Words & Photos: Clive Branson Car Owner: Claude Bourgeois
Talk about a serendipitous purchase! The Antiques Road Show couldn’t have written a better script. In the late summer of 1978, Lionel and Michel Bourgeois were drawn west like magnets to work in the oil fields of Alberta, leaving behind the small, functional town of Casselman, Ontario, and their younger brother, Claude. Four years later, Michel attended a party and ran into a friend who, during the course of their conversation, mentioned that he had a ‘Cuda for sale.
Michel, knowing that Claude was a keen enthusiast of muscle cars, called him on the telephone and asked if he wanted a convertible. Claude wasn’t sure, but it didn’t take too much persuasion when the words “’71 ‘Cuda” were attached to it. Convinced, Claude asked his mother for the money and sent it to Michel to buy the car.
“The car turned out to be one of the rarest and most valuable ‘Cudas ever made,” declares Claude, still ecstatic about it 46 years later. “It was the only year ‘Cuda which came equipped with dual headlights (which the Challenger had on all their models), front fender louvers, a billboard side stripe, and the last year for the big block 440 and as convertibles.” As a side note, there were only 11 Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles produced that have been sold at auction for millions of dollars.
In the fall, Claude, another brother, Leo, and their brother-in-law George flew to Alberta and drove home in the ‘Cuda with Michel following behind in his 1970 Coronet convertible.
“Let me tell you, it was a thrill driving from Alberta to Casselman, but I’m not sure I would do it again – it’s a long, long drive.”
Dreams can be dangerous because they smolder on like a fire does, and sometimes consume us completely. Designer John E. Herlitz had such a dream and shook America with it. He took a piece of exterior sheet metal, removed all recognizable commonalities with the previously mild-mannered Barracuda (a glorified Valiant on an A-Body platform) and produced a remarkable retina-thrasher. What emerged was “The ‘Cuda.” Even the abbreviated name sounded sinister. It was born on an E-frame with a lower stance, sinewy curves that looked like they were created by the wind, a ballistic pace, an ominous prowl.
Though there weren’t a lot of cosmetic changes from the ’70 model to the ’71, Herlitz gave the ’71 model a bit more robustness, featuring the distinctive accordion ‘D’ grille, upgraded taillights, seat and trim differences and the fender “gills.” The four-barrel carbureted 440 V8 engine was no longer on the option list, though it was available by special order; otherwise, the 440-powered ‘Cuda had a six-barrel carburetor setup.
Claude recalls the condition the car was in: “The car had a big scratch at the bottom rear quarter. It was devoid of a grill with no fender gills, no spoiler or rocker moldings. It had no chrome exhaust tips, road lamps, tail panel molding, top booth, hood pins, fender flasher indicators, hood emblem, a cracked dashboard pad, a cracked windshield, no right door mount mirror and cradled about 56,000 miles on the clock with a 318 V8.”
Claude restored everything on a rotisserie and sandblasted it, followed by giving it a vinyl wash-spray and an epoxy primer sealer. Michel focused on restoring and perfecting the body to its former glory – which took the longest time.
We walk around the car to the open hood. “I replaced the 318 and stuffed the bay with a behemoth 440 V8. This was balanced with a roller cam, timing chain and roller rockers. I wanted Hooker headers to give it a more muscular feel, accompanied by 3” dual exhaust front-to-back H-pipe TTI exhausts, Edelbrock performer intake manifolds, a QuickFuel carburetor, backed by a 5-speed Tremec transmission with a hydraulic clutch and, to tame it when unleashed, hydro-boost 4-wheel disc brakes.”
It was a long process. “I had been gathering parts for it for 10 years before taking the car apart,” confesses Claude. “I took my first ride only after five years!” The car is stunning, housing a gleaming cranberry skin and tailing it off with the billboard painted in.
Claude has always had a passion for speed. “This car is a stress-reliever and when I drop it to 5th, a smile stretches back from ear-to-ear. It is my pride and joy and represents to me fond memories of my youth – halcyon days of cruising the boulevards with a girlfriend by my side or going to drag races at Sanair where I watched the likes of Muldowney, Big Daddy and The Snake.”
With only 6,228 ‘Cuda hardtops and 374 convertibles built (a meager 108 hardtops were built with Hemis and just 11 convertibles boasted Street Hemi productions, while four-speed manual Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles are the rarest of all with just three built), there is a good reason why the ’71 Hemi ‘Cuda is the most valuable muscle car of all time; they were unique and exclusive cars even when new.
“I was so lucky to buy such a car. Like so many classic cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s, they are becoming harder and harder to find. I feel like a custodian of such a piece of history, and will drive my ‘Cuda for as long as I can and keep it in the best shape possible. Not many things keep me feeling youthful these days, but this car does in spades.”
