The ‘Cuda was the performance side of the last generation of the Plymouth Barracuda (1970-74). The 440 V8 was in its last year in the “pony car” in 1971 but was only offered from the factory with the Six-Pack setup (3×2-barrel carburetors). So, when an owner turned this car into a 440 clone, he/she went with a 4-barrel carburetor, creating a clone of a car that didn’t exist. This Plymouth was running until recently when the carburetor got stuck so it might be a driver with little effort. Located in East Greenville, Pennsylvania, this Mopar may need some other TLC and is available here on eBay. The current bid of $22,000 is shy of the seller’s reserve.
Chrysler brought a new E-body platform to market in 1970 for the Plymouth Barracuda which finally lost its heritage with the Valiant compact. To share costs, the new Dodge Challenger also used the E-body but they shared no common sheet metal. Barracuda sales made a nice jump in the first year, rising 50% to just shy of 49,000 units. But the muscle car movement was cooling by that point and since the Barracuda had models in that vein, the car’s demand cooled quickly and substantially, down to just 16,500 copies in ’71.
Per the VIN the seller provides, this Barracuda began with a 318 V8 like nearly half of Barracuda production in 1971. Only 254 ‘Cudas left the factory with a 440 engine before Plymouth would limit engine displacement in the Barracuda to 340 cubic inches in 1972 (360 in 1973-74). However, sources indicate they all had the triple-carb arrangement. The seller is not shy in telling us the car is a tribute, but we don’t know when that transformation took place or how well the change was made.
This machine was running just a few weeks ago and the 727 automatic transmission was rebuilt about 1,500 miles back. So, if you can sort out the carburetor, the assumption is that it will be able to get back on the road. The photos included could be better, and there may be a little rust trying to brew at the bottom of the doors or rocker panels. More disclosure on the history of the car would be nice, though the 440 should be more civilized to drive had the cloning gone in the direction of using a 426 Hemi instead.
This is a 71 Plymouth Barracuda with a 318. To make the correct clone it needs 71 Cuda fender with the gills. And the torsion bars are for a 318 need 440 ones..and the radiator need updating to 440. This is a nice Mopar worth fixing. Do it right and you will be happy! Good luck!! 🐻🇺🇸
Distributor location tells us it’s a big block, 383 or 440.
Prefer column shift, to that stubby console unit. Plymouth had an elegant longer console offering in the previous gen.
You mentioned the 360 being available in 73-74, 73 models still had 340s which was replaced with the 360 for the 74 model year. If it were mine I’d keep the 440 and change the appearance back to that of the base Barracuda.
I thought the optional tuff steering wheel was smaller in diameter.
Certainly worth restoring,but not as a clone 440 I would think.
not all 340 cudas in 72 where six packs