Written by independent automotive journalist Roger C. Johnson

Known as “Orangasm,” this 1971 Plymouth HEMI ‘Cuda Resto-Mod will be offered at the 2018 Las Vegas Auction at No Reserve.

Today’s Resto-Mod car builders are lucky, because the only rules they must follow are their own. Yet even their requirements are as demanding and challenging as any other discipline on earth. That’s why the kind of automotive creations now on the scene are so spectacular. Here’s a perfect example.

Starting with an already desirable 1971 ʼCuda, this car’s creative team at Mann’s Restorations disassembled and then rebuilt this collectible step-by-step into the fantastic machine you see here. The car’s name is “Orangasm.” It’s solar-like radiance stems from a custom mix of Sherwin Williams Big Bad Orange and Gold Pearl paint. As it is, you’re looking at all the things we loved about this model when it was new and factory fresh. But this machine has much more to offer than that.

Let’s face it, a ʼCuda this brazen should have a HEMI, so it does. A 6.1-liter, SRT8 HEMI, in fact. And talk about flamboyance, it’s packing a Magnuson supercharger for good measure.

The sight of this engine and blower under the hood is one to behold. The custom see-through hood scoop makes it easy. Even the engine bay itself is pristine, yet businesslike. It offers the perfect setting for the 21st-century supercharged HEMI. Over 600 horsepower is on tap with a mere “tap” of your right foot. A custom exhaust system ends in twin, round tailpipes on each side, exiting the stock rectangular holes in the rear valance. A slick design element surrounds each of them to make this modification look like it belongs there. You should hear the music those pipes play.

The transmission tunnel had to be reengineered to make room for a modern TR6060 6-speed manual gearbox that orchestrates never-ending energy back to a Dana 60, mounted on a custom 4-link setup. Coilover shocks fine-tune the suspension’s reaction to everything.

The entire front suspension system, including the original torsion bars, have been removed and replaced with a custom-engineered assembly by Magnum Force Suspension. This includes in a complete K-frame conversion package made just for E-body Mopars. These bolt-in elements completely transform a vehicle to a level of performance only a few cars on the road can compete with.

The entire underside of this breathtaking machine is as pristine and detailed as anything topside. Many of the high-tech suspension elements are chromed just for your viewing pleasure.

Billet Specialties 5-spoke aluminum wheels look just right and enhance this car’s aggressive stance in spades. All four corners flaunt Wilwood disc brakes designed to reel in this ʼCuda any time at all.

The wonderfully fluid styling of the E-body still looks as modern as it did in the early ʼ70s, so the builders did not try to reinvent the perfect exterior design. On the other hand, every panel has been touched and smoothed to perfection, and reinstalled with the precision only the very best talent can provide.

To match this car’s brilliant exterior and driveline upgrades, the interior is an absolute work of art, and it couldn’t possibly look and feel more comfortable, elegant or futuristic. Attention to detail was the hallmark of this build, and this interior shows you exactly what they mean by that.

Rich leather and carbon-fiber components draw you inside. The dash layout looks familiar at first, but suddenly you can see it is radically advanced. Stylish aftermarket gauges in their original location remind you that you’re not in Kansas anymore. Plushness and raciness are everywhere. Even the classic pistol-grip shifter sports a carbon-fiber handle. LED lighting makes sure you can see everything, and everything can see you.

Advanced electronics abound in this car and push it far beyond today’s version of contemporary. Six individual wiring harnesses make sure of it. Notice the four tribute-gills on each side of the console, a subtle tip of the hat to the ’71 model’s exclusive fender gills. The interior truly matches the quality you’ll find in any high-end factory car, from Aston Martin to Ferrari. Although, this ʼCuda is even more unique and desirable since it’s a one-of-a-kind collectible that will absolutely run with the best of the best. At the 2016 Goodguys Lone Star Nationals, this masterpiece won the Builder’s Choice Award for all the obvious reasons.

Here is your opportunity to own it and slip behind the wheel of destiny. Sure, it’s vivid, fast, beautiful, high-profile, brutishly forceful, painstakingly created and offered at No Reserve in Las Vegas. But it is first and foremost a driver conceived to take you anywhere you like in optimum style.

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.