Tim and Janet Bonnell's 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda in attention-grabbing Limelight Poly represents their automotive ownership coming full circle. They honeymooned in a bright orange 318 Barracuda. The Hemi is one of 652 produced that year and one of only 284 equipped with a 4-speed transmission.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
It takes a huge hood scoop to cover up a 426 Hemi, but this stealth-looking Shaker scoop gets the job done. It covers a pair of Carter 4-barrel carbs that help the big V-8 produce a factory rated 425 horsepower.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Clean, flowing lines and remarkably subtle accents characterize a car that has brutal performance potential.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Tim Bonnell lucked out and got the perfect personalized antique tag for his 'Cuda.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Hood pins, a wide horizontal grille and the Shaker hood scoop peeking up through the hood make the '70 Plymouth Hemi Cuda instantly recognizable.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The trunk compartment couldn't have looked any better on the day the Hemi Cuda hit the dealer's showroom floor in California 39 years ago this month.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Tim Bonnell says his '70 Hemi Cuda is the car of his dreams. "Some cars have a legendary aura about them, and the Hemi Cuda is one of them in the Chrysler line," he says.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Tim Bonnell is proud to have an original space-saver spare tire mounted where it belongs in the trunk, complete with the correct MoPar-issued inflator can.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
With only 39,000 original miles on the odometer, there was no need to replace the interior components. The seats are vinyl, with leather inserts that remain supple nearly 40 years after the car was assembled.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A set of reproduction Goodyear Polyglas F60-15 tires by Coker mounted on factory Rallye wheels make up the period-correct rolling stock.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The underside of the Hemi Cuda looks as factory-fresh as the exterior, with stainless steel lines replacing brake and fuel lines.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Hemi Cuda is equipped with a 150 mph Rallye speedometer, the iconic pistol-grip 4-speed shifter and a wood-rimmed 3-spoke steering wheel. It has no power steering or air conditioning.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
This is the view a lot of people saw back in the days when the Hemi Cuda regularly prowled the streets and highways. Bonnell was able to locate the car's original numbers-matching engine and a brand-new set of unused hemi heads for it on eBay.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Hemi Cuda was outfitted with a satin black deck spoiler that probably added more to the cosmetics of the car than to its aerodynamics.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Just in case you forgot how imposing the second-generation MoPar Hemi looked, here's a view of Tim Bonnell's mock-up engine with the black crinkle-paint valve covers capping those huge hemispherical chambered heads.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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