Long-hidden custom Plymouth 'Cuda show car sold for two million

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A factory-commissioned customized 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda show car that stayed hidden away for decades has finally resurfaced, and is set to cross the Mecum auction block in Indianapolis in mid-May. The ‘Cuda was one of four show cars that comprised Plymouth’s “Rapid Transit System” (RTS) Caravan, which travelled between dealerships across the U.S., along with a handful of actual Plymouth race cars and their drivers, to promote the brand’s performance car line-up in the early 1970s.

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Update May 25, 2023: While the pre-auction estimate fell between a half-million and US$750,000, the RTS Caravan ‘Cuda ended up selling for US$2.2 million, inclusive of Mecum’s auction fees. Chuck Miller, the fabricator of the car, prefaced its sale by saying that its former owner, who had kept the ‘Cuda hidden for some 50 years, wished only that the new buyer would show it off across the U.S. Our original article continues unedited below. —Ed.

The iconic car – an early production model with a 440-cubic-inch V8 and Six Barrel intake – still wears its metal custom bodywork, as well as the orange-and-white lacquer paint job that, in late 1970, was applied to cover up the green-and-white custom paint it wore during the 1970 show-car season. The odometer shows just 967 miles, notes Mecum Auctions.

Designed by Harry Bradley and built by Chuck Miller of Styline Custom in Detroit, the car saw a number of neat tweaks, including a faux parachute below the rear bumper; twin chin spoilers on a rolled front pan; customized taillights; and side exhaust pipes. Its all-metal nose-cone insert is perhaps the car’s most recognizable feature.

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After its show-car duties wrapped up following the 1971 season, the car almost immediately disappeared from the public eye, and has stayed out of it since. Its history is somewhat muddled, but it was known to an elite few collectors to be living in Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge; famous Mopar collector Steve Juliano, who beginning in the late 1990s owned and restored the other three RTS Caravan custom cars, unsuccessfully tried to buy this ‘Cuda several times.

Mecum has not published a pre-auction estimated sale price, but the firm did sell the other three RTS customs – a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner and Duster, and a 1971 Road Runner – at Indianapolis in 2019, after Juliano’s passing in 2018. The latter two sold for roughly US$250,000, while the former went for US$341,000.

Other highlights from Mecum’s upcoming sale include the famous “Black Ghost” Challenger. We’ll update this piece with results from the Rapid Transit System ‘Cuda’s sale after the auction is completed.