The Specifications for a 1970 AAR Cuda

In 1970, Plymouth redesigned their longstanding Barracuda model line and created one of the most popular Chrysler vehicles of the time. They offered performance versions of the Barracuda as well and named these performance versions simply Cuda. In 1970, Plymouth wanted to enter a vehicle into the Tans Am racing series. In order to do this they designed a special version of the Cuda that was produced in limited numbers, which they called the AAR Cuda.

  1. Production

    • Production of the Plymouth AAR Cuda ran from March 10, 1970, until April 21, 1970. There were 2,724 AAR Cuda's produced to American specifications and 149 produced to Canadian specifications. There were 1,120 American spec Cudas built with the four-speed manual transmission and 1,604 built with the three-speed automatic. There were 64 Canadian spec Cudas built with the four-speed and 85 built with the three-speed automatic. The AAR Cuda was a limited production vehicle and assembled primarily to allow Plymouth to enter the care into Trans Am racing. The car is named after famous car driver Dan Gurney's All American Racing team.

    Powerplant

    • The AAR Cuda was equipped with a Chrysler 340-cubic-inch small block engine. The engine was a beefed up version of the standard 340 and included special cylinder heads with offset pushrods, a thicker bottom end to strengthen the crankshaft, and an aluminum intake manifold that held three two-barrel carburetors. The engine produced 290 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 345-foot-pounds of torque at 3,400 rpm.

    Transmission/ Rear Axle

    • The AAR Cuda was available with either the 727 three-speed automatic transmission or the A-833 four-speed manual transmission. Cudas equipped with the four-speed manual had lower road-race oriented gear ratios. The rear axle was an 8.75-inch Sure-Grip unit that came standard with a 3.555:1 gear ratio. A 3.91 gear ratio was also available at no extra cost.

    Wheels/Tires/Suspension

    • The wheels on the AAR Cuda were Chrysler's 15 x 7 Rallye rims that had Goodyear Polyglas GT tires mounted. The front tire size was E60-15 and the rear was G60-15. The suspension had front and rear sway bars added to improve handling along with stiffer performance shocks and stronger rear leaf springs. Steering was controlled with either a standard manual or power assisted gearbox with an optional quick ratio unit available on request.

    Styling

    • The hood on the AAR Cuda was secured to the vehicle using hood pins and had no hinges or latches. The hood was scooped to allow cool air to be drawn in by the engine and was painted with textured black paint. The AAR Cuda was equipped with a rear spoiler and some vehicles also received optional front chin spoilers as well. The cars came with a distinctive graphics package that consisted of a sectioned dark colored stripe that ran the length of the car. The stripe began at the rear end of the car with an emblem that spelled out AAR Cuda in red, white and blue, and tapered as it traveled along the length of the car and ended at the front fenders in a point.

    Performance

    • The AAR Cuda in stock form returned quarter-mile times of 14.4 sec. at 98.4 mph. The car returned 0-60 mph times of 6.0 seconds. Top speed was estimated at 137 mph. In handling tests, the car returned .76 g's of lateral force on the skid-pad.

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