The 1970 Plymouth Barracuda is one of Mopar’s most cherished pony/muscle cars, and also one of its greatest mistakes; just when the pony car market began to deflate, here came a full-bore redesign from the Pentastar that was several years too late. But even though the Barracuda didn’t sell well when new, people are more than willing to pay for them now, even when they’re powered by the base Slant Six as this example is. It’s a one-owner car with an interesting option or two that’s for sale on Hemmings Auctions in Jacksonville, Florida.
The overall condition of this Barracuda is that of an older cosmetic restoration combined with a reasonably well-preserved original. It was repainted in its original Rallye Red back in 1980, but there’s plenty of orange peel and some rust bubbles in the lower quarters. As you can see, the bumper and lower valance panel took a shot from something over the past 56 years, but with any luck, the bumper could be leveled by replacing or bending a bumper bracket.
The engine, the 145-horsepower, 225-cubic-inch Slant Six, belies the Barracuda’s muscular looks, but it’s one of Chrysler’s most heralded engines for its durability and simplicity. It’s combined with Chrysler’s equally durable TorqueFlite automatic, which has recently been rebuilt. Beneath the air cleaner is Holley’s notoriously leaky 1920 one-barrel carburetor, which has also been gone through, and other “work included replacement of belts, hoses, and gaskets, as well as a tune-up.”
I mentioned that this convertible has an interesting option or two. Power steering is probably unnecessary on a Slant Six car, but it’s not really a surprise; however, ordering front power disc brakes on a Slant Six car definitely is, and this car has them. They’ve been refurbished in preparation for the car’s sale, as has the suspension and steering (but no specific details have been shared on that front).
The interior is standard Barracuda, with a very monochromatic look aside from the woodgrain console with sporty floor shifter. You can see that there’s a crack in the dash pad and most likely a few on the steering wheel, judging by the aftermarket cover.
The driver seat is showing some wear, but upholstery kits are available from Legendary Auto Interiors, albeit with a potential 112-day lead time.
I have no idea what’s going on in the trunk, but it appears to have been coated in bedliner or something similar.
The undercarriage is crusty looking, but none of the pictures (which are all unfortunately shot at this low angle) show any cause for structural concern. I believe the rear end is Chrysler’s light-duty 7 1/4-inch unit, which carried standard 2.76:1 gears with a 225/TorqueFlite combination. Given current gas prices, this might be one of the better buys in terms of economy, as the new owner could theoretically enjoy 20-plus miles per gallon in steady-state driving, not bad for an old American car.
And a good, solid driver it seems to be. It has new tires and seems to be road ready as it sits, but my greatest fear for the car is that it becomes fodder for another ‘Cuda tribute. Your car, your choice, but considering that only 158 225/TorqueFlite convertibles were built in 1970 (according to Hemmings), it’s probably rarer as it sits. As for me, I’d be content to lower the top and hit the slow lane in style.
Related Reading
Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: 1970 Plymouth Barracuda – Having The Last Laugh (by Paul N)
1970 Plymouth Barracuda ‘Cuda 340 In FM3 Moulin Rouge – Loud, Proud, And Only $14.05 (by Aaron Severson)
I had multiple occasions to drive a 74 Charger with a/6 and manual steering back when it was still relatively new, and that thing was absolutely miserable to park. Whoever ordered the power steering on this car gets a handshake from me.
A red convertible with a/6. I love it!! And would not change a thing.
I had a 73 Duster /6 with Armstrong steering. I agree with everything in your post.
When I rebuilt the front end in my ’65 Dart, I stupidly added offset upper control arm bushings for a little more positive caster. Now it steers like a one-ton truck (it does not have power steering). Live and learn, but I’m not tearing it apart and realigning it just for that.
Lord! I want this one!!
This is a gem. Clean up and restore. I would hate to see this turned into a “tribute”.
I wonder if a four speed manual was available for this particular edition. That would be icing on the cake.
Unfortunately not (the 4-speed). But yes, it is a gem as is. Don’t mess with it.
The older brother of a high school classmate bought a new yellow ’71 Barracuda hardtop. As 15 year olds we thought it was great! We were shocked when we discovered it was a slant 6. He explained that as an 19 year old single male, the insurance premiums were already high enough, he couldn’t afford a high performance car.
What a great car, and it’s easy to see where Chrysler’s mindset was: the 1967-69 Dart convertible (Mannix drove a mildly customized ’68 before the E-body came out).
Like others are saying, personally, I think the 225 engine (the short-lived 1970-74 198 replacement for the 170 was standard; that would be an even rarer bird) Torqueflite combo should be left as is. Slow, but this is still a pleasant, stylish day (or evening) top down cruiser. Not everyone wants the high-maintenance of the high-performance E-bodies, particulary in a convertible.
Yeah, maybe a 318 would be better but simply on rarity, alone, a decent six survivor is a keeper.
I’m not sure, but 1972 might have been the final year for the slant-six E-body. I know for sure that the only engines from 1973-74 were the 318 and 340/360.
A nice clean car. I wonder what the reserve is set at although I have a guess where I might put it given this is pretty much a unicorn.