Redesigned into a proper muscle car for the 1970 model year, the third-generation Plymouth Barracuda was pretty popular, with nearly 49,000 units sold. That’s a lot of vehicles, but the 1970 run also includes a few rare gems that are highly sought-after nowadays.
The HEMI ‘Cuda is arguably the scarcest and most desirable. Plymouth sold only 666 units, which is only 1.4% of the total production. And only 14 of them were ordered as convertibles. Depending on specifications and condition, these drop-tops are now worth anywhere from $2 to $5 million.
The 440-equipped cars are also relatively rare. Only 986 customers went with the four-barrel big-block (375 horsepower), including 34 convertibles. As for the six-barrel version of the same mill, it found its way into 1,784 examples. Only 29 of them had soft-top roofs. And, of course, these figures can be split into four-speed manual and automatic rigs.
The entry-level six-cylinder version of the 1970 Barracuda is also scarce. Sure, no one cares about these Mopar equipped with the 198-cubic-inch slant-six, but they’re actually rarer than the HEMI ‘Cuda at just 461 units sold.
The Lemon Twist example you see is not part of any of the groups listed above, yet it’s rarer than all of them. How come? Well, it’s a prototype put together a few months before the 1970 Barracuda became a production model. It’s also one of the first ‘Cudas assembled at Chrysler’s Maywood plant in Los Angeles.
The company opened the factory in 1932 for Plymouth and DeSoto vehicles before adding Dodges and Chryslers to the line in the late 1940s. In the 1960s, it used the facility to roll out Plymouth Valiant and Belvedere models, as well as Dodge Lancer and Coronet automobiles. The third-gen Barracuda and first-gen Challenger were also built at Maywood before the factory was shut down in 1971.
The 1970 ‘Cuda you see here is a pilot car wearing sequence code 100004. This means it’s only the fourth third-generation Barracuda ever built and the very first fitted with the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) Six-Barrel V8. Yup, this Mopar is a true-blue V-Code car.
There’s no info on where it was found or how much time it spent in storage, but this ‘Cuda is definitely a barn find. It’s still wearing a thick layer of dust, and some body panels display surface rust. The black vinyl top is almost gone, and some bits and pieces are missing.
All told, this Mopar is in pretty rough shape, but that doesn’t alter its special one-of-one status. This unique ‘Cuda will be restored, and it will probably get the best replacement and OEM parts out there. And I’m pretty sure it will be worth more than the average 440-6 ‘Cuda once it recaptures its former glory. This Plymouth has $500,000 written all over it. But regardless of how much it will be worth restored, this ‘Cuda is an important piece of history that deserves to shine again.