Redesigned for the 1970 model year, the third-gen Plymouth Barracuda ditched its Valiant origins and adopted the new E-body platform. The makeover brought nearly 49,000 buyers into showrooms, but the pony car’s success was short-lived. The following year, Plymouth sold fewer than 17,000 units in the United States.
Significantly rarer than its 1970 predecessor, the 1971 Barracuda spawned a few very scarce versions. The HEMI Cuda is the first that comes to mind. With only 114 units built, this muscle car is now a six-figure classic that often reaches into quarter-million-dollar territory. The convertible version, made in just seven examples, is already a million-dollar gem.
The 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) Six-Barrel variant isn’t exactly common either. Due to high insurance rates, only 254 units were ordered, and just 17 received the retractable soft top. But the truth is that most versions of the 1971 Barracuda are rare or fairly rare.
Save for the cars equipped with the 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter)/automatic and 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter)/automatic drivetrain combos (7,696 and 2,110 built), everything else saw daylight in fewer than 1,500 units. Again, I’m talking about engine and transmission combos, not just powerplants. Certain options make numbers go even lower.
This 1971 hardtop may not be an “ultra rare” rig as described by its seller, but once all the features are factored in, it can brag about a three-digit production run. This Cuda left the assembly line with a 340-cubic-inch V8, which found its way into 3,440 cars. The four-speed manual gearbox, however, narrows it down to 1,171 examples.
This FE5 Red was also ordered with a few options we don’t see on many 340 Cudas. It has a shaker hood (option code N96) and a rear spoiler (code J81). Granted, the shaker hood is more common on 1971 Cudas than on Dodge Challengers, but it makes for a rare combo with the rear spoiler on a 340 car. How rare? Well, there are no specific numbers to run by, but fewer than 500 seems reasonable.
Unfortunately, this 1971 Cuda had a rough life. Not only is it rusty and missing some components, but the original 340 V8 is long gone. The hardtop comes with a 1970-coded mill of identical displacement, but this mill needs a complete makeover. Making matters worse, the floor and trunk pans have rotted away, while the dashboard and upholstery have more cracks than one can count.
Is there any good news about this Cuda? Well, it still has the original shaker hood, the original sheet metal (what’s left of it), and the original fender tag. The seller reportedly purchased the Mopar to restore it, but he found a HEMI version and decided to let this 340 barn find go.
While some may argue that it’s nothing more than a parts car, the no-reseve auction has reached $27,720 with four days to go. That’s a pretty penny, given that a restoration will probably go into six-figure territory. The seller also offers a date-correct and rebuilt 340 engine for $12,500. Some say the market has gone mad, but what do you think?