Minneapolis Street Sighting: Plymouth 'cuda

When I go out car spotting, there are certain cars I don't expect to see, regardless of condition. Mopars are here are fairly thin. Sure, we get Darts and Valiants, but even those are about as common as finding gold in a stream. Now, what would the prospects be for finding a 'cuda here, you ask? Apparently, despite being about as common as I mentioned above, this was, indeed, a 'cuda roaming the pothole-filled, hipster-ridden streets of Minneapolis. Based on this car's condition, I'm going to venture out on a limb and say the guy who owned that black Charger I posted awhile back owns this too.












In the rise of the fast-growing muscle-car wars, Mopar was relatively late to the game. Sure, the original Barracuda was a fastback, relatively small car based on the much-critiqued-- but quite loved--Valiant, sales quickly determined that the more conventional Mustang and Camaro bodystyles were the ones to beat. In 1970, the Barracuda , or 'cuda as the nameplate states here, was redesigned and fgiven a more traditional bodystyle, coupled with bigger engines; it truly lived up to its muscle-car nameplate and image now.
Unlike the GM and Ford competition, these cars remain relatively scarce today, and a good one will cost in excess of a million dollars-- or more depending on which auction the car is being sold at. Daily drivers, and #3 condition cars are virtually unheard of, so I was almost taken aback by this example. Finished in an orange shade that probably is not the much-loved Vitamin C hue, this is likely a quick respray--at the very least, a nearly 40 year old paintjob. The wheels, too, look right out of a mid '70s custom-wheel catalog. That's not to say I don't like them, though. They look great here, and likely moreso than typical vintage Rallyes do. It's hard to say what powers this example, especially since I obviously couldn't lift the hood, but I'm betting that it's a base or close-to-base setup; that means the trusty 318 is the motivation for this car-- and it's probably the same 318 that until very recently powered Dakota, Durangos and their ilk. No bad thing by any means, but I would rather something other than a generic engine to power a car with a nameplate that oozes heritage.
For me, this car marks the first E-body I've seen being daily-driven, and parked on the street. I surely hope it isn't the last, because a much-heralded nameplate needs a worthy example to be showcased here. As it sits, I would of course drive it, but I'd have to touch up the paint, and make it shiny again-- or at least do an engine swap beforehand.