There’s just something sexy about the way the 1970 Plymouth Cuda looks. It’s the epitome of muscle car design and Mopar V8 muscle in coupe form, and those rare HEMI convertibles can also be worth millions. But what about the little-known HEMI Cuda “Targa” that offers the same open-air experience as a Porsche 911 Targa?
Of course, no such thing exists in the real world, but rules and borders can’t stop rendering artist Abimelec Arellano from dreaming up this combination of 1970 HEMI Cuda and Porsche 911 Targa. At first, it might be offensive to purists, but the more you look at this, the better it starts to look.
American muscle cars have their own style of Targa, the T-top. Simple removable panels cover up the cabin. Sometimes they leak, but they look great on a Firebird or Corvette. However, this Targa’Cuda is apparently inspired by the contemporary Porsche 911, which means that somewhere at the back, complex folding mechanisms have stored away a glass roof.
But without the mechanism in sight, this top looks just like what would have been fitted to a 1970 Porsche 911. The simple look of the metal hoop and bubbly rear window makes you wish every 2-door car came with this design.
Other mods to the Targa’Cuda
This being an Abimelec rendering, there are plenty of other cosmetic changes. The 1970 Cuda has a “pro-touring” lowered stance with custom suspension and is painted in the contemporary F8 Green paint, the same as a 300 SRT or a Dodge Charger/Challenger. Very classy!
Hellcat swap? Check. Also, the wheels look like an oversized version of the black steelies that would have come with a Cuda and it’s got dog-dish hubcaps. Kinda looks like Kevin Hart’s Plymouth Road Runner “Michael Myers”. Of course, that’s made to look more like an A12.
It’s funny how different these two cars are. The 911 is rear-engined, and its biggest air-cooled flat-6s of that era were tiny compared to the HEMI. Heck, even the basic slant-6 of a Barracuda was near twice the displacement.
Can we force a Targa-Cuda connection?
My favorite thing to do with this type of rendering is to find out if there’s anything at all in common between the two cars. Here, the connection is motorsport.
The 911 Targa is named after the Targa Florio, a sports car road race in Sicily, Italy in which Porsche had several victories until 1973. The Cuda raced on various circuits in America, but a few ended up in Europe as well, with factory teams.
There are a few very valuable examples that were shipped to Europe. One such Chrysler HEMI competed in France in Group 1 Grand Prix races from 1970 to 1974, achieving 62 wins on race circuits and hill climbs. Chronologically speaking, the first 911 Targa made its debut in 1965, just one year after the debut of the Plymouth Barracuda.
