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Prevailing automotive manufacturing trends during the early-1960s were largely focused on making sportier compact cars to satiate the buying public's fatigue with giant road-gobbling behemoths that typified the offerings of the previous decade. One solution came from Chrysler's Plymouth division in the form of their Valiant, a new A-body platform car developed as an answer to Ford's Falcon. Yet the Falcon-based Mustang, which significantly outsold the Barracuda, gave this type of vehicle its common "pony car" moniker, but in fact the Plymouth Barracuda fastback's release on the first of April, 1964 beat the Mustang by two weeks.
As the pony car class became established and competition increased, Plymouth began to revise the Barracuda's engine options. While the 225 slant-6 was still the base engine, the V-8 options in 1967 ranged from the 2-barrel and 4-barrel versions of the 273 to a seldom-ordered 383ci, the latter available only with the Formula S package. For 1969, Chrysler's largest V-8, the 440ci RB big-block powerhouse wedge engine with 4-barrel carburetor became available, and there was even a limited production of 50 Super-Stock, non street-legal, Hemi-powered Barracudas built for 1968 solely to be used in drag racing. With fiberglass hoods and front fenders, these Hemi-powered Barracudas were capable of quarter-mile times of under 11 seconds at top speeds of over 130 mph.
It was from these influences inside and outside of Chrysler alike that the 1970 Barracuda finally lost all commonality with the Valiant. The all-new 1970 model was built on a shorter, wider version of Chrysler's existing B platform, which was called the E-body. The aging fastback design was deleted from the line, which now consisted of solely of hardtop coupe and convertible models. There was also a Dodge near-twin on the E-body platform known as the Challenger; however, no sheet metal interchanged between the two cars, and the Challenger had a slightly longer wheelbase. Both were aggressively styled, and the high-performance models were marketed as 'Cuda. The E-body's engine bay was larger than that of the previous A-body, facilitating the release of Chrysler's 426ci/425hp Hemi for the regular retail market.
Owned lately by famed actor Nicolas Cage and restored within the last year, this rare and beautiful all-black Hemi 'Cuda is one of only seven original black-on-black Hemi 'Cudas in the Chrysler Registry. As a no-frills car from new, this car remains a radio-delete, 4-speed coupe with standard vinyl bucket seat interior, yet is optioned with a Space Saver spare, 3-piece Rally wheels with correct Goodyear Polyglas GT tires and power-assisted disc brakes while inside, rally instrumentation, wood-grain dash trim, wood-rimmed steering wheel and a Hurst Pistol grip shifter round out the options. It remains fresh from a complete restoration performed by Nostalgia Lane in Illinois to the highest standards, right down to the properly-reproduced factory inspection markings. The car's original drivetrain remains as delivered; the authentic numbers-matching 426/425 hp Hemi, heavy duty 4-speed and Dana rear with A34 Super Trac-Pac are all present and documented by a broadcast sheet and Govier report.
With much original documentation, a fresh restoration under a year old and the title still signed by Mr. Cage himself, this automotive masterpiece is rare enough in its own right but absolutely unmatched with its celebrity provenance attached.
For further inquiries about this automobile click here
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As the pony car class became established and competition increased, Plymouth began to revise the Barracuda's engine options. While the 225 slant-6 was still the base engine, the V-8 options in 1967 ranged from the 2-barrel and 4-barrel versions of the 273 to a seldom-ordered 383ci, the latter available only with the Formula S package. For 1969, Chrysler's largest V-8, the 440ci RB big-block powerhouse wedge engine with 4-barrel carburetor became available, and there was even a limited production of 50 Super-Stock, non street-legal, Hemi-powered Barracudas built for 1968 solely to be used in drag racing. With fiberglass hoods and front fenders, these Hemi-powered Barracudas were capable of quarter-mile times of under 11 seconds at top speeds of over 130 mph.
It was from these influences inside and outside of Chrysler alike that the 1970 Barracuda finally lost all commonality with the Valiant. The all-new 1970 model was built on a shorter, wider version of Chrysler's existing B platform, which was called the E-body. The aging fastback design was deleted from the line, which now consisted of solely of hardtop coupe and convertible models. There was also a Dodge near-twin on the E-body platform known as the Challenger; however, no sheet metal interchanged between the two cars, and the Challenger had a slightly longer wheelbase. Both were aggressively styled, and the high-performance models were marketed as 'Cuda. The E-body's engine bay was larger than that of the previous A-body, facilitating the release of Chrysler's 426ci/425hp Hemi for the regular retail market.
Owned lately by famed actor Nicolas Cage and restored within the last year, this rare and beautiful all-black Hemi 'Cuda is one of only seven original black-on-black Hemi 'Cudas in the Chrysler Registry. As a no-frills car from new, this car remains a radio-delete, 4-speed coupe with standard vinyl bucket seat interior, yet is optioned with a Space Saver spare, 3-piece Rally wheels with correct Goodyear Polyglas GT tires and power-assisted disc brakes while inside, rally instrumentation, wood-grain dash trim, wood-rimmed steering wheel and a Hurst Pistol grip shifter round out the options. It remains fresh from a complete restoration performed by Nostalgia Lane in Illinois to the highest standards, right down to the properly-reproduced factory inspection markings. The car's original drivetrain remains as delivered; the authentic numbers-matching 426/425 hp Hemi, heavy duty 4-speed and Dana rear with A34 Super Trac-Pac are all present and documented by a broadcast sheet and Govier report.
With much original documentation, a fresh restoration under a year old and the title still signed by Mr. Cage himself, this automotive masterpiece is rare enough in its own right but absolutely unmatched with its celebrity provenance attached.
For further inquiries about this automobile click here
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