The 1970 Plymouth 440-6 Pack Cuda finished in Plum Crazy paint was offered for sale at the 2006 Worldwide Group Auction held on Hilton Head Island. It was expected to sell between $140,000-$180,000 and offered without reserve. At the conclusion of the auction, the vehicle had been sold for $120,450. The vehicle features black bucket front seats and a four-speed transmission. It has a factory shaker hood, black vinyl top, hockey stick decals and a Dana 60 rear-end.
Laguna Seca - Gurney finished: 17th DNF Lime Rock - Gurney finished 14th DNF Bryar - Savage finished 18th DNF Mid Ohio - Did not race Bridgehampton - Savage finished 22nd DNF Donnybrooke - Savage finished 5th Road America - Savage finished 2nd St. Jovite - Savage finished 29th DNF Watkins Glen - Savage finished 5th Kent - Savage finished 18th DNF Riverside - Savage finished 4th The second AAR 'Cuda was driven by Swede Savage with the number 42 for three races (Laguna Seca, Lime Rock and Mid Ohio) before being destroyed at St. Jovite by Savage during a practice crash. AAR did not repair the severely damaged car. In an effort to provide Plymouth with a Trans Am victory, Gurney returned for the season's final two races (Kent and Riverside) where he drove AAR's recently completed third 'Cuda with the number 48. That third car ran only in those 2 races.
For a time, Plymouth enjoyed a racing program that cross-town rival Chevrolet didn't, due to anti-racing edicts GM enacted earlier in the 1960's. As the third and smallest of the Big Three, Plymouth had lost out to Pontiac for third spot in sales, but offered competitive vehicles with good durability and performance such as the Slant Six Valiants, and smart marketing like the Road Runner. Come 1970, Plymouth's stock was going to increase some more. The optional Barracuda had started out as a fastback model of the Valiant, but within weeks the Mustang came out and created a segment that the Barracuda couldn't play in. A redesign in 1967 leveled the playing field. Then, with the advent of the 1970 'E-body' Barracuda (and Dodge Challenger). Plymouth trumped the industry with the ultimate ponycar. The Performance 'Cuda version had its own Trans-Am version called the AAR, which stood for Dan Gurney's All American Racers. It came with the legendary 'Six Pack', a 3x2-barrel carbed version of the 340, a unique fiberglass 'shaker' hood and strobe stripes, all at a base price of $3,966. A total of 2,724 AAR 'Cudas were produced within a six-week time frame. Of those, it is not known how many were ordered without radios, but this is one of two existing so equipped, according to the AAR Registry.
In 2007 Cuda clone was brought to the Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club in Carmel, California where it was auctioned at the Bonhams auction, An Important Sale of Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia. Bidding reached a high of $70,000 (plus premium and taxes) which was enough to satisfy the reserve and the lot was sold.
In 1969 Plymouth divided the model into two categories, the base Barracuda and the performance-oriented 'Cuda. The name 'Cuda' had evolved from the limited production Hemi 'Cuda drag cars. The standard engine in the production Cuda was the 383 cubic-inch Command V8 which offered 335 horsepower. One of the most sought after upgrade was the 440 cubic-inch Six-Barrel engine which upped the power to 390. This option was available for a mere $250 which was significantly less than the $871 option for the Street Hemi option. This example has the 440 Six-Barrel option and 2-Door Hardtop configurations. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and a Dana 4.1:1 rear axle. Options on this car include AM radio, shaker hood, tachometer, rear window defogger, dual exhausts with chrome tips, dual chrome outside mirrors, sill and deck moldings, 3-speed wipers, sport hood with pins, Rally dash and the Sport Group of 150mph speedometer and sport steering wheel. The interior is original and the odometer reads just 35,000 miles since new. It has been well cared for over the years and treated to a complete rotisserie restoration near the close of the 1990s. In the trunk is the correct spare tire, jack, handle and trunk mat. In 2007 this Road Runner Superbird was brought to the Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club in Carmel, California where it was auctioned at the Bonhams auction, An Important Sale of Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia. It was estimated to sell for $95,000 - $125,000 but failed to find a buyer willing to satisfy the cars reserve. The lot was left unsold.
