Ryno's Rides - Rick's 1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda

The dawn of the 1970s saw factory-backed teams representing Ford (Mustang), GM (Camaro and Firebird), AMC (Javelin) and newcomer Chrysler, who fielded both the new 'E-Body' Plymouth Barracuda and its Dodge Challenger sibling.

 

Dan Gurney and his 'All American Racers' (AAR) team were recruited by Chrysler to run the Plymouth Trans Am tilt. In addition to his management role, Gurney would also get behind the wheel, with David 'Swede' Savage serving as the other driver in the two-car team.

 

Gurney's AAR workshop also built the Dodge Challenger driven by Sam Posey, but the round-by-round management of that campaign was handled by Ray Caldwell's 'Autodynamics' operation.

 

As the deal was signed in October, 1969, AAR had only a few months to get the cars built and tested before the opening race of the '70 season.

 

Chrysler had to build a number of roadgoing cars to homologate the new AAR 'Cuda for racing, too.

 

In an effort to make the cars more 'production-based', the homologation minimum was set at 2,800 for Plymouth - up from only 1,000 units the previous season.

 

It was all a bit tight, both in the AAR workshops and on the factory floor, but Gurney got the race cars ready and Plymouth got all the homologation specials built - almost. History shows that only 2,724 AAR 'Cudas were produced, but it seems SCCA rulemakers weren't counting! One of those homologation specials is the car you see here.

 

When new, the roadgoing AAR 'Cuda was the most expensive Plymouth Barracuda/'Cuda you could buy. At US$3,966 before options, it was 20 per cent dearer than a base 'Cuda V8 hardtop, but you got a fair bit of gear - and unmissable style - for your coin.

 

Under the bonnet, the AAR 'Cuda used an engine configuration unique in the Barracuda lineup for 1970. The 340ci V8 was similar to that used in the actual race cars (the race engines had to be de-stroked to meet the 305ci capacity limit), but topped with a trio of 2-barrel Holley carburettors and connected to a 4-speed manual transmission and Sure-Grip diff. Heavy duty suspension at both ends was augmented with front and rear sway bars, while power-assisted front disc brakes were standard. Wider rear wheels and tyres ensured all 290 horses from the powertrain didn't go to waste, while the side-exit exhausts mimicked those on Gurney's AAR racers, but featured extra bends and redesigned mufflers to make them street legal.

 

A number of visual cues also set the AAR 'Cuda apart from other models in the Barracuda family (or should that be school?!), the most obvious being the bodyside "strobe" stripe.

 

Running the full length of the car, the stripe was made up of 75 individual pieces, with the motion effect achieved by reducing the width of each segment by a measured 4 per cent as it moved from front to rear, where it was capped with the AAR logo.

 

Other identifying visual elements on the AAR 'Cuda included a blacked-out bonnet and front guard tops, functional fibreglass bonnet scoop, driving lights under the front bumpers, small 'eyebrow' spoilers on the front corners and a bootlid spoiler.

 

This particular AAR 'Cuda has been owned by Rick Saunders for more than eight years now, and he came across it purely by chance. The Victorian was actually looking for a '71 'Cuda when this AAR came up - at a good price.

 

History on the car was sparse, but it appeared reasonably solid and looked undeniably cool, so a deal was done. Investigation revealed that the car was originally painted in Lime Light green, but had been changed to the Vitamin C Orange it still wears today.

 

As a mechanic, Rick found the work the car needed wasn't daunting, and completed fairly easily after purchase. This included a new fuel tank, fixing the gear stick (shifter breakages were a known problem) and some electrical work.

 

Inside and out, the car is stock, right down to the 15-inch steel Rallye wheels, but Rick has worked a little more mumbo into the engine department with high compression heads and a lumpier camshaft.

 

For all the fanfare of Plymouth and Dodge's entry into the Trans Am series, the outcome was disappointing. The AAR 'Cudas were fast, but fragile, with Chrysler-mandated strengthening of engines, gearboxes and diffs upping the weight to the point where the cars struggled to be competitive. Gurney vacated the driver's seat after two rounds to ensure there was enough money for Savage to complete the season, but returned for a "retirement" send off at the final round.

 

The best result for an AAR 'Cuda in that golden 1970 season was a second place for Savage, achieved in round 7 of the 11-round 1970 season. At the end of the year, Chrysler joined GM and Ford in withdrawing their factory-backing and Trans Am was the worse for it. The series continued, but undeniably lacked the sparkle of preceding years.

 

Of course, the end of the Plymouth 'Cuda racers meant the end of the homologation requirements, too, so the AAR 'Cuda road car became a one-year-only model.

 

Fortunately, guys like Rick are keeping the AAR 'Cuda - and a bit of the Trans Am era - alive today.

 

Car: 1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda

Name: Rick Saunders

State: Victoria

Insured by Ryno since: 2012

First Car: 1963 VW Beetle

Dream Car: Two! This 'Cuda and my '68 Dodge Charger