Once a 13-Second Racer, This 1973 Cuda Flexes 4-Spd Muscle and Cool, Rare Factory Surprise

The third generation Plymouth Barracuda was the longest-running (and last) and, in 1970, introduced a completely restyled car that became a symbol of classic American pony cars. Ironically, Chrysler was the last to join its own party, which it had started in 1964. The ‘pony car’ is a ‘pony’ car because of that galloping wild horse on the Mustang grille–the genre's ultimate icon.

But Ford is not the first settler to plant the flag on that newly-discovered niche: the Mustang made its historic debut on April 14, 1964, when the Blue Oval pulled the covers off the new line of automobiles. Ford cleverly used the New York World Fair to reach a broad audience, and the trick worked: the new car sold way above the most exuberant of predictions.

It was so glorious that it shadowed everyone else that year – including the Barracuda, the OG of the new class of youthful motoring. (Another famous victim of FoMoCo’s triumphant stampede was the Olds 4-4-2; the GM had it even worse than the Mopar – the Oldsmobile performance option debuted in February of that year but went almost entirely unnoticed).

Nonetheless, the Barracuda made a dramatic comeback in 1970, reinventing itself from the ground up on a new platform with muscle looks and an entire arsenal of performance. It was, unfortunately, far too little, far too late to make a difference for the nameplate, and the strangling environment didn’t help either.

By 1972, the 426 HEMI was deleted forever. The sleek Barracuda (the hardtop was the only body style offered) was left with three power options for the year: a 225 cubic-inch Slant Six (3.7-liter) and two V8s – the 318 cubic-inch (5.2-liter) with a single two-barrel carb, and the 340-cube (5.6-liter) that offered the top ‘performance.’

One year later, the Six was no longer available with the fishy Mopar, and both trim levels (base Barracuda and ‘Cuda) came with the 318-2V as standard. The 340-4V was the only option until late in the model year, when it was replaced by the 360-incher (the 5.9-liter would be the last call for performance the ‘Cuda would ever make, in 1974).

Although production dwindled rapidly after the 1970 launch of the third generation, 1973 saw a slight spike over 1971 and 1972. Sources vary - while some production numbers values indicate a total of just over 19,000 units, other figures place the Barracuda total slightly above 22,000 cars.

The Barracuda and the ‘Cuda shared the assembly volumes almost half-and-half, with the top version trailing just behind the entry-level offer by a few hundred units. The 318 was the standard motor but wasn’t the popular choice in the sporty ‘Cuda. Buyers preferred the 340 V8 for its net 240 hp (244 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm).

Transmission-wise, the three-speed TorqueFlite auto was the number one option for prospects (4,576 of them had their ‘Cuda equipped with it), while the manual alternative consisted of a three-speed (standard equipment, but found in 289 units), or the four-speed (sold in 1,718 examples).

One of those four-speed Cudas from 1973 has a nice nostalgic history: it was built in May 1973, and the following month, it met its first owner in Marine City, Michigan. A couple of years later, the Mopar changed hands and became a drag racer (it scored a personal best of 13.06, but we don’t know what powertrain was in it then). After a short intermezzo with a lawn sprinklers salesman, it was sold in 1980 to a young Mopar enthusiast with an affinity for ‘Cudas.

In 1984, he and his bride rode in the ‘Cuda from the church to their house, and a few years after, their first newborn got his first taste of Moparty when his parents brought the baby home from the hospital. Until 1989, the sexy Plymouth was the main car for its owner, when it got a well-deserved two-decade partial retirement.

In 2008, Steve –the owner’s name, by the way – saw his beloved ‘Cuda getting ill and put it through a restoration. Not the ‘replace faulty parts’ project, but a full-blown rejuvenation, with a repaint and new old stock parts wherever needed. That’s the second reason the car looks as stunning as it was in May 1970 – check it out in the video below, shot by Lou Costabile last summer at the Carlisle Events in Pennsylvania.

The car is one of the rare factory-equipped with air conditioning and Rallye instrumentation, a pistol grip Hurst shifter, a center console, and a rear defogger. The odometer indicated 76,241 miles in July 2023 (122,672 km), most of which have been covered more than 15 years ago. Following its complete overhaul, the car is pretty much a trailer princess. Not a queen, because it does get driven from time to time, just enough to stretch its legs a little.