Do you remember Steve Juliano? He’s the collector (RIP) who tracked down all surviving members of the Rapid Transit Caravan minus one. That car, a ‘Cuda, was either missing or the owner didn’t want to sell (Steve tended to be coy, never showing all his cards). However, the car was uncovered last week, seeing light for the first time since 1976.
For you Brand X fans who need a refresher, Plymouth had the Rapid Transit System (RTS) starting in 1970, a team of performance cars that was ready to take all comers: Duster 340, Road Runner, GTX, ‘Cuda and Sport Fury GT.
For the auto show circuit and the Performance Clinics that were hosted by dealerships and racetracks, a band of custom RTS vehicles were conceived to tour the U.S. Designed by Harry Bradley (of Hot Wheels fame, among others) and built by Chuck Miller of Styline Customs, the Rapid Transit Caravan consisted of a brown 1970 Hemi Road Runner, red Duster 340 and a green 440-6 ‘Cuda. For 1971, the Road Runner was redesigned so a new Caravan car was commissioned, while the Duster 340 was repainted green and the ‘Cuda was repainted orange.
After the ‘Cuda was decommissioned, its whereabouts seem to be unknown, with a photo from a shopping center being the only remnant of this period. However, a gentleman named Tony (the current owner) happened to stumble upon it at a shop in downtown Detroit in 1976 and bought it. Disturbed by the attention the car was receiving, he put it in the garage and, like many projects, nothing proceeded from there. This famous car was hidden in metropolitan Detroit, right under everyone’s nose. Few knew about, though fewer knew where it was.
It wasn’t until last fall that the ‘Cuda saw light for the first time since 1976. It is remarkably preserved considering the circumstances, with the car showing 967 miles on the odometer. It was the 5th vehicle off the line at the Los Angeles plant per the VIN, with the fender tag showing a funky mix of unusual codes more commonly associated with early-production Mopars. As built, the V-code ‘Cuda was originally a red press car with Shaker hood, leather seats, AM/FM radio, and TorqueFlite automatic with console-mounted Slapstick shifter. In some places, you can see the red; you can also see the old green custom paint job poking through one of the side-view mirrors. A funky addition is the little motor in the engine compartment that would shake the Shaker hood scoop at shows.
Ryan Brutt, the roving “Automotive Archeologist,” goes over every inch of this very special ‘Cuda in the below video. Of special note is the interview with Chuck Miller, who also waxes poetic on other cars he worked on during the muscle car era.
Source: www.classiccars.com