440 6-Pack Project: 1970 Plymouth Barracuda
Plymouth’s “pony car,” the Barracuda, was all-new in 1970 and finally shed its ties to the compact Valiant. And they could be ordered from mild to wild, from a Slant-Six up to a 426 Hemi. But just down the totem pole was the 440 V8 6-Pack (triple 2-barrel carburetors), which only found 853 buyers – and this car is one of them. Numbers-matching and in need of a complete restoration, this rare muscle car is in Springfield, Oregon, and is available here on eBay. The current bid is $20,100 with the reserve unmet and we suspect that hurdle will run substantially higher to reach.
Chrysler no doubt had high hopes for the updated Barracuda, giving it a new platform to be shared with the 1970 Dodge Challenger. The initial response was positive with sales increasing by 50% to 49,000 units, but things quickly went south after that. The insurance industry was clamping down on rates for muscle cars and they perceived the Barracuda to be one, even though they weren’t all firebreathers. Demand trickled off from 1971 to 1974, after which Chrysler gave up on the pony car market.
The ‘Cuda was the performance version of the ‘70 Barracuda and a fair percentage came equipped with a 340 cubic inch V8 or higher. If you didn’t want the handful that a Hemi engine could be in such a light car, buyers could go for the 440 6-Pack like the seller’s machine. Besides small overall production numbers, the rarity of this car is enhanced by its original color, In-Violet, Plymouth’s version of the Dodge Plum Crazy. If you assume 10% came in that color, the number of survivors may only be a few dozen.
If you’re checking boxes, this ‘Cuda has its original motor and automatic transmission. And a Shaker hood, Rallye Gauge package, a white interior with a bench seat (!), black vinyl top (long gone), and an AM radio with a built-in tape deck (gadzooks)! Who knows, maybe this is a 1-of-1 car or something close. Sadly, the Plymouth has been idle for a long time, and it was subject to an invasion by moisture, rust, and small furry creatures. A lot of the metal and steel in the car is good, but a lot is not, and the seller provides a checklist of the things you’ll likely want to change,
The engine was stuck, and the seller went into it trying to change that, with three damaged cylinders found in the process. Also, the innards of the transmission will probably need changing. The car is not wearing its Shaker hood but a replacement to help keep the engine bay dry. But the Shaker hood comes with the deal though it needs work. The cowl tag seems to have survived to back up what’s on the auto, but there is no broadcast sheet. If you’ve been wanting to restore one of these hot muscle cars, this might be the one, even though it will be a major effort. Like I said, how many are left built the way this one was?
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Comments
Springfield Oregon? Mopar? I don’t even have to look at the original ad to know it’s good old Mark Worman at Graveyard Carz (The racks of cars in the background also gave it away). Sweet Sweet car, but jeez this might take 150k- 200k in todays economy to restore. Not sure what they are going for lately – except for the auto prob close to how I would have ordered it new-GLWTA
More support for these dealers from Barn Finds……which this is not.
Yes sir! It’s goofy all right! Selling several of his cars! Check eBay and open up sellers other items!
@Tommy, as soon as I saw Springfield, I wondered why Mark wasn’t restoring it himself. I’d say the answer is, because of damage to the block, it likely won’t be numbers matching for much longer. He’s brought things back from worse condition than this but probably couldn’t justify his costs without keeping it all OEM.
68 Cuda was my first car. Glorified Valiant. Always wanted the 70’s Cuda, but my PT job wouldn’t add up to the price, even still living at home. Probably just as well, I probably would’ve killed myself in one. Great styling. Still a better straight line car than through the curves. MOPAR dropped the torsion bar suspension that these cars had.
This car and a hefty bankroll will make a really sweet ride. If I understand correctly, Mark is backed up for years on restorations, so perhaps he is thinning his collection of rebuilders? I love the color and motor combo.
Ya but its hard to see how even he would pass this really rare one on?
He’s passing for a reason not mentioned.
Now this is the the kind of Mopar that Worman would love to restore for you. Rare enough to actually be a feature car on his show.
Maybe he (Marc Worman) is looking for someone to buy it and then have his shop restore it. That has happened on his TV show, “Graveyard Carz.”
A clean little 318 car is out there waiting to become this rare car and no one will ever know it.
The engine block is damaged which likely means that it won’t be numbers matching if a repair isn’t possible. Mark won’t build a non-numbers matching car that doesn’t have a paying customer footing the cost.
I contacted Mark about my 70 Dodge Challenger, RT/SE6 pack for speed Dana car all numbers matching plum crazy purple original color running and driving. It’s in restoration process now almost ready to paint and he never got back with me. I was wanting to sell if anyone is interested I still have the car.