1-Of-68: 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda Convertible

This 1970 ‘Cuda (only the hot models were called ‘Cuda!) will need a lot of work and assembly, but there are some really important parts there, and a specification that will make it worth the effort! It’s listed for sale here on eBay, where bidding is up to $21,600 as I write but has not yet met the reserve. The car is located in a storage unit in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

For 1970, Plymouth offered a range of Barracudas from mild to wild. The ‘Cuda moniker was reserved for the wild cars! Factory equipped with heavy-duty suspension, front and rear anti-roll bars, and even factory hood pins, the ‘Cuda was something special. And this particular car really is 1 of 68 convertibles produced with the 383-cubic-inch V-8 and a four-speed manual transmission.

Only one problem: the car has been almost completely disassembled! As you can see from these pictures, the car is a mix of good and bad. Lots of boxes and loose parts are included, but it’s always difficult to tell whether everything is there. I’ve been there with several cars I’ve purchased, and I have yet to find one where all the parts were actually included!

Based on this picture, you would think that the car requires a lot of rust repair; this rear quarter panel certainly does. However, the pictures of the floor included here and here tell a different, much more optimistic story. We don’t see the original front fenders, so I’m guessing they were pretty rough. But the seller thought of that already and has purchased a solution.

And here you have it: two brand new front fenders! There are other new body panels and parts included as well; it would help someone debating about placing a bid if there were a complete list of the new parts, but the seller seems more interested in hyping up the rarity of the car. And don’t get me wrong, it is rare. In fact, the car was built with factory air conditioning! There weren’t a lot of 4-speed, V-8, 1970 ‘Cuda convertibles built (178 total), and I’ll bet fewer than half of those had AC! There can’t be many left, right? Cue Mark Worman from Graveyard Carz, “If you’re going to do it, do it right!” I’m guessing this car will soon be the subject of a concours-quality restoration.

You’ll have to use a little of your imagination to see yourself in a pristine, reupholstered driver’s seat with that pistol-grip shifter at hand, but squint a little, and I’ll bet you can do it. Look out over that freshly painted “Hemi Orange” hood, shift into first, floor it, and hang on! Do you want to be the next owner/driver?