This 1970 Plymouth Barracuda looks to have gone through an extensive restoration. And a conversion in the process. No longer is it the Gran Coupe with a 318 cubic inch V8 as the VIN indicates. It’s been detailed as a ‘Cuda 340 with Chrysler’s hot 340 engine under the hood. It appears to be a beautiful car, so as long as clones don’t bother you, this seems like a solid performance ride. Located with a dealer in Largo, Florida, this Mopar is available here on eBay for $54,900. A nod goes to “Curvette” for another muscle car era tip.
Sporting a new E-body platform, the 1970 Barracuda found 50% more buyers than the Valiant-based 1969 models. Of 48,867 produced that year, 4,742 copies were the more luxurious Gran Coupe, which typically came with a 318 and an automatic transmission. The VIN, not the seller, divulges this information, so it’s not a numbers-matching car. No reference is made to the fender tag, either, so we don’t know if Alpine White is the car’s original color. But with a black interior, it’s a nice combination.
The seller makes a big deal out of the floors being repainted, but wouldn’t a good restorer have done that as part of the project anyway? Upgrades from a 1970 stock ‘Cuda 340 are the intake manifold, carburetor, aluminum radiator, and more. I presume the “hockey stick” stripes are appropriate to the model year. The indicated mileage is zero, so has the odometer been reset from a restoration that has just concluded?
From all indications, this is a turn-key Mopar. All it lacks is a driver and a new garage to call home. Because the seller is also a dealer, he/she indicates that further mods can be done for you (for extra cost, of course), such as adding vintage air conditioning to make cruising more comfortable on a hot Saturday night.
Great article Mr. Russ Dixon! Great find Curvette! For that kind of money, you can buy the real thing! A clone will always be clone!
If you go through the car and “upgrade” most components, why would you leave the manual drum brakes and not make the heater functional? It looks good, but gives off the impression it was built to maximize profit on a flip.
Steve R
Too bad it was cloned to a 340 ‘Cuda. I see more 340 ‘Cudas than I do Gran Coupe Barracudas at car shows, even Mopar car shows.
Check out from beauty Queen to plain Jane it was an online article on my car
good article, cool ride!
The Gran Coupe should have leather seats and more wood trim on the doors. Challenger SEs also had a smaller rear window but not sure if that extends to a Barracuda. I agree with an earlier comment, for that money buy the real model and not a clone
it seems all people want to do anymore is make these cars or any car into something they are not. thinking they can get more money for them
True. Building it for yourself is one thing but, building a clone to flip is another.
Steering wheel is off a later model . Too much $$$
June 1971… home from the Army.. I bought a 5k mile dealer demo 70 Barracuda Gran Coupe… 318 column automatic… A/C.. red/ white.. deluxe houndstooth interior. Drove it for real in Ohio and Michigan winters. At 120k miles it was so rusty that the rear spring mounts were loose from the body. The last night I owned it the speedo still reached 115…. that body was looose..! Loved that car…