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1974 Plymouth Barracuda Went Back in Time to Live a Meaningful 383ci 'Cuda Life

Unfortunately for anyone with love for both saltwater fish and some of their most ferocious alternates from the automotive world, the Plymouth Barracuda muscle car was rather short-lived. It ended its prolific career after just ten model years (1964 to 1974) at the behest of the 1973 energy crisis. Gone but not forgotten, this classic lives on whenever possible.
1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars 21 photos
Photo: PC Classic Cars/Facebook
1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars1974 Plymouth Barracuda with 383ci 'Cuda engine swap for sale on PC Classic Cars
We all know that just about any Barracuda (when sporting four wheels) is a great collectible today, particularly when referring to the 1970–1974 E-Body cars that shed all previous ties with the Valiant. Instead, Plymouth opted for the same components as used by the marginally larger Dodge Challenger and luckily didn’t make the mistake to let anyone know about that via shared design elements.

Naturally, the high-performance Magnum V8, Six-Pack, and Hemi V8 versions alongside the convertibles command the highest prices since the low production/low buyer interest back in the day makes the ‘Cuda a rather scarce muscle car representative.

As always, intrepid minds do find solutions to any such problems. Let's take this final model year 1974 Barracuda, for example. It was initially created as a G-code 318ci (5.2L) unit according to the description of Texas-based PC Classic Cars. It probably lived a meaningfully beloved life for almost half a century and across not-so-great expanses of tarmac, judging by the 48,156-mile (77,500-km) odometer readout.

True, it’s labeled as unverifiable total mileage, but more importantly, somewhere along the way, this Barracuda decided it needed to taste the ‘Cuda life to make it worthwhile. Case in point, the Plymouth was engine-swapped in the family and now has an older 1970-coded 383ci (6.3L) V8 under the hood. Still, we’re not sure if we’re dealing with the regular or the Magnum V8 variety.

On the other hand, this Barracuda looks as clean as possible, sporting the original Yellow Blaze factory paint (it was repainted, though), polished 16-inch American Racing Torq Thrust wheels with asymmetrical tires, a Dana 60 rear end, contrasting bucket seats, and an Alpine stereo system.

All in all, one will also have to ponder all that against the consigner’s asking price of $38,500, which may or may not be everyone’s cup of tea depending on the additional details provided by the dealer on location.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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