Kevin Hart buys Speedkore 700-hp 1970 'Cuda

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Kevin Hart buys Speedkore 700-hp 1970 'Cuda

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Kevin Hart bought something blue for his birthday - a custom 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/kevin-hart ... mouth-cuda
Kevin Hart bought himself a birthday present fitting of a movie star. A movie car.

The actor/comedian picked up a famous custom 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda to celebrate turning 40 on July 6.

The blue hardtop was built by Speedkore Performance Group and appeared in “The Fate of the Furious” with several of the company’s other creations.

The two-door has been heavily modified with “shaved” styling, carbon fiber body parts, a modern supercharged 6.4-liter Hemi V8 tuned to produce 720 hp, a lowered suspension, high performance wheels with foot-wide rear tires and a fully updated interior.

It’s nicknamed “Menace” and was first shown at the 2016 SEMA show, where it caught the eye of the film’s producers. Hart didn’t share what he paid for it, but some of Speedkore’s similar cars have been listed on the collector car market for well over $500,000.

That's how much Hart reportedly spent last December to buy classic cars for his entire team to mark the end of a comedy tour.
Kevin Hart bought this 'Cuda AND bought classics for his entire team? What a class act!

#KevinHart #Speedkore #700hp1970Cuda #Menace #Plymouth #Cuda #Mopar #HEMI
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Re: Kevin Hart buys Speedkore 700-hp 1970 'Cuda

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Car Careens Off Road into Ditch ... Kevin & Driver Suffer Major Injuries
https://amp.tmz.com/2019/09/01/kevin-ha ... s-trapped/
One of Kevin Hart's classic cars ended up in a ditch in the Malibu Hills after veering off the road ... TMZ has learned, and looking at the damage ... it's a miracle he and 2 other people in the vehicle survived.

The accident happened just before 1 AM Sunday on the winding and treacherous Mulholland Highway. Crash scene video, obtained by TMZ, shows Kevin's Plymouth Barracuda deep in a gully about 10 feet off the road.

The car smashed through wooden fencing along the roadside, and you can see the roof was completely crushed by the impact.

Cops have confirmed the vehicle belongs to Kevin, but they tell us he was not driving at the time of the accident. There were 2 other people were in the car, including the driver -- and cops say Kevin and the driver both suffered "major back injuries."

The third person is a woman who did not require hospital treatment. Police say the driver had not been drinking.

Kevin was first out of the vehicle and according to a witness, a member of his security team showed up in an SUV and picked him up. Kevin lives nearby and cops say he went home "to get medical attention." He was eventually treated at a hospital.

Earlier, on Saturday ... Kevin posted a video of himself in his vintage ride, as someone yelled at him for laying down too much rubber on the street as he spun out his tires.

Kevin bought the car back in July as a 40th birthday gift to himself.
Wow, I'm amazed everyone in the vehicle survived. I'm hoping for speedy recoveries.

#KevinHart #Accident #Wreck #Speedkore #Plymouth #Cuda #Mopar #HEMI
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Re: Kevin Hart buys Speedkore 700-hp 1970 'Cuda

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Eagle eyed folks on Twitter noticed the Hellcat motor.
The original Speedkore 'Cuda used a blown 392 engine.

I wonder if Kevin or Speedkore had swapped that out?
Both have over 700-hp, though, so both are dangerous.

#KevinHart #Speedkore #Cuda #Accident #Wreck #700hpHEMI
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Re: Kevin Hart buys Speedkore 700-hp 1970 'Cuda

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Kevin Hart Accident Update: 'Cuda Was Converted to a Two-Seater
https://www.motortrend.com/news/kevin-h ... -happened/
The recent Kevin Hart car accident involving a SpeedKore-built 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda known as "Menace" has the car-curious world asking, "What happened?" While we don't know the specifics of how Kevin Hart's irreplaceable SpeedKore 'Cuda met its demise, our inside knowledge of the car and its Hellcat Hemi crate engine powertrain may shed some light on what may have happened and can provide a learning opportunity.

It's a fact that most accidents are rarely the result of a single failure, but rather the combination of two or more factors. As people look for answers, here are a few things that aren't widely reported or even known by entertainment-industry news outlets like TMZ. (Check out their report here.)

The most glaring thing missed is that this particular 1970 Plymouth was converted from a four-seat configuration to a two-seater long before comedian Kevin Hart owned it. SpeedKore, the builder of the car, gave us extensive access to the car during its initial reveal after the 2016 SEMA Show, and you can clearly see that it has been converted to a two-seater. Non-automotive news outlets all report the third passenger—Rebecca Broxterman, the driver's reported fiancé—was riding in the back seat, but the car does not have a rear seat, only two small storage compartments.

Even in the best of circumstances, riding in the rear of a car that has no seat for a passenger is exceedingly dangerous for obvious reasons: There is no protective seat, no provisions for occupant protection, and no safety harness.

