I am not ashamed to admit that I am a MoPar fan as well as a Pantera fanatic. We have a 1970 Cuda 440-6 with a Torqueflite and 4.10 Dana rear. The engine is stock except for a set of headers. The trans has a B&M shift kit in it. The low end performance is outstanding. It can pretty much break the rear tires loose at will with all of the torque it has. Even though it is rated at 390 horsepower, I am certain the output is much higher. The fuel economy is miserable with only about 7 miles per gallon and I use a lead additive. The "cruising range" is about 100 miles before you can literally see the fuel gauge fall even while idling. In fact, I once was sitting at a stop light and saw the gauge falling moment by moment until the car simply ran out of gas! The color of the car is limelight and it gets a lot of attention. I have taken it to a MoPar Concours before and found it to be a much different experience than a show like the Concorso Italiano for example. The MoPar judges are much more into originality than anything I have ever seen. The show I went to also permitted owners to bring their parts for sale on a vendor's row. I much prefer the Pantera experience, especially when factoring in drivability. The 'Cuda really shows its age in terms of handling and braking. The power steering and power brakes are hair triggered. The car has front discs and rear drums and I am sure you would need an anchor to stop the thing in an emergency. As far as styling goes, the '70 Cuda in my judgment was the best looking of all the muscle cars, perhaps excepting the Challenger. Although nothing can beat the Tjaarda design of the Pantera, clearly, Chrysler demonstrated their unique ability to design very pleasing muscle cars. I enjoy meeting and speaking with other Pantera owners who are MoPar fans too. PI Member Goran Malmberg's Pantera has a Hemi in it and to my way of thinking, if you don't cherish bone stock originality, Goran's car is the ultimate modified Pantera. Finally, I saw the upcoming Dodge Magnum at the LA Auto Show. It looks like a husky station wagon on steroids with a forced induction Hemi delivering 430 horsepower. I am not sure that this platform would work for me but if I could make use of the car, I would love to have a Hemi car in my garage. Thanks for reading! DAve!
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