Ya Got A Hemi In That? How One Man Got His Dad’s ’70 Hemicuda

Back in the day, Northland Dodge and Bob Caldwell Chrysler Plymouth were located across the street from each other on the 1700 block of Morse Road in Columbus, Ohio. Karl Kirk who worked as Service Manager at the Dodge dealership happened to be in the market for a new car but wasn’t really sold on the looks of the new 1970 Dodge Challenger so Kirk did the next best thing and walked across the street and purchased this Rallye Red ’70 Hemicuda instead. 

Built at CPD’s Hamtramck, Michigan assembly plant and delivered to Bob Caldwell Chrysler-Plymouth on December 23, 1969, Kirk took delivery of the new ’70 Hemicuda just in time for the Christmas holidays. Powered by one of Chrysler’s code E74, 426ci/425 HP, 10.25:1 compression, dual-quad street Hemis and backed by a code D32, “Slap Stick” A727 Torque-Flite transmission and code D56, 3.55:1 geared rear axle, Kirk’s Hemicuda was a stoplight commando’s dream. 

This was the year the Street Hemi got a hydraulic version of its previous camshaft. The Elephant motor was truly a detuned race engine and many found its combination of twin carbs, dual-point distributor and solid lifters too much maintenance for a daily driver. Horsepower remained the same and it proved that in period road tests: Hot Rod went 13.39 at 108; Motor Trend 13.7 at 101.2, and High Performance Cars 13.45 at 105.

Cosmetically speaking, this particular ’70 Hemicuda was adorned in monochromatic Code FE5 Rallye Red paint with semi gloss black V6X “Hemi” Sport Stripes. Wheels were the Motor Wheel-produced “TX9” Rally’s wrapped in code U84 F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT tires. Inside, the ‘Cuda features a standard Code XW white vinyl high back bucket seat interior with black carpeting, rally gauges and AM radio.

The trunk area on this particular ‘Cuda isn’t any different from other 70 ‘Cuda’s we’ve photographed in the past, (inflatable space saver spare, jack and rubber floor mat,) but it does play an important role in this particular tale.

According to records, Karl Kirk garage-kept his Hemi and only drove it only on special occasions. In 1973, Kirk traded his prized ‘Cuda to Columbus, Ohio resident Joe Perry and here’s where our story begins.

In 1973 my father traded his 1967 426 Plymouth GTX for the car. Dad had raced and beaten Karl a number of times on the street and being that they liked each other’s cars so much they made the trade.” — current owner Doug Perry

Like the Hemi’s original owner, Perry senior kept the ‘70 garaged and took excellent care of it. Little did he know however that his wife Bonnie also had a vested interest in the car but in an entirely different sort of way. 

“One day I saw our stepmother sneaking out to the garage so I followed her. I watched her hide our Christmas presents and my birthday gifts (Doug’s birthday is 12/27) inside the trunk of the ’Cuda. Once she left, my four sisters and I snuck out to the garage and looked at what she had put in there. That little scenario went on for a number of years.”

However, all good things must come to an end. Due to an ailing economy, Doug’s father was forced to sell the ‘Cuda to local collector Steve Andrews in 1980 with only 10,000 miles on the odometer. Twelve-year-old Doug was heartbroken. 

“That ‘Cuda was responsible for my car craziness,” says Perry now a successful commercial roofing contractor with a growing fleet of collector cars that includes two 1969 427 COPO Camaros. 

For the next three and one-half-plus decades, Doug kept track of the Hemicuda, vowing that one day it would be back in the Perry family garage. We don’t have the actual sale dates, but the ‘Cuda’s lineage goes something like this. 

Steve Andrews eventually sold the car to Minnesotan Pat Goff and Goff in turn sold the Hemi to Minnesota muscle car collector Fred Engelhart. Then Engelhart sold the ‘Cuda to Arizonan Phil Denaro. Don Felts in Mississippi became the car’s next owner, and lastly Virginia collector Randy Souderquist took ownership. 

Last spring Perry was finally able to purchase the ‘Cuda from Souderquist, culminating a 37 year quest. 

With a State of Ohio vanity plate that reads “HEMI JP,” Perry and girlfriend Amy Dailey have taken the 38,348-mile Street Hemi to numerous muscle car events throughout the midwest where the car is well received, but the real thrill is in knowing that this prized piece of Perry family history is back home in the Buckeye State and here to stay.