Class of '70 · Plymouth Barracuda · 1970 body · third generation
1970Plymouth Barracuda
The all-new E-body Barracuda: hardtop or convertible, as a Barracuda, a Gran Coupe or a 'Cuda, with engines from a 198 six to the 426 Hemi, and 55,499 built by Consumer Guide's count.
The year in brief
The 1970 Barracuda shared nothing with the Valiant any more. John Herlitz styled it on Chrysler's new E-body, a shorter and wider version of the B-body, and the fastback was gone. Plymouth's catalog put it plainly: «Only the name is the same.»37
The Dodge Challenger used the same platform but no exterior sheet metal; its wheelbase was two inches longer than the Barracuda's 108.35
There were three series: the Barracuda, the luxury Gran Coupe and the 'Cuda, each as a hardtop or a convertible. The 'Cuda carried a 335-hp 383 as standard and offered the 340, two 440s and the 426 Hemi.358
Consumer Guide's articles add up to 55,499 cars (our sum), with the AAR 'Cuda possibly on top. plymouthbarracuda.net, and Wikipedia with it, gives 48,867.124910sources disagree
The story of the year
The AAR 'Cuda and the Trans-Am
Swede Savage and Dan Gurney raced identical factory-sponsored AAR 'Cudas, from Gurney's All American Racers, in the 1970 Trans-Am series. They took three pole positions but won no race; the best finish was second at Road America.3one source
The race cars ran 305-cubic-inch V8s. The street AAR 'Cuda, built to qualify them, had a 290-hp 340 with three two-barrel carburetors; Over-Drive dates it to March 1970.511
Four Hemi 'Cudas were raced in Europe by Chrysler France from 1970 to 1973, by Wikipedia's account.3one source
How to spot a 1970
What tells it apart from a 1971.
No fender gills
The 'Cuda's fender gills are a 1971 feature; the 1970 has none.3one source
The AAR 'Cuda
Black fiberglass hood with pins, side-exit exhausts ahead of the rear wheels and bigger tires at the back than at the front. Built for 1970 only.51113
Production124910
55,499 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | Barracuda | 25,651 |
| Gran Coupe | 8,183 | |
| 'Cuda | 18,880 | |
| All hardtops | 52,714 | |
| Convertible | Barracuda | 1,554 |
| Gran Coupe | 596 | |
| 'Cuda | 635 | |
| All convertibles | 2,785 | |
| Total | 55,499 | |
Rows from Consumer Guide's two articles, hardtops and convertibles. Over-Drive's table has the same six rows and adds an AAR 'Cuda row of 2,724; no source says whether Consumer Guide's 18,880 'Cuda hardtops include the AARs. Over-Drive's «Production TOTAL» of 94,207 adds its own 55,499 subtotal to the rows it already contains (our arithmetic). plymouthbarracuda.net, and Wikipedia with it, gives 48,867. See the ruling.
Engines3567
11 engines. The letter is the engine code in the VIN.
Gross horsepower, as Plymouth rated it in 1970. The code is the engine letter in the VIN. Wikipedia gives N to both four-barrel 383s, the 330-hp and the 335-hp. The tpocr club's table of Plymouth codes lists L and N («Hi. perf.») for the 383 and names no carburetors; that the two four-barrel 383s shared one code is our reading of it. The 440 four-barrel is U by Wikipedia; the tpocr table also has a T for a plain 440, which no source ties to a Barracuda.
Price when new1414
Base retail prices in 1970 dollars, before options.
Factory prices from Over-Drive's table. Consumer Guide's price range for the coupes starts at the same $2,764, and J.D. Power's price guide repeats Over-Drive's V8 prices. Over-Drive prints $2,394 for the six-cylinder Gran Coupe hardtop, less than the plain Barracuda; it looks like a misprint and is left out. The AAR price is disputed; see the ruling.
Colors5one source
25 factory colors. 1 of the 25 color names is confirmed by a second source35; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
SilverA4
Light BlueB3
Bright BlueB5
Dark BlueB7
Plum CrazyC7
Rally RedE5
Lime GreenF4
Ivy GreenF8
Sub LimeJ5
Vitamin C OrangeK2
Burnt OrangeK3
Deep Burnt OrangeK5
Sand Pebble BeigeL1
Moulin RougeM3
Frosted TealP6
Scorch RedR6
Sahara TanT3
Burnt TanT6
Alpine WhiteW1
Black VelvetX9
Top BananaY1
Sunfire YellowY2
Yellow GoldY3
Citron MistY4
Citron GoldY6
No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are left empty. The 25 names and codes are Over-Drive's. Wikipedia names some of Plymouth's high-impact colors, among them In-Violet, Lime Light and Lemon Twist, but no source we have gives Plymouth's own name for each code.
Reading the VIN615
A 1970 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
BS23R0B100001615 · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: 'Cuda hardtop, Hemi, 1970, Hamtramck, unit 100001. None of our sources prints a real Barracuda VIN.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| B | Car line: Plymouth Barracuda |
| H · P · S | Price class: Barracuda · Gran Coupe · 'Cuda (also the AAR 'Cuda) |
| 23 · 27 | Body: 2-door hardtop · convertible |
| B · C · G · H · J · L · N · R · T · U · V | Engine (see the engine table) |
| 0 | Model year (1970) |
| A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · P · R | Assembly plant (tpocr's table of Plymouth codes) |
| 100001 or 500005 → | Sequential unit number |
Where to find it: On a plate on the left of the dash, visible through the windshield.615
Questions about the 1970
How many 1970 Plymouth Barracudas were made?
