The 1970 model year was perhaps the pinnacle of the muscle car movement. A lot of hot cars were around in those days, like the Pontiac GTO Judge or Chevelle SS 454. But we can’t forget the AAR ‘Cuda by Plymouth, which was a low-production hot rod built as a tribute to Plymouth’s success on the SCCA Trans Am circuit. Only 2,724 were assembled in a single model year (1970), including this one which is practically new on the mechanical side. Needing cosmetic work, this Mopar is in Irvington, Alabama, and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $52,000 OBO. We appreciate this tip from Barn Finder Patrick S!

Plymouth built roughly 50,000 copies of its Barracuda pony car in 1970. Sales were up 50% due to an all-new E-body platform that was also at play with Dodge’s new Challenger. Only about 5% came as the AAR ‘Cuda patterned after Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers (hence the AAR designation) which had a 305 cubic inch V8 pushing out a whopping 440 hp. The street versions instead got the small-block 340, with some mods that included triple 2-barrel carburetors (aka Six-Pack). They were conservatively rated at 290 horses.

The interiors of the AAR ‘Cudas were pretty basic, but the exteriors were treated (sometimes) to Chrysler’s “Hi-Impact” paint colors, flat-black fiberglass hoods, strobe-stripes on the sides, and side-exit exhaust. The rear end was jacked up by two inches and different wheel widths were used fore and aft. 1,604 of them were produced in the Spring of 1970 with automatic transmissions (the rest got 4-speeds).

We’re told this ‘Cuda is a real-deal AAR with documentation like fender tags to back it up. But the engine is not original although the block is correct for the auto. The motor has been freshly rebuilt, and the tranny is new along with the brakes, front end, and wiring. The seller says it runs like a charm. The seats have been redone, but the door panels have not (and the photos show an older headliner while the seller says it’s new).

Some bodywork has been done to the car either by the seller or a previous owner. This includes both quarter panels, the trunk floor, and one floor pan. Some of the factory dark green paint is still present. The seller says you could drive the car the way it is or go ahead and send it to the paint shop. There weren’t many of these machines when new and even fewer now, and restored or super nice original AAR ‘Cudas tend to fetch some serious coin.