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Secret Muscle Car Stash Includes Rare 1970 Plymouth Cuda AAR and Dodge Li'l Red Express

Barn-found cars are as cool as they get, no matter whether they're extremely valuable or cheap, but a big stash of classic cars is way better. Especially when the vehicles in question hail from the muscle car era. Like the ones you're about to see here.
1970 Plymouth Barracuda AAR 8 photos
Photo: DezzysSpeedShop/YouTube
1970 Plymouth Barracuda AAR1970 Plymouth Barracuda AARDodge Lil' Red ExpressDodge Lil' Red Express1970 Plymouth Barracuda AAR1970 Plymouth Barracuda AAR1970 Plymouth Barracuda AAR
These cars haven't been forgotten in a barn, but they've been sitting for more than 20 years. Most of them are dusty and won't run without serious work under the hood, but they're in good to excellent shape. Dusty time capsules waiting to flex their V8 engines again.

Documented by YouTube's "DeezysSpeedShop," this amazing collection includes quite a few famous cars from the golden muscle car era. There's a 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass, a pair of Chevrolet El Caminos, and a very cool Ford Torino convertible. There's also a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air waiting to be restored.

But none of them are as eye-catching as the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda AAR that gets a close-up from the 1:00-minute mark. Just look at that gorgeous yellow paint, the black graphics running below the beltline, and the matte black hood. If this combo doesn't scream "muscle car goodness" I don't know what does.

And on top of that, this Barracuda is also an all-original classic. Sure, it's been repainted, but the bulged hood hides a numbers-matching V8 connected to an original automatic transmission.

If you're not familiar with the AAR, it was produced 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.

At that time, SCCA required automakers to build a minimum of 2,500 streetcars in order for that vehicle to compete. Plymouth put together 2,724 AARs between March and April 1970.

While not a full-fledged race car, the streetable Cuda AAR did feature a few motorsport-spec bits, including the fiberglass engine hood with a functional scoop. It also gained front "eyebrow" spoilers and a rear "ducktail." The unique graphics and the side-exiting exhaust pipes rounded off the special looks.

While Plymouth was offering the massive 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB and the iconic 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi in the Barracuda at the time, the AAR came with the smaller, 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) V8 under the hood.

The 3x2-barrel carburetor V8 wasn't as powerful as the Hemi at 290 horsepower, but it was potent enough to push the Cuda from 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in about six seconds. The AAR needed only 14.4 seconds to cover the quarter-mile. These cars are hard to come by and can cost more than $80,000 in excellent condition.

The second vehicle that caught my attention is the Dodge Li'l Red Express pickup truck. Built in 1978 and 1979 (in a little over 7,000 units), this Mopar truck was among the quickest American-made vehicle when it came out thanks to a 360-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) V8 good for 225 horsepower.

Yeah, that's not a lot compared to modern trucks, but keep in mind that the V8-powered Ford Mustang was rated at only 140 horsepower in the late 1970s. Check them 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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