A common issue being a purist is that what people do with their cars is their own business. The result is that people will do things to their cars that seemingly ruin them. Or they will want to clone a car into something more interesting. Our Pick of the Day is a car that tends to suffer from both fates, so it’s refreshing to see this relatively untouched example. This 1970 Plymouth Barracuda is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. (Click the link to view the listing)
Mopar fans like to point out the Plymouth Barracuda debuted several weeks before the Ford Mustang, yet the Mustang gets all the credit for spearheading the pony car class. It could be argued that the 1964 Barracuda was not in the same class as the Mustang, as the former was simply a Valiant with a fastback roofline, while the Mustang featured unique styling and had market research as its raison d’etre. You don’t need me to point out what happened next.
When Plymouth introduced its redesigned Barracuda in 1967, it was more in line with the class that the Mustang had carved out for itself. Now Plymouth featured a hardtop and convertible in addition to a fastback, yet Plymouth seemed to be behind the competition because the latter were able to better allow for bigger engines. Additionally, the proportions that characterized pony cars were not exploited as much on the Barracuda, especially the short deck. All that was corrected for the designed 1970 version.
This 1970 Plymouth Barracuda shows the path Plymouth took for the series to be on equal parity with the Mustang and Camaro, among others. This is the base model and not the performance-oriented ‘Cuda or the luxurious Gran Coupe, and it’s an example that shows the purity of the design without having been turned into a ‘Cuda clone or someone’s bad idea with shackles, spoilers, and mud flaps.
Like most Barracudas, it’s powered by the 318 two-barrel, an engine where economy of operation and adequate power met at the crossroads. Painted Alpine White with the standard black interior, there isn’t much that’s fancy about this Barracuda, but it has a the Y14 code, which is a designation that a customer originally ordered it. The air conditioning and tinted glass speak to the sunny California locale of the original owner, while the automatic transmission with console, bodyside protective molding (currently not on vehicle), AM radio, wheel lip moldings, Light Group, glove box lock, rear seat speaker, power steering, and deluxe wheel covers all speak to the content typically found on these vehicles.
If you’ve priced ‘Cudas, you know they’re out of this world. Regular Barracudas have been riding the ‘Cuda’s coattails as a result, which is why the consignor is asking $88,900 for this unrestored pony car
Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.
Source: www.classiccars.com