Vehicle Description
1970 Plymouth 'Cuda AAR Tribute
The average ticket price for a Bruce Springsteen concert is about
$300, but you can see the B Street Band on the Jersey Shore for
$10. The chance to see Elvis is gone, but you can be in the
audience of a reasonable facsimile in Branson any day of the year.
Fat free ice cream is good, but it's not as good as the real thing.
Likewise, tribute cars give you the look and feel of an often rare
model without the expense or responsibility that goes along with
them.
For consignment, a 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda AAR tribute. With just 2,724
real 'Cuda's produced in 1970, there are simply not enough to go
around, so it's easier to get into a replication. Here's a 340
'Cuda dressed up with some external cues that will have Moparians
raise an eyebrow or two when you pull into the show.
Exterior
Outside of the Lemon Twist paint on this car, it's the AAR strobe
stripe that catches your eye. It terminates with the block letters
CUDA and the All American Racers tri-colored shield. Flat black
paint on the scooped, fiberglass hood, Check! Hood pins hold it
down and 440-6 is on the scoop, could it be? Side exit exhaust
looks great and the black rear fascia gives the back a menacing
look in combination with the AAR style ducktail, wide rear tires
and the raked stance. 15-inch Mopar Rallye wheels wrapped in
stagger size tires look great and flank a louvered rocker panel.
The face of this fish is also menacing with wide set single
headlights and hidden marker lights that lean back like pectoral
fins on top of the grille, all on an inky black base. Three cracks
in the paint down low near the rocker panel, some sizable, as well
as some cracking in the paint on the roof are the flaws we note on
the exterior.
Interior
Basic black plastic door panels prevail here and look to be in
great condition and proudly wear 'Cuda emblems. Tall backed black
vinyl bucket seats are perched in the front and the tuck and roll
inside panels add visual interest, but this was before aggressive
bolster support found its way to pedestrian vehicles. As with the
beautiful back bench, our seats are equipped with lap belts only. A
thick, Tuff steering wheel is sporty and firm while the Mopar
steering column "crush can" is a fantastic design feature. Ahead we
have a faux wood covered dashboard, sides canted towards the
center, and four large gauges in the driver's sightline. By today's
standards the writing is small, especially on the speedometer where
they had to fit numbers up to 150 mph on a small dial and it's a
tight squeeze. We note just a bit of peeling of the vinyl wood
patterned film. The driver focused center console plays host to an
amazing Hurst pistol grip shifter, set in a rubber accordion boot,
surrounded by more warm wood covering. Black loop style carpet
covers the floor in fine fashion and the headliner shows a bit of
looseness but no tears.
Drivetrain
Flip the lightweight hood up and we find a spectacularly clean and
original looking circa 1971 440ci V8 engine with a bright yellow
air filter cover, ribbed Mopar Performance valve covers, and a
period emulating battery. Under the air filter, there are three
2-barrel carburetors that make the famed six pack. A Tremec 3550
5-speed manual transmission motivates the movement of the car and
sends power to the 8.75" rear, while power brakes slow the car down
with disc in front and drums in the back.
Undercarriage
A bright metal gas tank begins our tour of the clean underside.
There are scattered spots of surface rust but not a major
detraction in our eyes. The exhaust exhales through headers then
travels down to FlowMaster mufflers which send a looping tailpipe
that doubles back to exit on the sides. Torsion bar suspension is
up front with leaf springs in the rear. We note just a touch of oil
on the rear differential, the oil pan, and the flywheel cover.
Drive-Ability
Our consignor states there's a vacuum leak and we think the timing
might also need to be dialed in and the carbs need to be tuned, so
it's running but could definitely run better. That said, all
functions do operate but the turn signal cam is broken.
For about 1/3 the price of the King, you can have the next best
thing. A tribute king. It's got the bedazzled jumpsuit, a great
voice, and all the charisma. This is a respectable homage to a
legendary car with 100 more cubic inches than true AAR's. This is
not like showing up at a Ferrari show in a Fierorrari. This has all
the right ingredients to make it a highly desirable Mopar.
BS23H0B203792
B-Plymouth Barracuda
S-Special Price Class
23-2 Door Hardtop
H-340ci 4bbl V8
0-1970
B-Hamtramck, MI Assy Plant
203792-Sequential Unit Number
FENDER TAG
See Photos For Decode
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acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
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person.
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