1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda’ 4-Speed
The Plymouth Barracuda is a two-door pony car that was manufactured by Plymouth from 1964 to 1974.
The first-generation Barracuda was based on the Chrysler A-body and was offered from 1964 to 1966. A two-door hardtop (no B-pillar) fastback design, it shared a great majority of parts and bodywork with the Plymouth Valiant, except for the huge and distinctive wraparound rear glass.
The second-generation Barracuda, though still Valiant-based, was heavily redesigned. Built from 1967 to 1969, it was available as a two-door in fastback, notchback, and convertible versions.
The third generation, offered from 1970 to 1974, was based on the Chrysler E-body, exclusive to it and the slightly larger Dodge Challenger. A completely new design, the two-door Barracuda was available in hardtop and convertible body styles.
The 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda was not your typical muscle car. It was designed with modest-engine racers in mind, built to compete on twisting road courses – what Plymouth built was a street rod.
The AAR ‘Cuda was different from the regular ‘Cuda in many ways. The AAR had a unique stripe called a strobe stripe, which held the AAR ‘Cuda logo.
The hood is made of lightweight fiberglass. What really set this hood apart from all other cars is the hood scoop, functional and drawing in fresh air.
For spoilers, it had front “eyebrow” spoilers and a rear “duck tail.”
Unlike a standard ‘Cuda, the AAR’s exhaust came out the sides near the back wheels.
All AARs had a 340 6-barrel V8 engine, offering lots of power. The 340 could accelerate the ‘Cuda 0-60 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds, 0-100 miles per hour in 14.4 seconds, and race a quarter mile in 14.4 seconds at 100 miles per hour.
The 15″ Rallye wheels wear chrome trim rings and center caps and are mounted with E60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT white-letter tires. A space-saving spare is mounted in the trunk. The car is equipped with unassisted steering, and braking is handled by power-assisted front discs and rear drums.
The cabin features front bucket seats and a rear bench upholstered in black vinyl joined by a matching dashboard, console, and door panels. Equipment includes faux woodgrain trim, a Hurst pistol grip shifter, a heater with a defroster, polished door sills, crank windows, lap belts, ‘Cuda-branded floor mats, and a solid-state AM radio.
The three-spoke steering wheel frames a 120-mph speedometer and gauges for fuel level, coolant temperature, and battery voltage.
The 1970 Plymouth AAR ’Cuda was one hot car in its day. Even though it was powered by a small-block V-8, the AAR is a coveted muscle car with a value on par with many of its big-block brothers — even some Hemi cars!
Although the AAR ’Cuda wasn’t a first-place winner in Trans-Am racing, it was a great-looking and unique package on Plymouth’s hot pony car. For those reasons and more, it’s easy to understand why AAR ’Cudas remain desirable cars from the muscle car era.
