Plymouth HEMI 'Cuda - 1971
This is not the first HEMI 'Cuda that I have recreated in Lego. It is, though perhaps the coolest.
Yellow is a real stand out colour on this model year, highlighted (or dark-lighted?) by the black side panels, which on the real car, have tall 'HEMI' lettering.
Why is the HEMI 'Cuda so important then?
M U S C L E S
The Muscle Car Era is one of the automobile industry’s Golden Era. The formula was simple: Small Car, Big Engine.
This was all relative, of course. Even the US Compacts were very large cars from the perspective of Europeans and Japanese. The engine was not a relative measure – the V8 fitted to the Plymouth shown was a mighty 7.0 litres capacity, at the time American engines were measured in cubic inches – 426 to be exact. A feature of the engine formed part of the car’s name HEMI – short for Hemispherical combustions chambers – a method for achieving high compression ratio and large valve diameters.
‘Cuda – well, that was just a shortened form of ‘Barracuda’ – the official name of the car on which this model was based. Most Barracuda were a bit less wild that the HEMI, with various engines of 3.2 to 7.2 litre capacity. For aficionados though, the HEMI model is the real deal – perhaps even the greatest of all muscle cars. Coupes and a much rare Convertible were available – the rarity of such cars elevating the current market value – a 1971 HEMI ‘Cuda convertible, one of 11 cars, sold for a staggering $3.5 Million in 2014.
To add to the drama, the HEMI ‘Cuda was available in a number of wild colours, any of them citrus toned, with matching groovy names. Year-on-year changes included various special paint schemes, including the black panels on the rear fenders of this car, matching the roof. For 1971 the car adopted twin headlamps, a one-year only feature. The HEMI was also fitted with a ‘shaker hood’, an exposed air intake protruding from the hood – the intake ‘shaking’ as the engine reacted from the mighty torque loads.
Alas, all golden eras come to an end, this one brought down by insurance premiums, unleaded fuel and vehicle emissions standards. For this reason, bona fide Muscle car legends remain the poster child for high-octane-fueled dream.
This HEMI 'Cuda is the one (the only one) Muscle car in my first Lego vehicle instruction publication:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0760352658/creativepubco-20
If you are going to pick one only, this is the one.
Plymouth HEMI 'Cuda - 1971
This is not the first HEMI 'Cuda that I have recreated in Lego. It is, though perhaps the coolest.
Yellow is a real stand out colour on this model year, highlighted (or dark-lighted?) by the black side panels, which on the real car, have tall 'HEMI' lettering.
Why is the HEMI 'Cuda so important then?
M U S C L E S
The Muscle Car Era is one of the automobile industry’s Golden Era. The formula was simple: Small Car, Big Engine.
This was all relative, of course. Even the US Compacts were very large cars from the perspective of Europeans and Japanese. The engine was not a relative measure – the V8 fitted to the Plymouth shown was a mighty 7.0 litres capacity, at the time American engines were measured in cubic inches – 426 to be exact. A feature of the engine formed part of the car’s name HEMI – short for Hemispherical combustions chambers – a method for achieving high compression ratio and large valve diameters.
‘Cuda – well, that was just a shortened form of ‘Barracuda’ – the official name of the car on which this model was based. Most Barracuda were a bit less wild that the HEMI, with various engines of 3.2 to 7.2 litre capacity. For aficionados though, the HEMI model is the real deal – perhaps even the greatest of all muscle cars. Coupes and a much rare Convertible were available – the rarity of such cars elevating the current market value – a 1971 HEMI ‘Cuda convertible, one of 11 cars, sold for a staggering $3.5 Million in 2014.
To add to the drama, the HEMI ‘Cuda was available in a number of wild colours, any of them citrus toned, with matching groovy names. Year-on-year changes included various special paint schemes, including the black panels on the rear fenders of this car, matching the roof. For 1971 the car adopted twin headlamps, a one-year only feature. The HEMI was also fitted with a ‘shaker hood’, an exposed air intake protruding from the hood – the intake ‘shaking’ as the engine reacted from the mighty torque loads.
Alas, all golden eras come to an end, this one brought down by insurance premiums, unleaded fuel and vehicle emissions standards. For this reason, bona fide Muscle car legends remain the poster child for high-octane-fueled dream.
This HEMI 'Cuda is the one (the only one) Muscle car in my first Lego vehicle instruction publication:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0760352658/creativepubco-20
If you are going to pick one only, this is the one.