2021 'Cuda

Discussion in 'Challenger News, Articles and Media Reviews' started by SRT-Tom, May 18, 2020.

  1. 70-426_10-SRT

    70-426_10-SRT B&E body lover

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    Mine never looked this nice :(

    3.5mil-CUDA.jpg
     
  2. SRT-Tom

    SRT-Tom Well-Known Member Staff Member Super Moderator Article Writer

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    My 1971 'Cuda was a 340 and it looked really nice. I miss this car!


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  3. Katshot

    Katshot Full Access Member

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    No clue. Maybe because it's the only year that had 4 headlamps? Were production numbers a lot lower for the 71's? Could be all kinds of reasons I suppose. Either way, I just think from a design standpoint, the '71 was the ugliest.
     
  4. Katshot

    Katshot Full Access Member

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    Ok, so the 71's weren't popular back in the day so there's far fewer so...kind of proves what I'm saying. I'm obviously not the only one who likes the '70 better than the '71.
     
  5. Katshot

    Katshot Full Access Member

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    Wish I had a better picture. I took this with my Kodak instamatic in my back yard when I was 16 (in 1975). The picture has been on my toolbox since the early 80's.
    After the picture was taken, I got rid of the ugly black moldings and repainted the car a deeper, darker heavy metallic blue. It was originally EB3 and I repainted it EB7 20200526_132621.jpg
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2020
  6. Katshot

    Katshot Full Access Member

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    Found another picture! Since we recently moved, my wife had been going through some old pictures and said she saw a picture of my Barracuda. This picture was taken the same day as the other picture. In my back yard, the day I bought it. Pre-modifications. 1970 Barracuda.jpg
     
  7. SRT-Tom

    SRT-Tom Well-Known Member Staff Member Super Moderator Article Writer

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    Beauty of design is subjective and is a matter of personal preference.

    There were several reasons why only 5,675 'Cudas were sold in 1971, as compared to 17,258 in 1970:
    • 1970 was the long-awaited inaugural year of the new and exciting E-body.
    • 1971 began the rapid decline of the muscle car due to high insurance premiums, rising gas prices and low compression engines made to run on lead-free gasoline.
    • The base motor, the 383 4-barrel, was detuned. As a result, only 1,739 'Cudas, in 1971, were ordered with this engine, compared to 4,595 in 1970.
     
  8. Katshot

    Katshot Full Access Member

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    All good possibilities but the fact that they redesigned both front and rear facias, specifically dumping the quad headlamps and returning to a look more like the '70 makes me think they believed the public didn't like the look of the '71.
    Regardless, I believe the '70 is the best year.
     
  9. SRT-Tom

    SRT-Tom Well-Known Member Staff Member Super Moderator Article Writer

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    If the renderings are accurate, the single headlight design may just be a way to come up with something different from the current quad-headlight Challenger.

    Regardless of the design, a new 'Cuda will sell!
     
  10. SRT-Tom

    SRT-Tom Well-Known Member Staff Member Super Moderator Article Writer

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    Here's some trivia about the 1971 'Cuda billboard stripe.

    The designers were asked to develop a new stripe to replace the 1970 "hockey stick" stripe. They submitted several designs but all of hem were rejected. Plymouth wanted something wild and more aggressive. As a joke, the frustrated designers came up with the biggest and most outrageous stripe they could think of- the billboard. To their surprise, corporate loved it and the rest is history.
     
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