This past weekend, the 2023 Mecum Indy Auction included a long list of incredible Mopar collectible vehicles. Two unusually special classic muscle cars rolled across the stage – the 1970 Plymouth Cuda Rapid Transit System Show Car and the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE known as The Black Ghost.
The RTS Cuda ended up being the top seller at Mecum Indy and the Black Ghost car ranked third, with a modern Ford GT Heritage Edition car sneaking into the second spot.
If you are not familiar with these two classic Mopar muscle cars, here is a quick rundown on both, along with video footage of the Mecum Auction action.
Godfrey Qualls’ 1970 Dodge Challenger – “The Black Ghost”
Godfrey Qualls was a decorated veteran and member of the Detroit police department who bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T with the 426 Hemi when the car was brand new. He spent a few years street racing that car around Detroit and during that time, he built a reputation for being a formidable opponent, even though his car wasn’t massively modified.
Although he had never talked to his son, Gregory, about how street racing exploits in the 1970s while they were happening, he presented his 426 Hemi-powered Challenger to his son shortly before he passed away.
After speaking with relatives and friends of his father, Gregory shared his dad’s street racing story and that eventually led to the Dodge brand introducing the limited edition Black Ghost package for the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.
After spending a few years showing his dad’s 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T at various shows around the country, Gregory Qualls decided to send the car to the Mecum Indy auction to find it a new home.
As you can see in the video below, the car brought big money, with the winning bidder paying $975,000 ($1,072,500 with fees).
1970 Plymouth Cuda Rapid Transit System Show Car
Back in the early 1970s, the Plymouth brand was being promoted as one that offered monster power from the factory, along with a variety of dealership-available upgrades that led to even greater measures of performance.
To showcase the performance capabilities, the marketing team came up with the Rapid Transit System program, which included four heavily modified and customized Plymouth vehicles of the era. One of those cars was the 1970 Plymouth Cuda shown here, which vanished for roughly 50 years, but since being discovered, this wild show car has stirred up tons of attention.
At the 2023 Mecum Indy Auction, this unique piece of Mopar history rolled across the block, giving enthusiasts a rare change to own what would be referred to today as a concept car or a styling study car. The car has been untouched since the 1970s, so this is the same custom paint, the same custom bodywork and all of the same upgrades that Plymouth wanted on the car back in 1970.
As a result, this incredible piece of history rolled off of the block as the most expensive car to sell at this year’s Mecum Indy event. You can watch that bidding war below, with the winning bid of $2,000,000 ($2,200,000 with fees).