55,499 by the count we use: 52,714 hardtops, 2,785 convertibles. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.124910sources disagree
How can you tell a 1970 Barracuda from a 1971?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: single headlights; no fender gills; the AAR 'Cuda.35111213
What engines did the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda have?
Eleven engines, from the 198 cu in slant six to the 426 cu in Hemi V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.3567
How much did a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Hardtop, six-cylinder $2,764; Hardtop, V8 $2,865; Convertible, six-cylinder $3,034; Convertible, V8 $3,135; Gran Coupe hardtop, V8 $3,035; Gran Coupe convertible, six-cylinder $3,160; Gran Coupe convertible, V8 $3,260; 'Cuda hardtop $3,164; 'Cuda convertible $3,433; AAR 'Cuda $3,966.1414
What colors did the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda come in?
Over-Drive Magazine lists 25 factory colors.5one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1970, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1970 Barracuda production
Our ruling: Unresolved. We show Consumer Guide's rows, which add up. Over-Drive's table repeats them row for row and is not a second count; its 94,207 is its own column of totals added up with the 55,499 subtotal inside it (our arithmetic), and its rows plus the AAR make 58,223. Whether the 2,724 AARs are inside Consumer Guide's 18,880 'Cuda hardtops no source says; plymouthbarracuda.net counts them among its 'Cudas. plymouthbarracuda.net's 48,867 is lower in every series, and Wikipedia's table repeats it. The site names no source and calls its figures a guideline.
What each source says (3)
- 55,499 in six rows that add up (our sum)12one source
- the same six rows, a separate AAR 'Cuda row of 2,724, and a «Production TOTAL» of 94,2074one source
- 48,867910one source
Open
How many 1970 'Cudas
Our ruling: Unresolved. Consumer Guide gives two different totals in two articles. plymouthbarracuda.net is close to the lower one. The 'Cuda variant page uses the year articles' rows, so that they add up to the year's total.
What each source says (3)
- 18,880 hardtops and 635 convertibles: 19,515 (our sum)12one source
- 17,242 'Cudas8one source
- 16,710 hardtops and 548 convertibles: 17,258 (our sum), the AARs included9one source
Settled
The 1970 'Cuda's standard engine
Our ruling: 335 hp. Plymouth's own 1970 catalog rates the 383 four-barrel at 335 hp at 5200 rpm and the 440 four-barrel at 375; Over-Drive's engine table makes the 383 standard on the 'Cuda, and Consumer Guide's Hemi 'Cuda article and Wikipedia give 335 too (Over-Drive's text repeats Wikipedia and is not counted). That Consumer Guide's convertible article took the 440's 375 for the 383 is our guess.
What each source says (4)
- 383 four-barrel: 335 hp at 5200 rpm; 440 four-barrel: 375 hp at 4600 rpm7one source
- the 383 high-performance four-barrel, standard on the 'Cuda5one source
- 335 hp38
- a 375-horsepower 3832one source
Settled
How many 1970 Hemi 'Cudas
Our ruling: 666: 652 hardtops and 14 convertibles. Consumer Guide and plymouthbarracuda.net agree, the latter split by transmission (our sums), and no source contradicts them. Their Hemi figures match car for car, so the two may share an origin.
What each source says (2)
- 652 hardtops and 14 convertibles; 666 in all8one source
- 284 and 368 hardtops, 5 and 9 convertibles (4-speed and automatic): 666 (our sum)9one source
Open
The AAR 'Cuda's base price
Our ruling: Unresolved. Over-Drive gives $3,966 in its table and its photo caption; Consumer Guide's AAR profile gives $4,340. Neither says what the price includes. J.D. Power's guide lists the AAR without a price. The same Over-Drive caption gives 2,742 cars against the 2,724 in its text and table, which weakens it as a witness.
What each source says (2)
- $3,96645one source
- $4,34011one source
Open
When the cheap coupe was sold
Our ruling: Unresolved. Plymouth's own 1971 catalog suggests the coupe existed in 1970, as Wikipedia says, but Over-Drive's 1970 table has no coupe, and neither Consumer Guide nor any other source we have counts one for 1970. Over-Drive's 1970 text repeats Wikipedia and is not counted.
What each source says (3)
- for 1971 only1one source
- from the middle of 1970 to the end of 19713one source
- it «was the lowest-priced sporty car in America» «last year», in the 1971 catalog12one source
Sources
- 1970-1974 Plymouth Barracuda Coupes HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1970-1971 Plymouth Barracuda Convertibles HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda Production, 1970 and 1971 (two tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Plymouth Vehicle Identification Numbers The Plymouth Owners Club Registry (tpocr.com) · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Plymouth Barracuda sales catalog Chrysler-Plymouth Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Barracuda production totals PlymouthBarracuda.net · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda: the production table Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Plymouth Barracuda sales catalog Chrysler-Plymouth Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda 1970–1974: original MSRP (38 pages) J.D. Power (NADA Guides) · read 2026-10-11
- Mopar VIN Decoding StockMopar · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1971Plymouth BarracudaThe second year: dual headlights, a new grille, gills on the 'Cuda's fenders, a low-priced coupe, and production down to 18,690 by Consumer Guide's count.18,690 built (disputed)
1972Plymouth BarracudaTwo hardtops, the Barracuda and the 'Cuda, single headlights again, four round taillights, and no big-block, convertible or Gran Coupe.18,450 built (disputed)
1973Plymouth BarracudaSafety bumpers front and rear, no six-cylinder engine, the 318 and 340 V8s, and production up on 1972.22,213 built (disputed)See the whole third generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1970–1974.