I have owned my car since 1978 when I drained by bank account (I was only 18) and bought the Cuda from the original owner for $800. It came complete with Camaro bumble bee stripes and a broken driver’s seat (the previous owner was a really big guy). But the car had all the original tires and wheels, original paint, etc. and only had 66,000 miles. My dad, being a car painter, took the car to work the next day and removed the Chevy stripes, fixed some small rust on the rear quarters and give it a tune up. I fixed the seat at school in shop class, and I was set. Then the bug hit to have something custom. After all at that time nobody looked at your car if it didn’t have mag wheels and boots. So on went the Cragers, a fancy five-colour red and gold metal flake paint job. Then a one piece flip-front fibreglass front end, custom velvet and naugahyde button tuffed interior. All the chrome goodies were installed on the motor. An aluminum fire-wall and some air brushed artwork on the paint, even the truck was done in the same velvet upholstery.

In 1986 I went to the my first Mopar Nats and noticed the cars were all going back to the original look, so I started collecting all the parts that I had just got rid of to try to put my car back to the way it was new. With the help of Joe in the States I found most of the parts and over the next while the work progressed.  The motor is all stock with most of correct clips, clamps and brackets.

I call the car the "Phantom Kuda" because of all the changes it has gone through over the years. Future plans for the Kuda include repairing a few spots on the body, a new paint job and new vinyl top.