Vehicle Description
1974 Plymouth 'Cuda 360 Hardtop
By 1972 it was clear that the muscle car party was winding down,
with encroaching government restrictions on emissions, rising fuel
costs, and spiraling insurance premiums all contributing to engine
down-sizing and slower sales. That being said, Plymouth was
determined to get its money's worth from the E-body, which meant
that the Barracuda forged forward in an attempt to balance style,
performance, and price.1 972 saw return to single headlights for
the Barracuda, along with a revised grille that split the
difference between the simpler 1970 look and the aggressive '71
slats. Now available exclusively as a coupe, Plymouth erased big
blocks entirely from the order sheet, throwing in a pair of small
block V8s alongside the never-left slant six. Neither of the
eight-cylinders were particularly mighty, as the six-pack was
history and the 340 was now good for a modest 240hp with a
four-barrel carburetor. The 'Cuda was still in the mix, but it was
a shadow of its former self and relied largely on styling tweaks to
differentiate it from the base model. Plymouth largely stayed the
course in 1973, and by the time 1974 arrived it added a 360ci V8
good for 245hp to replace the now-departed 340. By then, the
writing was on the wall, and at the end of the model year the
Barracuda was eliminated by Chrysler corporate honchos unwilling to
flirt with performance in the face of a market that had swung over
to fuel misers and compacts.
For consignment, a 1974, final year example of the fabled Plymouth
'Cuda in 360 call out form. Fully restored top to bottom, this one
has been well kept since its said restoration and is bathed in
Burnished Red Metallic and is in full factory garb save for the
rear spoiler. A numbers matching 360ci V8, 4-bbl carb, and numbers
matching A727 Torqueflite are under the hood. It sports a black
side stripe and of course iconic good muscle car looks. OHHHHHHH
Barra-Cuda!
Exterior
At the front of the car, a traditional orange trimmed satin black
split grille with argent surrounds and a single bezeled headlights
flanking on either side greet us with a menacing grin. Low mounted
signal markers hover within the lower air opening and thin chrome
trimming highlights the whole front end package perfectly along
with the tucked and NTSB rubberblock shaved mustache thin bumper.
At the top of those lamps, the original 2 scoop sport hood is
bathed with the Burnished Red Metallic and sports fender tag
matching hood pins. The hood continues rearward to a pristine
stainless framed windshield. Bringing up either side of the
stainless are chrome sport mirrors, and moving to the rear quarter
,on our way we note extremely well minded gaps, and all straight
worry free steel, and the familiar black sticker, ever widening as
it races rearward. This all plays out on a field of the deep
Burnished Red Metallic paint, which also covers the quarter sides
and doors. And at the back of the car, a traditional satin black
valence housing the iconic Plymouth quad of round tail lights, and
a 'Cuda badge. The showroom quality tucked and shaved rear bumper
hangs below the valance, and a Burnished Red Metallic rear roll
panel with dual chrome rectangle tipped exhaust peek out. Also
noted is the satin black rear spoiler on top of the trunk lid.
Overall the paint is nicely applied, but does suffer from some
bubbling on various panels which is very apparent on the horizontal
surfaces On all 4 corners are highly polished chrome and black
15-inch Magnum 500 wheels wrapped in 235/60R15's in front and
larger 275/60R15 rear raised white letteredCooper Cobra Radial
G/T's from the 17th week of 2021.
Interior
Keeping the door open to the "no stone left unturned department",
we can swing open a door and see showroom quality door panels in
black molded vinyl. These have a sleek seamless look along with
their 'Cuda badges in chrome. Also showroom quality are 2 thin
1970's sleek black vinyl high back buckets with built in headrests,
some tuck and roll pattern inserts and smooth bolsters. The rear
bench carries this motif in back, and these are nearly perfect as
well. This all sits in a beautiful calm sea of jet black carpet
that has embroidered 'Cuda red stitched floor mats. Floating above
the carpet up front is a well done restoration on the dash,
featuring a clean as a whistle round lineup of rally gauges all
within a wood applique field and a black padded dash top. Seen
racing up the center between the buckets is a 70's stylized console
in black vinyl, and wood applique, and sporting a correct T-handle
topped "Slap Stick" shifter knob. A black rimmed 2 spoke drilled
wheel with a "Michelin Man' styled attachment fronts this very 70's
muscular dash. Above all this 70's menagerie is a tight black vinyl
headliner.
Drivetrain
A flip of the hood and I'm bowled over by the cleanliness of this
bay. Within is a 360ci V8 which is all numbers matching. It has a
blazing blue painted block, intake manifold, black crinkle finish
ribbed Mopar Performance valve covers and a 4-barrel carburetor
lurking under an orange singlesnout air cleaner. On the back is a
numbers matching A727 Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission.
Paired with this Torqueflite is an 8-3/4 inch rear axle. All
correct under this hood right down to the air cleaner decaling with
its 360 FOUR BARREL orange, white and black badging. Nifty.
Undercarriage
With a restoration of this quality and attention to detail as such,
one would expect nothing less than to see the likes of which are a
sea of black for the flooring, unibody and rockers. Some light
surface rust is showing on the usual suspects, but things are solid
and strong. The fuel tank and exhaust are pure silver steel with no
road dirt and certainly no rust. All other add-ons are pure black
with an independent front torsion bars and rear leaf springs and we
note the addition of rack and pinion power steering. Power front
disc braking is on, and power rear drums installed to keep this
fast fish woahed. Just a beautiful near perfection undercarriage
presentation so bring a mirror to the shows to set your trophies on
and view this spectacular undercarriage resto.
Drive-Ability
Our decoder and Muscle car aficionado did this test drive and he
returned with a smile on his face which speaks volumes, because he
is always in a bad mood! He LOVED this car with its unending power
curve, smooth shifting and nice handling. Bias free braking was
apparent to him as the ability to spin the rear tires, which is
always a plus with these muscle cars, even with the EPA stepping in
and messing things up. All was in working condition as to
accessories and conveniences save for the steering occasionally
getting tight while turning, but the engine sound is worth the
price of this fault!
All dressed up, and now also ready for some whoopass, 360 cubes,
plenty of carburation to throw fossils at this mill, and a 3-speed
automatic all wrapped up in straight pristine correct Burnished Red
Metallic paint and satin black. Now that's what I call a muscle
car. Bad enough to move away from the twin and become the evil
stepsister! Lovely.
BS23L4B304197
B-Barracuda
S-Special Price Class
23-2 Door Hardtop
L-360ci V8 4bbl 250hp
4-1974
B-Hamtramck, MI Assy Plant
304197-Sequential Unit Number
FENDER TAG
BS23:Plymouth Barracuda
Special, 'Cuda
2 Door Hardtop
L4B:360 245hp 4bbl V8
1974
Dodge Main, Hamtramck, MI, USA
304197:Sequence number
E58:360ci 4-barrel V8 245hp
D34:Light Duty Automatic Trans...for more information please
contact the seller.
