1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda fetches $3.78 million, but L88 Vette goes unsold

Last month, we wrote about a rare 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible whose owner was hoping for a record when it sold at Mecum's auction last weekend. Sure enough, the Hemi Cuda brought a final hammer price of $3.78 million, making it the most valuable Chrysler product ever sold and one of the top muscle cars depending on what's in the mix.

The Cuda's payday is only outstripped by a couple of Corvettes and Shelby Cobras; no other Mustang or Camaro comes close to its multi-million dollar value. As the video from the sale shows, the seller lifted his reserve once the price crested $3.5 million; the final tally included an 8 percent commission for Mecum.

The auction could have seen another high-dollar sale of Detroit iron with a 1967 Chevy Corvette L88, one of 20 built, crossed the block — but the seller declined a high bid of $3.75 million. Other L88s have set record prices in the past year, and owners of such models now face the question of how to time the top of the market. Clearly, someone thinks that even at $3.75 million, there's still more money to be made on a rare Vette.