What is not so obvious but comes to light with a little digging is that the Hellcat Hemi that was swapped into the car (after it was widely published in the enthusiast media with a less powerful engine) was actually a much more rare, modified Dodge Demon engine with 840 hp on tap. (Among other things, the Demon blower/intake manifold assembly had been lowered to fit beneath the low hood). That isn't the issue, though, but one thing is related: The car was most likely not modified to take full advantage of the powertrain's sophisticated stability control system.

The modified Demon Hemi in Kevin Hart's car (similar to this one) likely did not have stability control or traction control hooked up.

In an interview with Mike Copeland of Diversified Creations of Brighton, Michigan, (Copeland is likely the world's most knowledgeable expert on Hellcat engine swaps, but has no affiliation with this car) we discovered that making the Hellcat conversion with full implementation of the stability control system requires special vehicle-speed and yaw sensors that are not supported in the aftermarket. This fact was later verified by a person close to the vehicle's build who wants to remain anonymous. GM speed sensors, which are widely used for these types of conversions, cannot be adapted for use in this Chrysler powertrain due to their incompatible output pulses, and must be fabricated from scratch. In all the Hellcat swaps he's been involved with (which is most of them), Copeland has only gone through the effort once. Every other Hellcat conversion we've seen has the traction control and vehicle stability control disabled to simplify the installation of Hellcat and Demon Hemi engines. Anybody who's driven a Hellcat knows how unruly the Hellcat becomes in tire-liquifying "track" mode, which is what the driver of the SpeedKore 'Cuda—Jared Black—would have faced.

Irrespective of the specific facts of the Kevin Hart car accident, we're willing to posit that three critical errors may have occurred, none of which would have required any link to either excessive speed or impaired ability:

* No licensed driver should allow three people to ride in a vehicle designed for two—not on a closed course, and certainly not on a road that is notorious (Mulholland Drive) for its tight turns and frequent deadly accidents. In fact, riding without a seat is illegal in every state, including California, and you'll be written a ticket for it every time if you get caught.

* Witnesses report that prior to the Kevin Hart car accident, the car was heard to have performed a burnout. (For those not familiar, this is the act of heating up the drive tires with the car held stationary). While not wise, it would have provided the driver the opportunity to become familiar with the car's unruly nature, and even if the car was equipped with stability control, a burnout implies it had been disabled beforehand. It is abundantly clear that by the time of the accident, the driver would have already known the stability control was either not built into the vehicle or was deliberately turned off.

* We can't comment on the ability of the driver in command, but a cursory search through Jared Black's Facebook page shows no history of involvement with extreme performance cars with 800 hp, but that aspect aside, even an experienced driver would not allow the unsafe seating configuration on that road in less-than-ideal conditions. For an experienced driver to allow a third passenger to ride with no safety belts, at night, on Mulholland Drive, with the traction and stability control systems disabled in an 800 hp car is a bad idea. For an inexperienced driver to do this with someone riding in what is effectively a storage compartment is a terrible idea, and is likely to be the focus of inquiry by the CHP—not excessive speed or impaired driving, as hinted at by Hollywood news outlets.
Wow, so this story is getting even worse. 800+hp and someone wasn't actually in a seat.

#KevinHart #Speedkore #Plymouth #Cuda #Hellcat #Demon #Wreck #Accident
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Re: Kevin Hart buys Speedkore 700-hp 1970 'Cuda

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Kevin Hart Facing Lawsuits from His Driver, Passenger Injured in Car Crash - Reports
https://sputniknews.com/viral/201909221 ... car-crash/
The driver, who sustained serious back and chest injuries, and the passenger in the backseat, who sustained only minor injuries, are reportedly preparing lawsuits against the celebrity comedian.

Hart is taking heat from those who were injured in the Sept. 1 crash, including the driver Jared S. Black and a second passenger, who say Hart showed negligence for not having critical safety features installed like airbags and safety harnesses, according to a report from TMZ.

The missing safeguards, which are standard in more modern vehicles, were not common back in the 1970s, so Hart reportedly passed on them to give an extra bit of authenticity to his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda.

Hart, meanwhile, is reportedly preparing a lawsuit against Speedkore, the company who built his beastly 720-horsepower car that was powered by a modern 6.4L Hemi V8 and topped with a Whipple supercharger. He is aiming to sue for negligence, following the body shop’s decision to go ahead with the job despite the lack of modern safeguards in the powerful vehicle.
I think these lawsuits will be interesting to watch. They seem like a very costly precedent to set for the classic car community. Imagine if every time someone goes for a ride in your classic, you risk a lawsuit if there's a wreck and you didn't retrofit airbags and traction control? Imagine the liability and impact to classic car restorers, too, if Kevin's lawsuit wins?

#KevinHart #Speedkore #Wreck #Accident #Menace #Plymouth #Cuda #Mopar
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