1970 Plymouth Cuda Convertible 346 Miles Rallye Red 383 cubic inch V8 3-speed

Description

Whatever your favorite brand—Ford, Chevy, Mopar, whatever—I think everyone can agree that Chrysler nailed it with the Plymouth ‘Cuda. They had the luxury of sitting back and watching Ford and Chevy introduce, then revise, their pony cars, and by 1970, the formula was pretty well established. Perfect proportions with a long hood and short deck. Wide, but not too wide to be agile. An engine bay big enough to handle the biggest, nastiest powerplants you could build. Reasonable ride comfort.... Lots of options. And the styling. Is there any muscle car prettier than this 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda convertible? Seriously? Don’t let the 17-inch wheels and Gear Vendors overdrive fool you, this is a correct and relatively rare car. It’s an unusual ‘Cuda Gran Coupe convertible, which really was a thing. It also has its numbers-matching 383 cubic inch V8, has been restored in its original color combination, and there’s a long list of options that includes factory A/C and power windows, both great additions to any convertible’s roster. And there’s a huge amount of money invested in the finish work, which is just beautifully done. From any angle, this car is a home-run. The Gran Coupe was the top-of-the-line Plymouth pony car, a package designed for guys (or girls) who wanted their performance to also be luxurious. The Gran Coupe added leather upholstery to the front buckets, a center console (with a matching overhead console on hardtops), woodgrained trim on the dash and door panels, and a padded top with a special rear window. Which brings us to this rather awkwardly named Gran Coupe convertible, which obviously features all the upgrades it can, sans the overhead console and padded roof. How many were built? Surely no more than a handful, making this a very special car. Check out the rest of the fender tag, which tells more of the story: E61 383 cubic inch V8, 290 horsepower D32 3-speed automatic transmission (727 TorqueFlite) B Plymouth Barracuda P Premium price class 27 Convertible L 383 cubic inch V8 0 1970 model year B Hamtramck, MI assembly plant 337866 Sequential number FE5 Rallye Red P Premium trim grade R Leather bucket seats X9 Black upholstery 000 Full door panels 511 Scheduled to be built May 11, 1970 045708 Vehicle Order Number (VON) V3X Black convertible top A01 Light package with fender-mounted turn signals B51 Power brakes C55 Bucket seats G33 Chrome driver-side racing mirror with remote adjust H51 Air conditioning with heater L31 Turn signal light hood/fender M25 Body sill moldings M31 Body belt moldings P31 Power windows P37 Power convertible top R11 2-watt Music Master AM radio V5X Black molding Y05 US order 26 26-inch radiator EN1 End of sales codes Like I said, this one is loaded and built just the way you’d have done it back in 1970. The Rallye Red paint is beautifully done over some very straight bodywork, and it appears to be wearing all its original sheetmetal, including quarters. There’s just the right amount of aggression with the body-colored bumpers and twin nostrils on the hood, but graphics are limited to the ‘383’ hockey sticks on the quarters, which is how it should be. You’ll note that most of the badges have been deleted and we like the ultra-clean shape on this fish and the silver insert on the tail is a great touch. Nobody can argue that this isn’t a great-looking car and that is certainly confirmed by the way it stops traffic in our showroom. You can see why the Gran Coupe was an upgrade inside, where the front bucket seats are wrapped in black leather upholstery. Most of the stuff inside the car is new, including seat covers, carpets, door panels, and the wood appliques on the center console. It does appear that the woodgrained steering wheel is original and the dash applique is a little faded, but that’s a minor complaint that’s only noticeable because everything else is in such great shape. The gauges are bright and clear and they all work as they should and the factory A/C controls now manage a modern Vintage Air system that’s effective and reliable. There’s also a modern Sony AM/FM/CD stereo with USB input, but it’s not an over-done system and other than the head unit itself, it’s invisible. There’s a switch under the dash that activates the Gear Vendors overdrive unit, which is a fantastic addition that makes this ‘Cuda a legitimate cross-country cruiser. You’ll also find factory power windows that are fully operational at all four corners. Overhead there’s a correct long-grain vinyl top, which was exclusive to Chrysler’s ragtops, and it powers out of sight and stows under a matching black boot. In back, the trunk is neatly finished with a reproduction mat, and you’ll note that the sheetmetal back there is in fine shape. In the hardware department, this ‘Cuda delivers on its intimidating look with its original, numbers-matching 383 cubic inch V8. Originally topped with a 2-barrel carb (which still delivered an impressive 290 horsepower), it now sports an Edelbrock 4-barrel carb on a matching intake manifold, all of which were painted Hemi Orange with the rest of the engine when it was rebuilt two years ago. Internally, it’s still stock, so it has mountainous torque at any speed and that silky smoothness that defines Chrysler big block V8s. It’s correctly detailed with a factory air cleaner (the pie tin says ‘340’ due to a mix-up at the shop but a correct lid will be installed for delivery), hoses, clamps, and a fresh wiring harness. As I mentioned, the A/C system is entirely new from Vintage Air and uses R134a refrigerant so it’s easy to service. There’s also a giant electric fan up front to keep everything cool and a serpentine belt setup that improves reliability. All the work is quite professionally done and it blends together so seamlessly that you’ll have a hard time spotting the upgrades. And the way it runs will make you forget taking it back to stock. It barks to life easily, snarls at idle, and pulls like a freight train. This is one ‘Cuda that delivers the goods. The TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic is virtually indestructible and seems to fit with the Gran Coupe convertible’s luxury mission, although the 3.73 gears out back make it punchy as hell around town—you’ll need a new Corvette to beat this car on the roll. To offset those somewhat tall gears, it has been fitted with a Gear Vendors overdrive, which is neatly integrated into the TorqueFlite’s tailshaft so the rest of the drivetrain remains stock. The suspension and brakes are fully rebuilt, the floor pans are in fantastic condition with just a light dusting of undercoating, and all the lines and hoses are new. There’s also a beautiful reproduction exhaust system that must have been very expensive, as it includes both mufflers and resonators to give it the proper factory tone. It’s been lowered a bit with custom springs and new shocks, and those spectacular 17-inch Rallye replicas are works of art and look killer with fat 245/45/17 front and 275/40/17 rear BFG radials. This is a seriously cool car. You can take your Hemi car, but I’ll enjoy the performance of this smooth, torquey big block that’s also bulletproof reliable. Plus I get A/C, power windows, and leather seats to go with it. Unusual, attractive, fast, and with a great pedigree and matching-numbers, this is a great way to enjoy Chrysler’s best performance car of the period. Call today!