Every enthusiast dreams of finding a rare car hidden away in a garage or shed. You open the door, and as light hits the forgotten car for the first time in decades, you see distinctive cues of a one-year-only model built in limited numbers. You quickly scan the hulk for all of the unique features, and they appear to be present. That’s when you realize that the car was improperly stored and now needs a complete restoration. This AAR ‘Cuda was in a similar condition before the current owner completed a rotisserie restoration. The metalwork was completed by the AMD Installation Center before the body was pained its original B5 blue color. You can find the freshly restored ‘Cuda here on eBay, where bidding has reached $68,800 without meeting reserve. The car is located in Nobleton Ontario Canada.
The original AAR 340 six-barrel engine was missing when the seller acquired the car, but a replacement was built from a date-correct engine block and cylinder heads. The listing mentions a mix of original and top-tier replacement parts. The engine looks to be detailed to match factory-assembled appearance following the trend in high-end Mopar restorations.
The interior is shown in the course of restoration and appears to exhibit the same level of workmanship as the rest of the car. Potential buyers should verify that the missing parts were properly installed. items of note in the interior are the rim blow steering wheel and the pistol grip shifter for the A833 four-speed transmission.
The underside of the ‘Cuda received the same level of attention as the top side of the car. The listing includes detailed pictures of the suspension and unit body. Notable equipment includes front disk brakes, the 3.90:1 geared sure grip differential, and side exiting megaphone exhaust tips.
The ‘Cuda was in rough shape before the restoration. The before picture provides an idea of how much work went into returning it to its former glory. This AAR ‘Cuda is a desirable combination of a rare and desirable model with well-chosen options assembled through a detailed restoration that has been recently completed. As with all high-level Mopars, show judges could nitpick the car to the point of driving the owner insane so I am not going to make any claims to correctness. The uniqueness of the original car and the quality of the restoration make this an exciting auction.
OOOOH!! This one pushes ALL my buttons! My favorite color combo, but *SIGH* it’s already so far out of my budget, LOL! Oh, well, GLWTA!! :-)
Really nice but way out of my price range. Prefer this and the Dodge Challenger T/A as I think it’s a more balanced, economical and usable car than the big block models.
On of if not the prettiest ‘Cudas I’ve ever seen.
And she’s gone.
I know it’s gone but it reminds me of one I knew of at one time. A guy that was a couple of years older and went to the same HS had one in the mid 70’s. I never saw it run and don’t know what happened to it but it was a beautiful car. Hope the new owner enjoys this one.
Is that Cdn or US dollars ?
Smitten again.
Bob
A true race car, one belt on the engine, 4speed and no console. Not to mention the 6 examples of the Venturi Effect atop a beautiful 340 LA engine.
This is my unicorn car! I’m a Mopar junkie and there is nothing I’d love to own than one of these.
This is a fantastic specimen for an AAR with all the right options, IMHO. Love that it’s a 4 speed w/o console, Rallye dash, and that beautiful color combo. I’d take a T/A or AAR any day over a Challenger or Cuda with a big block just because they handle so much better and the high winding 340 is such an underrated motor.
It’s a shame that the nice ones (even a complete rescue restoration like this example) have become unobtainable. With some of these cars going for very high 5 and even 6 figures, it’s easy to see why people are starting to clone them. This one never hit reserve, so it will be interesting to see what it finally goes for if re-listed.
These are expensive because they are on so many peoples “short list”. It’s been that way since I was just out of high school in 1980 and entered the car buying market. Even when elite cars like this AAR and others were relatively common they were selling at 2 to 3 times what comparable base muscle cars could be found for. I remember a 68 or 69 Hemi Road Runner that was parked on a corner where everyone in the area would leave their cars they were selling on Saturday and Sunday’s, it had a $5,000 price tag, within a week I found a nice 68 383 4spd Road Runner in similar condition for $1,000.
As for clones, I always hated them, they are just fakes, most often poorly executed. I’d just leave the original emblems on, or remove them altogether, rather than try and turn it into something it isn’t.
Steve R
Back in the day, my brother and I owned new AARs at the same time. They were very nice cars of the genre. This one is one of a kind.
A really nice ride! …and a great job by the owner and the guy(s) who found, funded, and restored it. Well worth “saving”.
did they dominate the street?
Not really dominant, but comfortably competitive at red lights in town, very sharp…and quick enough for a small block. I had a Torquflite version. I kept it totally stock and put Interstate miles on it every weekend. The 3x2s worked great. A real fun car. Ran smooth low 14s, pure stock with no hassle. My brother also had one.
The ’70 AAR was very different and more civilized than my previous car …a ’69 Z-28, which was tuned, with headers, ignition, clutch, bars, 4:88s, and eventually a BlPnted replacement motor. (I traded in on the AAR as it wasn’t happy with the long weekend drives to the strip.)
Both were very nice cars but totally different.
Dang, another EBay listing ended because item is no longer available.