This is one of those cars that you have to wonder what once was and what could be again. The seller tells us this auto once had a 318 cubic inch V8 in it, which makes it a standard Barracuda convertible, not the performance version called the ‘Cuda. As such, it would be one of 1,387 copies made in 1970. Much of this car was disassembled at some point and had primer applied, but then the work stopped. Located in Palm Springs, California, this ragtop roller has been bid to $29,100 here on eBay, but the reserve has not yet kicked in.
After living in the shadows of the Plymouth Valiant for six years, the Barracuda gained its own persona for 1970. Chrysler gave it and the new Dodge Challenger a platform of their own, the E-body, and yet they would share no sheet metal. The car was sportier and more powerful than before and buyers responded favorably by driving sales up by 50 percent. Out of 48,867 Barracudas built for 1970, just 2,501 would be convertibles, broken down as follows: Barracuda 1,387, Gran Coupe 566 and ‘Cuda 548. The ‘Cuda was the performance version of the revitalized car.
Of the 1,387 Barracuda convertibles built, just 683 came with an automatic transmission as we have here. It would have been no powerhouse when new, but it certainly had enough get-up-and-go for hopping around town and taking trips. The odometer reading is unknown for this car, so the seller uses 100,000 as a placeholder with eBay. We’re told the seller has owned the car for about five years and bought it the way you see if. And it’s being sold the same way, so quite of few parts are missing, such as anything chrome, glass and most of the interior.
The body looks fair and some earlier work has started to deteriorate, such as filler that was applied and now begun to crack under the primer. The undercarriage looks pretty rusty, but important areas like the floorboards seem to be intact. Once you sandblast the areas you can really only see good from up on a lift, it would be time to source everything you don’t see and start putting it back together again. While the title and fender tag would give away its small-block engine heritage, this could be an opportunity to convert it into a ‘Cuda and drop a 340, 383, 440 or even a Hemi under the hood, which already seems set up for the Hemi’s shaker.
Hagerty ascertains that $21,400 is what a 1970 Barracuda coupe with a 318 should go for in Fair condition and convertibles would be higher. $51,700 is top dollar while ‘Cudas would go for considerably north of these figures. The level of bidding activity on this car suggests that some potential buyers are already thinking about a powerplant upgrade and making a “Cuda clone out of it.
The price on this is so stupid that I can’t think of a clever comment, so I’ll just shake my head.
The no profanity clause keeps me from saying how I really feel about the price
This could be a restomod project. Hellcrate Redeye and Art Morrison chassis, anyone?
A drop top Baracuda with a shaker hood is a very desirable car. But this example will require thousands and thousands of dollars in parts and hundreds of hours of labor to make it a decent driver. The $30K initial cost is the tip of an iceberg. A good car in the end but not economically rational. Unless, of course, you have a shop and doing the work yourself so the labor is “free”. But you could probably go out and buy a Baracuda convertible for what the parts are going to add up to.
Buying this car for $30K will be the cheapest part of the build!
Extensive rust poorly repaired already. You could do a cheapo resto and get it running. A full build high end resto-mod will run at least 200K with a cool Hemi.
I have been a Mopar guy all my life. I have never fully understood the mystique of the hemi. I get the engineering, the racing heritage, and the torque, but I think the 440 is a much better all around engine that can generate big HP and torque numbers with greater ease of maintenance, parts availability, etc. The price on this car is WAY too high for what it is and I agree it will take wheelbarrow loads of cash to make anything worthwhile out of it.
Nice base for the cloning of a 7 figure car EXCEPT ;
A few years ago,said clones approached $200k if done by a name builder,but today those hemi ,vert clones can be had for $60 to 80k,on most days.This sad sack is $150,000 away from that point.
I think you can buy brand new Cuda bodies somewhere, then make what you want. Wouldn’t that make more sense, and be cheaper?
I remember seeing one of these (Barracuda convertible w/318), in drivable but in rough condition, for sale in the early 90s in the local AutoTrader. The price was $1,500. The owners were having a tough time selling it. Times have certainly changed.
I remember seeing a 71 Challenger for sale in the early 80s. Like 70K miles and a three speed 318, no rust, looked great. Asking price was less than a grand, and it took a long time to sell that convertible. If I could only go back in time.
In about 2002 I was at the mopar nationals in Ohio and there was a gorgeous 1970 Cuda Convertible Hemi clone done extremely well. It sold for $80k. I’ve watched these cars (owned two) over the years and a nice Hemi E-body convertible tribute will still bring about the same $80k.
Now if it is restomodded it will bring pretty much sky is the limit, but I see getting out of it about what you put into it if you chose that route. Having said all of that, e-body convertibles are one of the top ten most valuable and desirable muscle cars and have been for decades. Therefore, you have a certain set of people that WANT a E-body convertible to make it there way, regardless of cost. The only thing standing in their way is a usable car to start with. And good luck with that. I have not seen an e-body convertible sell for less than $20,000 in a long long time. Crazy money for most of us, yes, but there are people that have all the money in the World and they want a Cuda vert. Those are the bidders here. I’m not one of them even though I would love this car.