Back in the day, Northland Dodge and Bob Caldwell Chrysler-Plymouth were across the street from each other on the 1700 block of Morse Road in Columbus, Ohio. Karl Kirk, who worked as service manager at the Dodge dealership, happened to be in the market for a new car but wasn't really sold on the looks of the new 1970 Challenger. So he did the next best thing and walked across the street and purchased this Rallye Red 1970 Hemi 'Cuda instead.

The 'Cuda had been delivered to Bob Caldwell Chrysler-Plymouth on December 23, 1969, so Kirk took delivery of it just in time for Christmas. And what a present it must have been! With 425 horses under the hood, a Slap Stick lever to operate the TorqueFlite, and 3.55 gears in the Dana 60 out back, Kirk's 'Cuda was a stoplight commando's dream.

Cosmetically, the Hemi's monochromatic FE5 Rallye Red paint was accented by semigloss black Hemi sport stripes. It rode on Motor Wheelproduced Rallye wheels wrapped by F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT tires. Inside, the 'Cuda featured standard white vinyl high-back bucket seats with black carpeting, Rallye gauges, and an AM radio. The trunk area on this particular 'Cuda is not any different from other 1970 'Cudas we have photographed in the past (inflatable space-saver spare, jack, and rubber floor mat), but it does play an important role in this particular tale.

Kirk kept his Hemi 'Cuda in the garage and only drove it on special occasions. In 1973, he traded his prized 'Cuda to Joe Perry, and here's where our story really begins.

"In 1973, my father traded his Wedge-motored 1967 GTX for the car," says current owner Doug Perry. "Dad had raced and beaten Karl a number of times on the street, and since they liked each other's cars so much, they made the trade."

Like the Hemi's original owner, Doug's dad kept the 'Cuda garaged and took excellent care of it. Little did he know, however, that his wife Bonnie also had a vested interest in the car, but in an entirely different way.

"One day I saw our stepmother sneaking out to the garage, so I followed her," Doug recalls. "I watched her hide our Christmas presents and my birthday gifts inside the trunk of the 'Cuda [Doug's birthday is December 27.—ed.]. Once she left, my four sisters and I snuck out to the garage and looked at what she had put in there. That little scenario went on for a number of years!"

However, due to an ailing economy, Doug's father was forced to sell the 'Cuda to local collector Steve Andrews in 1980. The car had only 10,000 miles on the odometer. Twelve-year-old Doug was heartbroken.

For the next three-plus decades, Doug kept track of the 'Cuda, vowing that one day it would be back in the Perry family garage. We don't have the actual sale dates, but the 'Cuda's ownership history goes something like this. Steve Andrews eventually sold the car to Minnesotan Pat Goff, and Goff in turn sold it to another Minnesotan, muscle car collector Fred Engelhart. Engelhart sold it to Phil Denaro in Arizona. Don Felts in Mississippi became the car's next owner, and lastly Virginia collector Randy Souderquist took ownership. In the spring of 2017, Perry was finally able to purchase the 'Cuda from Souderquist, ending a 37-year quest.

With an Ohio vanity plate that reads "HEMI JP" (which was once on another Hemi 'Cuda his father owned, a green-on-green 1970 model), Doug and girlfriend Amy Dailey have taken the 38,348-mile Street Hemi to numerous muscle car events throughout the Midwest, where the car is well received. But the real thrill is in knowing that this prized piece of Perry family history is back home in the Buckeye State and there to stay.

At a Glance

1970 Hemi 'Cuda

Owned by: Doug Perry

Restored by: Previous owner

Engine: 426ci/425hp Hemi V-8

Transmission: A727 TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic

Rearend: Dana 60 with 3.55 gears

Interior: White vinyl high-back bucket seats

Wheels: 15x7 Rallye

Tires: F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT

See all 16 photos Doug Perry blames this Hemi 'Cuda for his "car craziness." He was an impressionable lad when his father, Joe, got the car in a trade and meticulously kept it for seven years.

See all 16 photos The 'Cuda still has its original Hemi engine and driveline, which has seen fewer than 40,000 miles since being built at the Hamtramck assembly plant in 1969.

See all 16 photos The Hemi's distinctive Shaker hood filters air for 4742-S and 4745-S Carter AFB carburetors, helping to produce 425 hp at 5,000 rpm and 490 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm.

See all 16 photos Inside, this 'Cuda features a code XW white vinyl high-back interior with black carpeting, an AM radio, a Slap Stick shifter, and Rallye gauges.

See all 16 photos This close-up of the 'Cuda's instrument panel clearly shows the car's odometer, which reads 38,348 miles.

See all 16 photos The 'Cuda's code TH9 15x7 Rallye wheels sport F60-15 reproduction Goodyear Polyglas rubber.

See all 16 photos Among the assorted paperwork that came with the 'Cuda was the original broadcast sheet.

See all 16 photos Perry keeps these mock Christmas presents in the trunk (one has a tag that reads "To Dougie, From Santa"), a whimsical reminder of younger days. They also serve as a great conversation starter at car shows.

See all 16 photos You can hear the unmistakable rumble of a Street Hemi coming for miles, and there's no denying the strong visual statement these cars make as they motor on by.