The Plymouth Barracuda was all-new in 1970, and buyers responded by scooping up one-third more copies than they did in 1969. The ‘Cuda performance model represented about a third of the overall production. The seller’s car began life with a 318 cubic inch V8, but has since joined the ‘Cuda clone world with a 340 engine now residing under the hood. Located in Bonney Lake, Washington, the seller is moving and would prefer the car not to go with him/her. Nice overall, the Mopar is available here on craigslist for $33,000. Our compliments to “Curvette” for yet another vintage tip.
Prior to 1970, the Barracuda was somewhat of a Valiant in disguise. To better compete with the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro, Chrysler treated the Barracuda to a new E-body platform in 1970. And shared it with the latest entry in the pony car space, Dodge’s Challenger. While sales were brisk in the first year, timing was off for the two new Mopars. Sales of the Barracuda dropped by two-thirds in 1971 as the muscle car market was cooling down, thanks to competitive saturation and rising insurance premiums.
The seller acquired this Plymouth 11 years ago, and it had already had the 340-conversion done. But the original 318 came with that deal, and the seller has it to pass along to the next owner should they want to do a clone reversal. The car has 120,000 miles on it, though how many of those were accumulated with the 275 hp-rated Mopar isn’t mentioned. The 340 is paired with an A904 automatic transmission.
This Barracuda was built in California and has likely lived there ever since. Documentation going back 47 years has been kept, so much of the history of the vehicle is known. During the seller’s stewardship, the automobile has had some repairs and/or new parts, including the carburetor, aftermarket wheels and tires, and a front brake conversion from drums to discs. But the list also features a new radiator, starter, and ignition switch.
The interior has been refreshed, including the upholstery and carpeting (done by the prior owner). The dash pad could stand to be replaced. A collection of extra parts has been saved for the car’s next caretaker. The vinyl top looks good, and the green paint might be an older refresh (just a hunch). We’re told the machine runs and drives well, so as long as clones don’t matter to you, this could be a nice purchase.
Nice looking car. Remove the only Cuda emblem which is on the taillight panel and it’s hard to call it a clone. Performance hoods by themselves don’t make a car a clone.
The body and paint seem nice enough that someone looking for a Barracuda with some performance upgrades to use as a weekend cruiser should be happy. Though it’s not inexpensive, it seems to be a better value than most of the early-70’s E-body’s featured on this site.
Steve R