PLYMOUTH 'CUDA 1970-72

WHILE THE 'CUDA'S NOT THAT WELL KNOWN HERE THE DESCRIPTION OF IT BELOW AS 'INSANELY POWERFUL' SHOULD GET YOUR ATTENTION

Plymouth’s low-cost, short-wheelbase, insanely powerful ’Cuda really was the ultimate expression of ‘muscle car madness’. By 1970 when Chrysler Corp finally got its Mustang/Camaro contender into showrooms, there were practically no rules governing performance car design and only the US insurance industry had the clout to change that.

The first ’Cudas appeared in 1970 as an adjunct to the North American Plymouth Barracuda model range. Most had V8 engines ranging in size between 5.2 and 7.2 litres and included ‘Street Hemi’ V8s with more than 300kW available.

That first frantic year also saw Plymouth offer street-legal versions of its AAR (All American Racing) ’Cuda with a 340 cubic inch engine. It developed 217kW and was similar to the units destined for Australia and the Charger E55 competition program.

Keeping sticker prices down meant stripping out whatever equipment wasn’t essential then asking people to pay extra for it to be put back in again. The Gran Coupe offered a range of trim options including full leather, a roof console and stainless body mouldings.

Convertible ’Cudas were offered but very few sold. That hasn’t stopped now-scarce survivors generating great interest now and setting record prices. The highest amount ever paid for a car of this type is US$3.5 million spent in 2014 on one of just 13 Hemi ’Cuda convertibles built during 1971.

’Cudas were hardly ever seen in Australia as new cars. That was quite different from the situation applying to Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros and there were a couple of reasons why.

Chrysler dealers in Australia seemed very reluctant to import North American cars on behalf of customers. They didn’t even seem keen to use such cars to help draw buyers into their showrooms.

Unlike Ford and Chevrolet, Chrysler’s US brands didn’t compete at any official level in motor sport outside the United States. Therefore Australia had no coterie of enthusiasts cheering for a competition ’Cuda in the way they cheered ‘Big Pete’ Geoghegan in his Mustang or Bob Jane in his various Camaros. No 'Win on Sunday, Sell a ’Cuda on Monday' here.

Nothing changed until the 1990s when local importers saw how cheaply the US was selling very good ’Cudas and began importing cars that would fill a niche in our muscle car market. Some were converted to right-hand drive and that was by all accounts a nightmare. The majority stayed LHD until old enough to qualify for full registration without conversion.

Because genuine 440 Six Packs are today scarce and expensive, ‘clones’ with incorrect engines pop up regularly in the US market. The few that appear in Australia are normally disclosed for what they are.

Cars available here will most likely have 318 (5.2-litre) or 383 (6.3-litre) V8s and cost less than $70,000. In years past it was worth heading offshore to find and import a car however exchange rates, freight, tax and the need to get the vehicle certified as ‘asbestos free’ encourage buyers to look here first.