Hemi Cuda convertibles

[SAV@RPM]

Here’s another one albeit a Hemi Challenger Convertible this time. Pete and I travelled to Elmer in New Jersey to see the car, it was owned by Walt Downer who ran a small Chrysler dealership which had been in his family since 1921. The Challenger was an export car sold new in Canada, one of three that went there, there were nine US cars. This particular car is a four speed. The Challenger was shipped to the UK for Carlos Monteverde as part of his collection and at one time we had all four Hemi E body Convertibles in the RPM workshop in Aldershot. Surprisingly I can’t find any photos of the car as yet but I do remember Pete taking it to one of the early Mopar Euronats at Long Marston (I think I was on holiday),if anyone has any photos of the car in the UK please post. This photo was taken in the US when Walt Downer owned it. I do have a video I took in Walt’s workshop of the Challenger and another Hemi car he owned, I can remember lumping around a case with the video camera in it, this was before mobile phones and mini cameras ! The car now belongs to Wade Ogle in the States.

3A9D0398-917A-4FCB-AE30-148F834AFC75.jpeg (164.14 KiB) Viewed 823 times

[SAV@RPM]

Here is another 1970 Hemi Challenger Convertible JS27ROB171715 in FC7 Plum Crazy. These photos were taken in Pete Jordan’s back garden. Pete had heard about the car in Sweden and that it was possibly for sale so after a few phone calls with Tomas the owner, who fortunately spoke good English we flew over to see the car. We already knew that the motor was removed and being rebuilt but it gave us the opportunity to authenticate and photograph the Challenger before returning to England. Once back in the UK Pete got in touch with Milt Robson in the States, an avid Mopar collector who was looking for a Hemi Challenger Convertible and a possible deal was set in place. Pete managed to raise the money to buy the car by taking out a second mortgage on his house. A couple of months passed and once Tomas phoned to tell us that the motor was back in the Challenger and it was up and running we made arrangements to go and see it again with a view to buying it this time and bringing it to the UK. So once again we flew to Stockholm and boarded a small plane to Kalmar which was the nearest airport to Nybro where Tomas lived. We were collected at the airport by Tomas and his brother who was driving his tunnel rammed 71 Hemi Charger !
Pete and I spent a couple of days in Nybro and were well looked after by Tomas and his brother, a deal was done and after a visit to the local registration office Pete was the proud owner of a Hemi Challenger convertible. Before we left the UK we had booked a return ferry from Gothenburg to Harwich which was a 27 hour crossing back then. We said our goodbyes to Tomas and his brother and armed with a map set off for Gothenburg just under 200 miles away to catch the ferry the following morning. I did the driving as owing to Pete’s disability he found it difficult to drive a four speed car but the journey was relatively uneventful on Sweden’s quiet roads. Once we arrived in Gothenburg we parked the Challenger in the car park and booked into a hotel for the night ready for an early start. The following morning we loaded up and drove the short distance to the ferry terminal where we met Milton Holman from Dream Cars who had spent the night sleeping in a Shelby Mustang in the terminal car park ! getting the cars up the ramp and onto the ferry is another story in itself. Anyway once we eventually arrived at Harwich we disembarked and fuelled up the cars, we followed Milton in the Shelby as far as London as he had an issue with the Mustangs torque converter. Once the Challenger was back at Pete’s house we spent some time with the car tidying up a few things as Milt Robson was planning on coming over from the US to buy the car in a month or twos time. The story of this car has been quite well documented over the years but this is a short version of how it came to the UK in the first place. That was the beginning of many Mopar adventures that Pete and I shared over the following years and it’s difficult to believe this all happened over 30 years ago now.
This particular car last sold at a Mecum auction in Glendale, Arizona on the 16th March 2019, lot number S101 for $1,430,000.
I do have a lot of photos from the Swedish trip which I shall dig out and post up if anyone’s interested.

3B1889B2-E05B-4DB1-B490-D037B83E576E.jpeg (211.38 KiB) Viewed 792 times

F10A111E-2E21-4011-A679-325A0832B169.jpeg (211.31 KiB) Viewed 792 times

C698B57D-1503-4539-A199-1CDB3DE60812.jpeg (205.03 KiB) Viewed 792 times

9D634C17-B479-4EE5-88DB-6D7B70AB84C3.jpeg (150.12 KiB) Viewed 792 times

[Steve]

Wow, what a story! That car is dream material. Thanks for sharing with us

Cheers Steve

[RM23]

Great story love Sweden my father in law soon to be lives in boras in the south there’s a guy there who has a huge property which is stuffed full of muscle cars strange because the building has massive windows and you can see the cars from the road the challenger in your story looks like the one he had a picture of and said he loved it when I saw him as a kid in the 90s I’m sure it’s that car keep them coming Martin cheers

[Adam]

Great stuff Martin - thanks for sharing

Here's a couple of the FJ5 Challenger, taken at the Euronats at Shakey in 2000...

[RM23]

Excellent Adam first nats I ever went to 19 years old I remember the challenger didn’t realise the importance of it at the time until later do you remember the hemi roadrunner at hickstead a couple of years before dark blue maybe ?? Was that you as well Martin?? Great posts by the way cheers

[SAV@RPM]

Brilliant, thanks Adam. I thought if anyone had any photos of the Challenger it would be you ! The Hemi Roadrunner was almost certainly the one Jim Wilson brought over in the mid eighties. That car is still in the UK and I believe now owned by the Billadeau’s. Thanks for the comments everyone.

[SAV@RPM]

Found a few pictures. A much younger me sat outside Kalmar airport. Pete and I were waiting to be picked up and I remember how quiet and unpopulated Sweden seemed compared to the UK. The next picture is Tomas and his brother with Pete standing by the 71 Charger, that was a serious car, genuine Hemi as well. Finally Pete looking over the Challenger without it’s motor fitted, it’s not in the middle of the woods, we pushed it out of Tomas’s garage into the garden !

A74D4516-2057-43D2-8F01-A0EF40B2D021.jpeg (114.8 KiB) Viewed 740 times

82C4E3EE-C7E8-4836-8FE1-302EF39F4B77.jpeg (148.24 KiB) Viewed 740 times

EC0F7995-DBDC-451C-8434-9CB529D875B1.jpeg (165.4 KiB) Viewed 740 times

[Stu Twin]

I remember the green Chally at Shakey by the MMA stand, gawd knows where my photos would be (pre-digital). Well done Adam.
I think I was there with my 8 month pregnant wife, my 1st born arrived on the 16th July - I presume the Nats was early July?

Those wheels on the Plum Crazy car look like the cheapie chromed steel ones, Appliance maybe? Look awful on a car of that quality. 'Of the time' I guess.

Great stuff Martin keep it coming. I used to love some of Pete's stories in the early issues of Connected.

[RobTwin]

Brilliant, thanks Adam. I thought if anyone had any photos of the Challenger it would be you ! The Hemi Roadrunner was almost certainly the one Jim Wilson brought over in the mid eighties. That car is still in the UK and I believe now owned by the Billadeau’s. Thanks for the comments everyone.

That's right Martin, it had a for sale sign on it at this years Nats tho...