Indulge me for a moment, I beg of you. The ultimate dream machine of mine, one that I firmly believe to be unapproachable for some time to come (at least) is a 1972-74 Plymouth ‘Cuda. It is a classic case of trying to get the car that you hold the strongest feelings of nostalgia for. Sure, I’d like another 1975-77 Camaro, like my first car and the first car that got me hooked into this sickness that we all suffer from, but…well, it just doesn’t pull at my heart quite like the Plymouth does. I’ve had a couple of second-gen Camaros. I have yet to even get behind the wheel of an E-body, and I’ve only ridden in one once, the same car that drew my eyes when I was nine years old, when it got put back onto the street after years of being a dragstrip terror.
As with any fantasy, you tend to dream up what you envision the car looking like, sounding like, acting like. In the case of my dream ‘Cuda, I want snotty, raucous power that didn’t prove to be tempermental. I wanted a manual transmission with the pistol grip shifter, and I wanted the car to drive like a teenage delinquent’s parking lot dream machine (read: sideways at the tip of your toe, barking gears, the whole lot.) And other than the automatic in this particular car, you’re looking at just about how I picture my dream machine.
And just for a point, here’s one of the comments from the video that sits well with me, posted by “justin jia”:
“Assuming this ‘Cuda weighs about 3,400 pounds,
The weight difference between this ‘Cuda and a new Challenger Hellcat is about 1,100 pounds.
The weight difference between this ‘Cuda and a 1995 USDM MR-2 T-Top Turbo is about 450 pounds.”
The very first E body I ever saw was an orange Challenger R/T 383 4 spd. The guy dumped the clutch from a dig and power shifted it while the tires were still smoking. Found out later he had just picked the car up that day and it had 50 miles on it at the time.
Never liked the E body mopars; they look too much like a stinking Camaro…
Try harder Gary, you are no CHMG
Beautiful car with a great family provenance. I’ve always liked this bodystyle although I’ve never personally owned a Mopar. Having grown up in the era and having owned a few period muscle cars, it’s interesting, (yet again, … yawn), hearing a reviewer born in 1993(?) benchmark the handling, braking, etc., of a 70’s vehicle against that of vehicles manufactured after 1993, and then, with a hint of smugness, imply how primitive these vehicles are when compared to cars they grew up with. Yes, we know, it’s not modern. The point has been beaten to death, so if you’re going to have a car review channel, how about trying to bring something fresh to the conversation? Finally, on a different point, why criticize such a cool surviving car that was part of a great time in automotive history, with a, “never liked these…” or “brand X sucks” type comment? Sweet mother of … move on or just be quiet about it. Trust me, it doesn’t make you look brilliant. Other than that, enjoyed watching the drive along. Thanks!