Description
To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Auburn Fall event, 29 August - 1 September 2019. Estimate:$150, 000 - $200, 000 Offered from The RPM CollectionReportedly the last ’Cuda convertible builtSnow White over orange vinyl340 cu. in. V-8; TorqueFlight automatic transmissionWell-optioned example With its 1970 redesign, the Plymouth Barracuda came into its own as a coupe or convertible that married performance and styling like never before. The dramatic sloped roofline carried into the new year, but the E-Body Barracuda no longer had anything other than space in a showroom in common with the workaday Valiant. It was a move that allowed the car to flourish as a performance model, especially when ordered as a ’Cuda, a carryover name from a trim package offered at the end of the last design’s run. This go-around, the ’Cuda’s engine bay could swallow ever larger V-8s paired with manual and automatic transmissions. Minor updates for 1971 brought a new grille design with four headlights and distinctive undersea-inspired “gills” on the fenders. If any ’Cuda is a perfect example of the breed, it’s the ’71. This ’71 ’Cuda convertible comes from the second year of production, but only by a hair, as it rolled off the Hamtramck, Michigan, assembly line just before the changeover to the 1972 model year. This example is reportedly the last E-Body convertible built and is said to have been assembled on 22 June 1971. Plymouth ensured that the ’Cuda convertible would go out in style. The factory-correct Snow White paint, black graphics, and black vinyl power-operated top deliver exactly the contrast Plymouth had in mind with the unusual orange vinyl-upholstered interior. The factory buckets are separated by a black center console with wood trim, providing a sporty look appropriate for a car equipped with the four-barrel, 275-horsepower, 340 cubic-inch V-8. A three-speed TorqueFlight automatic ensures smooth power delivery to the rear wheels, should the owner want to exercise the period-style Goodyear Polyglas rubber. Careful attention has been paid to underhood detailing down to the Mopar-sourced battery. Other factory equipment retained on this well-optioned example include an AM/ FM radio, remote exterior mirrors, and the eye-catching dual-intake sport hood equipped with pins. An attractive luggage rack has been added to the rear deck. To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys. com/ en/ auctions/ af19.
