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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