In an effort to inject life and variety into the muscle car market, Chrysler unveiled the E-body chassis in 1969. It served as the basis for the third-generation Plymouth Barracuda and the Dodge Challenger, which made its premiere. Along with its avant-garde offering, Chrysler also debuted the visually arresting High Impact color scheme.
The High Impact palette originally featured four vibrant hues, with five more colors being added in 1970, making the Barracuda available in a whopping 25 different shades. Plymouth effectively utilized a brochure depicting a 1970 HEMI ‘Cuda, adorned with 25 distinctive stripes on the passenger side, to market this colorful range.
Beyond its kaleidoscopic appearance, the ‘Cuda sported a wheelie bar, a roll cage, drag racing slicks at the rear, and side-exiting exhaust pipes. Although it was an illustrated representation alongside a Rapid Transit System ad and never actually constructed by Chrysler, it etched a lasting impression on a young Tim Wellborn.
In the intervening 40 years, Tim brought this colorful vision to life by developing the “Paint Chip” ‘Cuda, a special fusion of the production Barracuda and a tribute to Plymouth’s color palette from the year 1970. This colorful reproduction has been a well-known attraction at the Wellborn Muscle auto Museum and other auto shows, including as the 2023 Music City Mopar Show in Nashville, Tennessee. It is characterized by its variety of colors, roll cage, drag-spec wheels, and other recognizable aspects from the advertisement.
The “Paint Chip” ‘Cuda showcases five out of ten High Impact colors, including FY1 Lemon Twist, EV2 Tor Red, EK2 Vitamin C, FJ5 Limelight, and FC7 In-Violet, each highlighting different segments of the car, creating a visually stimulating masterpiece. Other notable High Impact colors, such as EF6 Rallye Green, EL5 Bahama Yellow, FM3 Moulin Rouge, GY3 Curious Yellow, and FJ6 Sassy Grass, were not included, leaving room for conjecture and artistic interpretation.
But it’s not only about the High Impact colors. Plymouth also offered other eye-catching hues in 1970 like Citron Gold, Scorch Red, Frosted Teal, Burnt Orange, Jamaica Blue, Blue Fire, and the Ivy Green accenting the other half of the ‘Cuda, intensifying the car’s overall aesthetic appeal.
The “Paint Chip” ‘Cuda, often known as “the most famous muscle car that never existed,” is the physical expression of Tim Wellborn’s brilliant imagination and his love of the Plymouth Barracuda’s illustrious history. It embodies the spirit of innovation and limitless ingenuity of the earlier automotive industry and serves as a tribute to the aesthetic development of muscle cars.