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Upscale E-Body Project: 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Gran Coupe

I was only five when the third and final generation of the Barracuda began arriving at Plymouth dealers back in 1970.  Although it might have taken a couple of more years before my passion for E-Bodies fully sank in, there’s no doubt my age remained in the single digits when I decided one of these would be my first car.   It was, a ’71 Cuda, from back in the early eighties when you could still pick up a decent driver for less than a thousand bucks, but that’s a story for another time.  Today’s car is more of a tale of luxury, and that’s the Plymouth Barracuda Gran Coupe such as this 1970 model here on eBay.  This one’s a project located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and comes with a buy-it-now price tag of $29,500. or you also can submit an offer for consideration.

Plymouth manufactured nearly 49,000 Barracudas for 1970, with somewhere around 7,300 of them being the more upscale Gran Coupe, identifiable on the outside by its badging, which is missing on the fenders here but can be seen on the back panel near the right taillight.  Some additional amenities can also be found inside, including a cool overhead console that lets the occupants know if a door isn’t closed properly or if you’re running low on fuel.

Unfortunately, there’s no fender tag present and no mention of a build sheet, so it’s unknown if Lime Light was the car’s original color, with the yellow paint under the hood only adding to the mystery here.  What does seem apparent is there are a few rust issues outside, but we’ve seen numerous Mopars from this era with far worse corrosion all over, so hopefully the cancer is confined to mainly the lower body portions.

The VIN does help us determine that the 383 stripe accurately reflects how this Barracuda was born, with that engine being the largest displacement you could get in the Gran Coupe model, but it’s been removed and now has a 440 residing in the bay  We don’t get very many details about the motor, such as a date code or what it was pulled out of, but the seller mentions that the car will run under its own power, at least long enough for loading or unloading from a trailer.

Things inside are nowhere perfect, but if it’s just a driver you’re after maybe the components are decent enough to keep you happy for a while.  It’s good that this one’s got buckets and a console, plus the more plush GC fabric, but be aware that the seller mentions this one was subjected to a humid area for an undisclosed period, and the back seat appears to have some mold.  Still, along with the negatives, there are also some positives here, and I’m envisioning one sharp E-Body once this one gets restored.  Could you envision taking on this 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Gran Coupe as a project?

Comments

  1. Dan

    This one is sending way too many mixed messages for it to be worth my time. And I hate it when someone turns a relatively rare Gran Coupe into, ho-hum, another ‘Cuda clone.

    Like 1
  2. Frog

    I’ve always liked the barracuda more than the challenger. This one has yellow paint under the hood so two scenarios the car was either yellow or was wrecked and the hood replaced and painted green. Closer examination could determine either.

    Like 1
    • Nevada1/2rack Nevada1/2rack Member

      A closer exam might too explain the blue paint in the area of the firewall..

      Like 0
    • Tagless

      What’s the deal with so many mopars missing their tag?

      Cause for suspicion?

      Like 0
  3. Melton Mooney

    The bulgy hood could possibly be original to the car, but I’m pretty sure the exhaust tips and rear valence were ‘cuda only.
    Since it looks like an older build, that might be an original AAR spoiler, which has enough value to offset some of the cost of the ton of sheetmetal you’re going buy.
    The single plane and vacuum reservoir for the brake booster would suggest that the 440 is pretty spicy.

    Like 4
  4. chuck

    June ’71 ….. home from the Army I bought a dealer demo 5k mile Gran Coupe…. red with white vinyl top, the houndstooth upholstered buckets, overhead console, lower body strake, body color elastomeric rear bumper, A/C and the rallye wheels with 3 narrow ring whitewalls. 318 column automatic. it was VERY sharp in our small town.

    Went to work, drove it for real in Ohio and Michigan winters… put over 100k miles on it. Along the way it got new front fenders, and paint but the salt was taking its’ toll… the body was coming loose from the spring mounts under the trunk… Sold it for 800. The guy was coming for it the next day so I took it out one more time and it still did 117…. same as ever… Loved that car…..

    Like 9
  5. stillrunners stillrunners Member

    Another case of buyers remorse – is there any frame pictures of the issues mentioned about the rails ?

    Like 1
  6. TRUTH

    Wow, delusional price. Maybe a 3500-5000 dollar car as the only thing anyone can do is drop in a ton of cash to make it an acceptable looking driver.

    Like 0

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