Former Race Car: One-Owner 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda 340

The Plymouth Barracuda finally shed its Valiant roots in 1970 with a new E-body platform. The result was a much better-looking car that initially saw sales increase by nearly 50%. The seller is the original owner of this 1970 ‘Cuda 340, which still wears its factory paint. But it’s no longer the machine the New Jersey dealer sold him new, as it soon became a weekend track car that could turn the quarter mile in 11 seconds. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, the seller has decided to let it go to a new owner who can chart its future course. This Mopar is available here on eBay, where the current bid is $35,100 with an unmet reserve.

We’re told the seller bought this ‘Cuda new in the Fall of 1969, one of 1,788 340s built with an automatic transmission. When you factor in the FY1 Lemon Twist paint, it becomes 1 of 247. Though it was a daily driver for a time, he no doubt made some mods to stock to get 13-second-quarter miles at the track. When the car was two years old and had 20,000 miles, it was retired from regular use, and the front clip was transformed into the quad headlight set-up of the 1971 Barracuda (why?). Somewhere in the process, the seller shaved two more seconds off the quarter mile.

While the seller has kept a trail of paperwork since Day 1, most of the images provided are page after page of a build sheet diary. With all of the changes the car would go through, like the addition of a roll bar, most of the car’s original paint has survived, and we assume it has done so in good fashion. To gain speed, the seats and other interior pieces were removed, and a tweaked 340 was installed in place of the factory unit.

This may be a roller as we’re told the engine was rebuilt 20+ years ago, but never reinstalled along with a new racing tranny. Lots of spare goodies will come with the sale, including another 340 short-block. The decision the seller will need to make is whether he/she decides to go back to a classic muscle car, redo it as a drag track car, or shoot for a pro-street cruiser. What are your thoughts on this Plymouth’s future?