In 1970, Motor Trend tested a 426 Hemi 'Cuda and accelerated from zero to sixty in just 5.8 seconds with the quarter-mile achieved in 14 seconds at 102 mph. This 1970 'Cuda is one of just 13 fitted with a highly desirable combination of options. It is one of 284 hardtops fitted with the four-speed transmission, and it has a 426 cid overhead-valve Hemi V-8. The engine has two 4-barrel Carter carburetors and produces 425 horsepower at 5000 RPM. Inside the car are Rallye instrument luster group that includes tachometer, electric clock, 150 mph speedometer, and wood-grain panel. In the front is a functional shaker hood with hood pins, power front disc brakes, dual-exhaust system with chrome tips and 15 x 7 Rally wheels. Other options include the Track Pak with a 3.54:1 differential ratio featuring a live 9.75-inch Dana 60 rear axle. There is a Hemi suspension and front sway bar. This car has been restored since new and is a numbers-matching car by the Chrysler Registry. There is a Hurst pistol-grip shifter and a 4-speed transmission. In 2009, this Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona where it was estimated to sell for $175,000 - $225,000. The lot was sold for the sum of $150,000 including buyer's premium.
The first series of the Barracuda was produced from 1964 through 1969, distinguished by is A-body construction. From 1970 through 1974 the second series was produced using an E-body construction. In 1964, Plymouth offered the Barracuda as an option of the Valiant model line, meaning it wore both the Valiant and Barracuda emblems. The base offering was a 225 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine that produced with 180 horsepower. An optional Commando 273 cubic-inch eight-cylinder engine was available with a four-barrel carburetor, high-compression heads and revised cams. The vehicle was outfitted with a live rear axle and semi-elliptic springs. Unfortunately, the Barracuda was introduced at the same time, separated by only two weeks, as the Ford Mustang. The Mustang proved to be the more popular car outselling the Valiant Barracuda by a ratio of 8 to 1. The interior was given a floor-shifter, vinyl semi-bucket seats, and rear seating. The rear seats folded down allowing ample space for cargo. By 1967, Plymouth redesigned the Barracuda and added a coupe and convertible to the model line-up. To accommodate larger engines, the engine bay was enlarged. There were multiple engine offerings that ranged in configuration and horsepower ratings. The 225 cubic-inch six-cylinder was the base engine while the 383 cubic-inch 8-cylinder was the top-of-the-line producing 280 horsepower. That was impressive, especially considering the horsepower to weight ratio. Many chose the 340 cubic-inch eight-cylinder because the 383 and Hemi were reported to make the Barracuda nose-heavy while the 340 offered optimal handling. In 1968 Plymouth offered a Super Stock 426 Hemi package. The lightweight body and race-tuned Hemi were perfect for the drag racing circuit. Glass was replaced with lexan, non-essential items were removed, and lightweight seats with aluminum brackets replaced the factory bench, and were given a sticker that indicated the car was not to be driven on public highways but for supervised acceleration trials. The result was a car that could run the quarter mile in the ten-second range. For 1969 a limited number of 440 Barracudas were produced, giving the vehicle a zero-to-sixty time of around 5.6 seconds. In 1970 the Barracuda were restyled but shared similarities to the 1967 through 1969 models. The Barracuda was available in convertible and hardtop configuration; the fastback was no longer offered. Sales were strong in 1970 but declined in the years that followed. The muscle car era was coming to a close due to the rising government safety and emission regulations and insurance premiums. Manufacturers were forced to detune their engines. The market segment was slowly shifting from muscle-cars to luxury automobiles. 1974 was the final year Plymouth offered the Barracuda.
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Automobile information, history, and specifications from concept to production. | © 1998-2009 Conceptcarz.com
subscribe - RSSAutomobile information, history, and specifications from concept to production. | © 1998-2009 Conceptcarz.com