What Happened To Nash Bridges’ Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda?

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A lot of people are wondering where the car is today.

From 1996 to 2001, television audiences were mesmerized by the on-screen adventures of San Francisco cop and his wise-cracking partner in Nash Bridges. However, just as compelling was the beautiful 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda convertible Don Johnson’s character drove in the series. It was featured on many of the posters and other advertisements. Naturally, many have wondered whatever happened to the famous Mopar and we have the answer.

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What might shock anyone who watched Nash Bridges and fantasized about driving the Hemi ‘Cuda is that the whole thing was a farce. Several cars were used for filming, which is standard practice for television shows and movies, but none of those were 1971 ‘Cudas. Instead, producers acquired ‘Cudas and Barracudas, then modified them to look like the extremely rare ‘71 Hemi ‘Cuda convertible. Yep, the same people who deceive you with special effects also faked a muscle car.

The story goes that Don Johnson actually wanted to drive a classic Pontiac GTO Judge in the show. However, the star was talked into going with the ‘Cuda convertible instead. That presented a problem since somewhere between 7 and 10 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles were made, which is why the decision was to use some movie magic to create clones.

To start off filming, producers tracked down three four-speed Plymouth convertibles. One was a 1970 340ci V8 ‘Cuda with the Shaker hood, while the other two were 1970 Barracudas with a 318ci V8. Swapping the front ends, front fenders, rear ends, and rocker panels was part of the transformation.