Plymouth also built a special model for 1970: the Plymouth AAR Cuda. AAR was taken from All-American Racers Dan Gurney, who ran 'Cudas in he Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am series race. But while Ford and Chevrolet built special models (Boss 302 Mustang and Camaro Z28) meant to mimic race cars, Plymouth built a street rod. Along with the similar Dodge Challenger T / A, AAR Cuda 'sported a unique 340 cid V8 with 3x2 carbs that pumped out 290 bhp. The exterior was definitely unique, with a matte black fiberglass hood lift-off, through body-side stripes strobe, tri-colored AAR shield, and standard black ducktail spoiler. The AAR 'Cuda also had special shocks and recambered rear springs which raised the rear end 1 3 / 4 inches on the regular 'Cuda which allowed clearance for exhaust pipes that came out in front of the rear wheelwell (after routing through the standard muffler beneath the trunk). It also allowed the use of larger tires in the rear of a first uses the most rear tires of an automobile production.
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| 1971 Plymouth Barracuda |
The Plymouth Barracuda continued in 1971 with minor styling changes, including a segmented grille with twin headlamps, dummy front fender vents, and segmented taillights. A full range of engines were available and the performance models were once again called 'Cudas. The AAR Cuda 'was no longer available. To cope with emission laws becoming stricter, Plymouth was forced to detune some of their engines, resulting in a drop in power. Only 115 Hemi 'Cudas were sold and Plymouth decided to retire the Hemi engine before it had to be detuned to meet new emission standards. Therefore, the Hemi would end his reign as the most feared engine and possibly the most influential of the muscle car era.
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| 1972 Plymouth Barracuda |
1972 was a sad year for fans of performance as the powerful and the 383 Hemi engines were removed because they could not meet new emission standards. The remaining engines had to be detuned and now valued at net power numbers, which on the surface looked like a huge drop in power. Unfortunately, the top engine choice for the Barracuda was the 340 cid V8 convertible and was no longer available.
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| 1973 Plymouth Barracuda |
The six-cylinder engine was removed and the entry level model now had the 318 V8. Optional was the 340 V8 that came standard on the Cuda. "In the summer, the 340 was replaced by a new V8 360 cid, although performance has not improved.
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| 1974 Plymouth Barracuda |
1974 was the last year for the truth Barracudas, which continued with 318 and 360 engines. The Barracuda would never come back as a real performance vehicle.
source: musclecarclub.com / musclecars / cuda-plymouth / plymouth cuda - history.shtml
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