Only eleven 1971 Plymouth Cuda convertibles left the factory with a 426 Hemi under the hood, and this yellow-and-white example from The Brothers Collection is one of them. V8TV Muscle Car of the Week walks through why pairing a street-fighting Hemi with a drop-top body should not work on paper, yet somehow does. It is a rare look at one of Mopar smallest production numbers in the metal.
Eleven. That is the entire global production count of one specific combination that this car represents, and it is the kind of number that turns a simple driveway walkaround into something closer to viewing a museum piece. V8TV Muscle Car of the Week series usually covers cars that are rare in the way most muscle cars are rare — hundreds or low thousands built. This episode is different. The car in question is a 1971 Plymouth Cuda convertible finished in yellow and white, and before the host even opens the hood, the math involved in how few of these actually exist starts to feel almost unbelievable.
Why Only Eleven Exist
Plymouth built just 374 Cuda convertibles for the entire 1971 model year, making the drop-top variant scarce on its own before any engine option gets factored in. Add the 426 Hemi to that already-small pool, and the number collapses to eleven cars — a figure so small that most Mopar collectors will never see one in person, let alone drive one. This particular example comes from The Brothers Collection, and V8TV walkthrough treats it with the kind of careful attention that a count like eleven demands.
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A Summer Car With a Street-Fighter Heart
There is an inherent tension in pairing the 426 Hemi with a convertible body style — the Hemi was built for straight-line violence, and the convertible was built for cruising with the top down on a summer evening. V8TV breakdown does not shy away from that contrast, walking through how Plymouth engineers made room for the massive Hemi under a body that was never really designed around it. It is a mismatch that should not work on paper, and yet it is exactly why cars like this one command the attention they do.
A Car That Rarely Leaves Private Hands
Cars pulled from a collection as tightly held as The Brothers Collection rarely make it in front of cameras at all, which is part of what makes this walkthrough valuable beyond the numbers themselves. V8TV treats the access as a privilege rather than a formality, spending real time on details that a quick auction listing would never bother to mention.
Where This Convertible Sits in Mopar Collecting
Hemi ‘Cuda coupes already command serious money at auction, but the convertible variant occupies a different tier entirely, since body-in-white convertible shells required additional reinforcement that Plymouth simply did not build in the same volume as hardtops. Collectors chasing 1971 Hemi cars specifically often end up choosing between a coupe they can actually find and a convertible they may spend years searching for, which is part of what makes The Brothers Collection example worth featuring at all.
What V8TV Brings to a Car Like This
V8TV Muscle Car of the Week format has built credibility by treating rare cars without excessive hype, favoring straightforward walkarounds over dramatic reveals. That restraint works in this car favor, since a Hemi ‘Cuda convertible does not need editorializing to make its case — the production numbers and options list do that work on their own, and V8TV lets them.
Why Eleven Cars Still Generate This Much Interest
A production number this small means most Mopar fans will only ever encounter this specific combination through footage like V8TV’s, which makes documentation of surviving examples more valuable with each passing year. As original owners and early collectors age out of the hobby, walkarounds like this one increasingly become the only record casual fans will ever see of cars this rare.
It also offers a useful benchmark for anyone trying to judge just how differently a convertible Hemi car drives compared to its hardtop counterpart, a distinction that rarely gets addressed outside of walkarounds this detailed.
Watch the full video and share your thoughts below.
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Extremely Rare Legendary 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible
Awesome
Absolutely Gorgeous Period
Almost look’s like the Don Johnson car from the series
THAT is my dream car.
Nice ride
The Cuda as well as the Chargers and Challengers are all Iconic muscle cars right at the top of the list! No slight to Ford or Chevy just saying MOpar or No car!!
I will take it
This the only American muscle car convertible I like. Not a convertible fan but on a Cuda of yeah.
I would love to have it. Mopar or no car
Before I die..id love to have this car…yours truly; gear head
Bad ass ride, wish I could have this car !! I have a 1967 Barracuda convertible with a 408 stroker engine 727 trans 3500 shall convertor, 8 3/4 – 3.55 gears!
Nice
My favourite car
69 camaro for me!
Beautiful!
Yes
I think it was the baddest car ever made!
Love it
Beautiful car,
Awesome. I love it
Beautiful, hot ride!!
Smoking car Mopar Muscle drop top and that particular car was in a TV series if u remember
My son wants one sooo bad
Awesome!
1 of 16
Fave
Love them old mopor
Absolutely… the Cuda sets the goal for most muscle cars…
Most beautiful muscle car made. Wish my Formula S was a 71 Hemi Cuda Convertible. Hell, I’d love the hard top!