1970 Plymouth 'Cuda AAR in Moulin Rouge Is "Cuda Girl's" Dream Car, Rare Too

The latter is the rarest of the bunch, with only 780 units sold during both model years. And if you break it down to body styles, the HEMI convertible becomes one of the rarest Mopars out there. That's because Plymouth sold only 14 in 1970 and just seven in 1971.

But the HEMI 'Cuda isn't the only hard-to-find version of the third-gen muscle car. The AAR, for instance, isn't all that common either. Sure, it's not as scarce as the HEMI, but with only 2,724 cars built, it's a classic car you won't see very often in the metal. Especially if it's in Moulin Rouge.

Plymouth's version of Dodge's Panther Pink, Moulin Rouge was one of 20 colors available on the Barracuda in 1970. And it was the least popular hue because muscle car enthusiasts weren't into having a pink performance vehicle back then.

The company sold only 255 Barracudas finished in his color, which accounts for only 0.5% of total production. Naturally, AARs in Moulin Rouge are even rarer than that. Most Mopar experts agree that about 47 were ordered in pink, but only a fraction of them survived to see 2022. The 'Cuda AAR you see here is one of those cars.

Showcased at the Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, PA, this fabulous AAR belongs to Joy Curran, who is known as "Cuda girl" among Mopar owners attending the event. That's because she owns more than one. But this Moulin Rouge is her most-prized Barracuda, a full-blown dream car. Mostly because it's painted Moulin Rouge, an example she has been chasing for several years.

There's no word on whether this 'Cuda was restored or it's a well-maintained survivor, but what I do know is that it looks downright fantastic. Inside, outside, and under the hood. And given that it has only 58,700 miles (94,468 km) on the clock, I'm tempted to say this Plymouth has been babied since day one and soldiered on for more than 50 years without a major refresh.

What a stunning piece of muscle car history!

If you're not very familiar with the AAR, it was designed to help homologate the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda for SCCA Trans-Am racing. AAR stands for All American Racers, the team that raced the Cuda that year with Dan Gurney at the helm.

While not a full-fledged race car, the streetable Cuda AAR features quite a few motorsport-spec bits, including a fiberglass hood with a functional scoop and a rear "ducktail" spoiler.

The AAR draws juice from a 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) V8 engine with a 3x2-barrel carburetor setup. While not as powerful as the 426 HEMI or the 440 RB, the 340 was no slouch at 290 horsepower. And that was enough to push the AAR down the quarter-mile in 14.4 seconds.

Now a full-fledged collectible, the AAR is quite expensive when in Excellent condition. These cars are usually valued at up to $80,000, but Moulin Rouge versions could go for as much as $100,000, according to classic car specialist Legendary Motorcar.