Most classic cars that have been sitting for decades are usually of the barn find variety. And they’re not only dusty but also quite rusty and in need of serious repairs to become road-worthy again. But other vehicles spend time in storage simply because their owners didn’t get around to restoring them. This 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda is one of those cars.
It takes just a quick glance to notice that this Mopar is not a barn find. Yes, it spent about 25 years in storage but it’s restored classic waiting for the finishing touches. And even though it’s missing the front grille and bumper, it still looks the part thanks to a shiny Plum Crazy purple paint job. It even has a shaker hood.
However, the latter isn’t sitting atop the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) that should motivate this Mopar. In the owner’s own words, it’s a ‘Cuda with “the super-rare cardboard engine.” Yup, this muscle car has a cardboard box under the hood. Why? Well, he explains that he “always had these illusions of grandeur about getting it perfect and then other stuff happened and it just sat around.”
Hopefully, it won’t take too long for him to complete the project because this Plymouth is one fine ‘Cuda. Not only finished in the very desirable Plum Crazy color, but it also features a white interior that’s supposed to be original for the most part.
On top of that, this isn’t a regular 440 car. That shaker should be sitting on a six-barrel version of the same engine, which is not only more powerful, but quite rare, too. Rated at 390 horsepower, it delivers 15 horses more than the regular 440, which makes it the second-most powerful mill after the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI.
In addition, Plymouth built only 1,784 Barracudas (including 25 convertibles) with the 440-6 in 1970. Granted, that’s notably more than the 986 examples fitted with the four-barrel 440, but it’s only 3.6% of total 1970 Barracuda production.
But it might take a while until it runs and drives again, so go ahead and check it out sitting in a garage in the video below. You’ll also see a cool Plymouth Duster in orange as well as a first-gen Chevrolet Camaro featuring a rare cream exterior/gold interior combo.