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Pink 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda Spent Decades in Hiding, Big-Block Surprise Under the Hood

If you're a fan of classic Mopars, then you definitely dig Chrysler's "High Impact" color palette from the golden muscle car era. So what's your favorite hue?
1970 Plymouth 'Cuda in Moulin Rouge 7 photos
Photo: Junkyards and Barn Finds with Sean/YouTube
1970 Plymouth 'Cuda in Moulin Rouge1970 Plymouth 'Cuda in Moulin Rouge1970 Plymouth 'Cuda in Moulin Rouge1970 Plymouth 'Cuda in Moulin Rouge1970 Plymouth 'Cuda in Moulin Rouge1970 Plymouth 'Cuda in Moulin Rouge
Is it the brightest green of them all that Dodge offered as Green Go and Plymouth sold as Sassy Grass? Or are you a Plum Crazy / In-Violet kind of guy? Or perhaps you enjoy a dose of Vitamin C / Go Mango? All are excellent options if you ask me.

Now I do hope you're going to ask about my favorite "High Impact" color because I'm just dying to yell "but of course, it's Panther Pink!" Or Moulin Rouge if we're talking about Plymouths. Yup, I think classic muscle cars look very macho in pink.

And I'm here to show you a 1970 Plymouth Cuda in Moulin Rouge. One that's been hiding from curious eyes for a few decades. Yes, I'm obviously talking about a barn find. But not the derelict kind. This Mopar was simply stored in a garage for a couple of decades or so.

Is it one of those all-original survivors? Well, not exactly. The paint looks too good to be the factory coating, so I'm guessing this car was repainted at some point. The owner actually says he "rebuilt" the car after he bought it in 1985, so the process might have involved a fresh layer of Moulin Rouge.

But he also upgraded the drivetrain. According to the VIN, this 'Cuda left the assembly line with a 340-cubic-inch V8 paired to a four-speed manual gearbox. The owner decided the 340 is not powerful enough (he rebuilt the car for drag racing), so he installed a larger, 440-cubic-inch big-block instead. He also ditched the manual gearbox for an automatic and went with a 4.10 rear end.

Unfortunately, the 440 is not a period correct mill. The owner says the bottom was sourced from a 1974 motorhome, while the heads came from a 1968 Road Runner. I know, it's not a full-fledged collectible, but hey, the owner seems pretty happy with how this "high-performance" engine performed when he used to race it from one traffic light to another.

And it's not like he bought it in all-original condition. Even though it has only 62,000 miles (99,779 km) on the block, this car had like 17 owners before him. So it's safe to say that this 'Cuda was used for drag racing since new.

The only disappointing thing about it is that it's been sitting for a very long time. But hopefully, that will come to an end soon. The owner isn't planning on selling it anytime soon, but maybe he'll take it out of the garage sooner than later. Until that happens, check it out in the video below.

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About the author: Ciprian Florea
Ciprian Florea profile photo

Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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