cross the auction block than almost anyone alive as Chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson — and out of all of them, this 1970 example is the one he kept for himself, calling it ‘the quintessential muscle car.’ Jay Leno joins him for a drive through the canyons and hears the full story behind how Jackson acquired it. When the industry’s top authority on muscle car values picks a favorite, it’s worth paying attention. Watch to hear why this one made the cut.

When the man who runs the largest collector car auction house in the world picks one car from his own personal collection to call “the quintessential muscle car,” that’s not a label handed out lightly. Craig Jackson has watched more Hemi ‘Cudas cross an auction block than almost anyone alive, and out of all of them, this 1970 example is the one he kept for himself. Jay Leno takes the wheel alongside him for a drive through the canyons, and the story behind how Jackson ended up with this particular car is as revealing as the drive itself.

Why Craig Jackson’s Opinion on Muscle Cars Actually Matters

As Chairman and CEO of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, Craig Jackson has spent decades watching what collectors actually pay for, which cars hold value, and which ones spike or fade in demand over time. That vantage point gives his personal collection a different kind of credibility than a typical enthusiast’s garage — every car he’s chosen to keep for himself has been selected by someone who has literally seen the entire market pass through his auction blocks. When that person calls a 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda the quintessential muscle car, it carries the weight of someone who has the data to back up the opinion, not just the nostalgia.

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The Hemi ‘Cuda’s Reputation Among Muscle Car Royalty

Plymouth’s 426 Hemi engine option, available in the ‘Cuda starting with the 1970 model year’s redesigned E-body platform, is widely considered one of the most desirable muscle car powertrain combinations Detroit ever produced — a genuinely race-derived engine stuffed into a street car with minimal compromise. Hemi ‘Cudas from this era are among the rarest and most valuable muscle cars at auction today specifically because so few were originally ordered with the option, given its steep price premium and the insurance costs that came with it. That rarity, combined with the E-body’s aggressive redesigned styling, is a huge part of why this specific car earns the title it does.

A Drive Through the Canyons, Not a Static Display

Rather than filming this Hemi ‘Cuda parked in a studio, Leno and Jackson take it out into the canyons for an actual drive — the kind of format that reveals far more about a car’s real character than any walkaround ever could. Hearing a 426 Hemi work through its rev range on a winding road, feeling how the car’s suspension and steering respond to real curves rather than a straight showroom floor, is exactly the context a genuinely great muscle car deserves. It’s a reminder that Jackson didn’t just buy this car to look at — he bought it, at least in part, to drive.

How Craig Jackson Acquired This Particular Car

Given his position running the world’s largest classic car auction, Jackson has had access to more Hemi ‘Cudas than almost anyone else on the planet, and choosing this specific example to keep rather than sell says something about what separates a great muscle car from a merely good one in his eyes. The full story of the acquisition, shared directly with Leno during the episode, gives viewers rare insight into how someone at the absolute top of the collector car world actually evaluates and selects cars for a personal collection rather than an auction inventory.

The 1970 E-Body Redesign That Changed Everything

1970 marked a complete platform redesign for the Barracuda and Challenger, moving to what’s now known as the E-body — the same 108-inch wheelbase as the outgoing Barracuda, but roughly five inches wider, six inches shorter overall, and far more aggressive than the previous generation’s conservative shape. That redesign is exactly what allowed Plymouth to fit the massive 426 Hemi under the hood without the awkward proportions earlier Barracudas would have suffered from, and it’s the reason 1970-71 Hemi ‘Cudas carry such a distinct, muscular silhouette that’s instantly recognizable even to people who don’t follow muscle cars closely.

Why Enthusiasts Call This the Golden Era

Viewer reaction to this episode leans heavily on nostalgia for the specific period this car represents — a stretch of just a few years before insurance costs and emissions regulations effectively ended the muscle car arms race that produced cars like this one. That narrow window is exactly why cars from this era carry such outsized cultural weight today: they represent the absolute peak of what Detroit was willing to build before external pressures forced a retreat, and a genuine Hemi ‘Cuda sits about as close to the top of that peak as any car gets.

What This Car’s Value Says About the Broader Market

Hemi ‘Cudas have set some of the highest prices ever recorded for American muscle cars at auction, with the rarest documented examples — convertibles especially — bringing well over a million dollars when they cross the block. Even a well-documented hardtop like the one featured here typically commands a price that puts it firmly among the most valuable muscle cars from any manufacturer, which is exactly the kind of market data Jackson would know better than almost anyone given his role running Barrett-Jackson’s auctions.

A Personal Collection Built on Expertise

What makes this episode more than just another classic car walkaround is the person doing the walking — Craig Jackson isn’t a celebrity collector buying based on hype, he’s the industry’s leading authority on what these cars are actually worth and why. His choice to personally own and drive this 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda, rather than simply auction it off to the highest bidder, is a genuine endorsement from someone whose entire career is built on knowing exactly which cars matter most.

Where the Hemi Name Actually Comes From

The Hemi designation refers to the hemispherical combustion chamber design that allowed for larger valves and more efficient airflow than a conventional wedge-shaped chamber, an engineering approach Chrysler first proved on the racetrack in NASCAR and drag racing before ever offering it in a street-legal muscle car. Bringing that race-bred architecture into a production ‘Cuda for 1970 meant street buyers could, in theory, drive home an engine philosophy that had been developed and refined under actual competition conditions. That racing pedigree is a big part of why Hemi-powered cars carry a different mystique than other big-block options from the same era, even among cars that were, on paper, nearly as powerful.

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