If you ask me, pink is a bad color to choose for any car. By extension, that means whenever I see it sprayed on the body of a muscle car, all sorts of nasty things come to mind and mouth.I bet you were expecting me to say the pink car we have here can be the one to change my mind, the exception to this unwritten rule I have. Well, forget it. It’s pink, used on one of the most impressive cars that ever were, and I for one don’t like it.
Yes, I know we’re talking about a color called Panther Pink that to some level has become synonymous with a certain variant of the Barracuda called ‘Cuda. And I know its deployment on the car dates back to 1970, when it was originally made, but still: a pink car.
Blinded as I am by this color, I can’t stop admiring this ride, and telling you a bit about the vehicle itself, especially given how rare and cherished these cars are today. Even more so given how this one is on the verge of going under the hammer at the hands of Barrett-Jackson at the end of June, and might be just the right pick for someone reading this.
What you’re looking at is a 1970 model year ‘Cuda that presents a body and specs just like they were decades ago. We get no info on where it was kept or if it has been the subject of some restoration work (the paint job is a refinish), but we do know it looks like it just rolled off the assembly lines.
The Panther Pink body has been pulled over a black interior that still retains its original beauty, down to the 8-track radio fitted in the dash. The wheels it rides on are the original ones, wrapped in BFGoodrich radial tires, and the ‘Cuda still shows center caps and beauty rings.
The car’s heart is a 340ci V8 running a 4-barrel carburetor and automatic transmission. The thing is not only correct for this car, but also a matching-numbers piece. Sure, it’s not a Super Commando, only the smallest engine offered in the ‘Cuda range back in its day, yet it’s the engine the car came with, and that matters a lot for collectors.
The car still has, presumably in working order, all the features it came with back when it was made, including the air conditioning, power steering and brakes, and the two spoilers pulled over the front and rear ends. The factory fog lights and hood pins are also there.
The Panther Pink 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda is going, like all other cars in Las Vegas, with no reserve. No mention is made of how much it is expected to fetch, but given how even the original spare tire is included, hopes must run high.