Introduced two weeks before the Ford Mustang on April 1, 1964, the Plymouth Barracuda remained in showrooms for ten years and over three generations. Initially a pony car with slant-six and small-block V8 engines, the Barracuda became a fully-fledged muscle car in the late 1960s.
In 1970, the third-gen redesign saw the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB and 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI join the engine lineup on a full-time basis, sealing the Barracuda’s entry into the big-boy performance car segment. But that didn’t last. With new emission and fuel economy regulations imposed on the car industry, Chrysler dropped the 426 HEMI and the “Six Pack” version of the 440 RB at the end of 1971.
This unfortunate event and the fact that insurance rates for high-performance engines were already high in 1970 and 1971 turned the third-generation HEMI ‘Cuda into a rare classic. While Plymouth sold almost 49,000 Barracudas in 1970, only 666 examples were ordered with the mighty 426 HEMI. Sales dropped dramatically in 1971 to 16,492 units and 114 HEMI cars.
The Convertible is by far the rarest iteration, with 14 examples sold in 1970 and only seven delivered in 1971. And while the former now changes hands for more than $1 million, the latter is valued at over $3 million. In 2021, one of only two built with the four-speed manual failed to sell despite a high bid of, wait for it, $4.8 million!
The Coupe version is not as ludicrously expensive, but 1971 examples (107 made) are slowly but surely moving into seven-figure territory. The GY9 Tawny Gold example you see here, one of only 48 HEMI automatics built that year, could reach the magical $1-million mark.
What makes it this valuable beyond its rarity, you ask? Well, it’s one of those classics that has the complete package. It’s in highly original condition, it still rocks all the factory-made body panels, and it’s a numbers-matching car as far as the 426 HEMI V8 and the Torqueflite automatic gearbox go. It also has had the same owner since 1974 (that’s a whopping 49 years as of 2023), and it’s an authentic low-mileage rig with only 12,035 miles (19,368 km) on the odo.
What’s more, it’s also fitted with the A36 Performance Axle Package, and it flaunts a very special livery. Specifically, the car left the factory in Tawny Gold and got custom stripes that gave it a two-tone look. Granted, some diehard ‘Cuda fans may scoff at the idea, but the state of the stripes suggests they were applied in the 1970s, so the Tawny Gold paint may be original. And GY9 is one of those rarely seen ‘Cuda colors.
Set to go under the hammer at Indy 2023 (May 12-20), the HEMI ‘Cuda doesn’t come with an auction estimate, but we know it will be offered at no reserve. Should it hit the $1-million mark, it will be the second HEMI-powered Coupe to do so. The last time it happened was in 2016 when a gray, unrestored exampled with documented ownership history and a four-speed manual changed hands for $1.045 million. But while a seven-figure sum might be a bit of a stretch, this ‘Cuda should easily fetch more than $500,000.
