The digital artists over at HotCars have inspired us lately with some of their incredible restomod renders. This ’71 Plymouth ‘Cuda restomod render spares no expense for detail and it leaves us drooling for a real life incarnation. Let’s talk for a minute about why the pairing of a Hellcat 6.2L Supercharged HEMI with a ’71 ‘Cuda is such a perfect match for a restomod. In the 1970’s, a 717HP muscle car from the factory would’ve sounded insane, but not unbelievable. This is because even in the 1970s, Mopar was already achieving record horsepower numbers from its muscle cars, and the Plymouth HEMI Cuda was the leader of the pack.
With a 7 liter 426 cubic inch HEMI V8 engine under the hood, the HEMI ‘Cuda was good for 475 horsepower and could take the car from 0-60 in just 5.8 seconds. It was a marvel in automotive engineering just as the oil and gas crisis was right around the corner. Mopar seemed to predict the impending doom of the muscle car and gave it one last hurrah with the ultra powerful HEMI ‘Cuda. Fast forward to today and we’ve revived the Mopar muscle car but despite the HEMI V8 losing almost an entire liter in displacement, it makes up for with a twin-screw 2.4 liter supercharger… add a few more modern bells and whistles and you get 717 horsepower. Even better is how tamable that horsepower is thanks to computers and traction control and 8 speed automatics. Once again, Mopar has achieved horsepower greatness just like it did in 1970. What’s even more impressive is how Mopar engineers built and even more powerful engine that meets today’s aggressive emissions regulations.
Where we give a little criticism though is how bulky and huge the modern Challenger looks. When the Hellcat debuted, some of Mopar’s harshest critics called it the “Fatcat” largely due to it’s weight and appearance. We still appreciate the retro design cues in the modern Challenger and they did their best to fit it in a modern package, but to the classic car enthusiast it leaves a little to be desired. Enter this ’71 HEMI ‘Cuda restomod render.
The body lines on the classic Mopar E-body are just purely delicious. The low profile of its shape just makes it look fast even when it’s standing still. The render combines the modern elements of today’s Hellcat Widebody with the classic ‘Cuda. The fender flares don’t just look great, they also allow a lot more tire for more traction. In real life the “HEMI” stripe emblazoned along the body could have been the original; with a Hellcat HEMI under the hood, there’s no need to change it to anything else.
A cool nod to the shaker hood that came on the original HEMI ‘Cuda is the Hellcat supercharger bulging out from underneath. A sleek, blacked out grille lies between LED headlights and behind the HotCars license plate you get a hint of an intercooler. A chin spoiler adds more flare and functionality (thank god there’s no yellow guards on it), and to top it off theres a pair of racing style hood latches.
Not many HEMI ‘Cudas were optioned as convertibles, which would make the real life version of this car insanely rare. Some have sold for over a million dollars at auction.
The interior features a modern Challenger dashboard, complete with the infotainment screen and all the fun buttons on the steering wheel. The interior retains some classic touches like the pinstripe bucket seats, and black door panels. The ‘Cuda now has modern Challenger mirros on the outside; another nod to the modern Mopar muscle car.
Out back the rear bumper remains true to form, but gone are the chrome bumpers, instead fitted with flush mounted, color matched replacements. The classic ‘Cuda badge has been retained, as well as the overall design of the taillight panel. A spoiler adds some more aggressiveness, while the exhaust…wait, where’s the exhaust?
Ah yes, the exhaust has been relocated to the sides of the ‘Cuda; a tried and true method to bring the harmonic noise of that V8 closer to your ears. The deep dish wheels look great on this ‘Cuda and pays homage to the steelies that came on the original.
These kinds of awesome renderings provide us at RestoMods with a lot of inspiration for how we might build a Plymouth HEMI ‘Cuda restomod. If you could build the ‘Cuda of your dreams, would it look like this? Tell us what you think!
