The highest documented completed auction sale identified here is a 1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda convertible, reported sold for $3.5 million at Mecum’s Seattle auction in June 2014. A later $4.8 million bid on another Hemi ’Cuda did not meet its reserve, so it was not a sale and does not replace that result.
Which HEMI-powered car holds the documented auction record?
The record sale identified in the available auction reports is a 1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda convertible sold at Mecum Seattle in June 2014 for a reported $3.5 million. Mecum described it as a “$3,500,000 selling price” and called it the highest price paid for a 1971 Hemi ’Cuda convertible at public auction. Contemporary independent coverage by ClassicCars.com Journal also reported the $3.5 million winning bid.
The price basis is not consistently detailed across the sources: “winning bid,” “selling price,” hammer price and a total including buyer’s premium are not necessarily interchangeable. The safest wording is therefore the reported $3.5 million sale, rather than a more precise net or all-in figure.
Why the $4.8 million Hemi ’Cuda bid does not count
At Mecum Indy in 2021, a 1971 Plymouth ’Cuda Hemi convertible drew a reported high bid of $4.8 million but did not sell. Rick Carey’s auction report labels it “Not sold at Hammer bid of $4,800,000” and explains that, had the offer been accepted, it would have been a record price.
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An auction bid is not a completed transaction when the seller’s reserve is not met. The $4.8 million figure records an unsuccessful offer, not an amount paid for the car; it cannot displace the 2014 completed sale.
How a later reported sale compares
Black Book’s February 2026 Collectible Cars Market Update lists a “1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda Convertible (4-speed)” at $3.3 million, associated with Mecum Kissimmee. That published amount is below the reported $3.5 million 2014 result. The listing is a useful comparison, but the source does not establish a consistent price convention across the two results.
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| Reported amount | Year and auction | Car and outcome | Price-basis qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3.5 million | 2014, Mecum Seattle | 1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda convertible; reported completed sale | Mecum calls it a selling price; ClassicCars.com Journal reports a winning bid. The sources do not consistently explain buyer’s-premium treatment. |
| $4.8 million | 2021, Mecum Indy | 1971 Plymouth ’Cuda Hemi convertible; reserve not met, not sold | High bid at hammer, not a completed sale. |
| $3.3 million | 2026 report, Mecum Kissimmee | 1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda convertible (4-speed); listed result | Black Book’s February 2026 market update does not establish a directly comparable premium convention. |
Keep the 2025 Kissimmee coupe separate
Mecum’s listing for a different 1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda offered at Kissimmee in 2025 reports a $495,000 result and describes a 426/425 HP V-8, four-speed manual and a car among 59 1971 Hemi ’Cudas built with a four-speed. It is a coupe, not the 2014 record convertible. Mecum also says advance lot information is supplied by the consignor or seller and is not verified or guaranteed by the auction house, so those specification and production claims should be attributed to the listing rather than treated as independently authenticated.
For the 2014 record car, Mecum’s video description calls it an “outstanding numbers matching 4-speed example.” That is the auction house’s description, not independent verification of the car’s identity or configuration.
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How strong is the “ever” claim?
The evidence supports calling the 2014 Hemi ’Cuda the highest documented completed auction sale identified here. It does not establish a comprehensive worldwide census of every HEMI-powered car sold by every auction house, and the cited reports do not use a uniform convention for hammer price versus buyer’s premium. The broadest defensible answer is therefore the documented $3.5 million result, with those scope and price-basis qualifications.
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