1969 Cuda A56 glove box door emblems
By Thomas A. DeMauro on Mar 21st, 2019 at 2:58 pm
Interesting reading regarding Plymouth's performance testing with the 'Cuda 340. Vintage ads courtesy of the Automotive History Preservation Society.
Comments: 19
In This Article
Category: Vintage ads
Make: Plymouth
Model: Cuda
A performance image builder for Plymouth's A-body during the muscle-car-saturated late 1960s, the inaugural ’Cudas are now a half-century old. The 1969 ’Cuda 340 and 383 packages, and the 440 that arrived later in the model year, were available on the hardtop and sport fastback body styles. This article will focus on the 340 version.
Visually bolder than the comparatively subtle yet equal-performing 340 Formula S-equipped Barracuda, the ’Cuda added hood stripes and non-functional scoops, large name and engine callout decals on the fenders, and black lower body stripes. Black grilles and dual exhaust with chromed tips were included with the Formula S and the ’Cuda.
Standard in the ’Cuda 340 was a bench seat and a Hurst-shifted four-speed. Heavy-duty suspension, shocks, 14-inch wheels, and E70-14 red streak tires used on the Formula S were also employed. Rear gears were 3.23s with 3.55s and 3.91s optional. Sure-Grip, the TorqueFlite, and bucket seats were also available at extra cost.
A ’Cuda 340 kicks up some dust in this vintage ad.
Producing 275-hp and 340-lb.ft. of torque, the lightweight small-block LA-series Commando 340 V-8, which had debuted in the 1968 Formula S, made the ’Cuda 340 a versatile performer and it received positive comments from road testers. Though the ’Cuda was conceived as an affordable yet powerful package, it could still be equipped with various comfort, convenience, and style options, including A/C, if the buyer desired them.
Conversely, the B-series 330-hp Super Commando 383 and the RB-series 375-hp 440 produced more power than the 340 but were heavier and commandeered more under-hood space. They also required some modifications to fit the tight engine compartment, not the least of which were A-body-specific exhaust manifolds with the driver’s side one more flow-restricted than those used in B-bodies. Until 1969, power steering wasn’t available in a 383-powered Barracuda, and the engine had been offered in it since 1967. If the optional automatic transmission was ordered with the 383, bucket seats and a console were required. The 440’s A13 Engine Conversion Package for the ’Cuda had even more restrictions. It was paired only with the TorqueFlite, console, and bucket seats, and couldn’t be ordered with power steering or front disc brakes. A/C wasn’t available with either of the big-blocks.
FCA Historical Services provided this press image of the ’Cuda 340 wearing optional deluxe wheel covers.
Everything would change for 1970, however, when the Barracuda (and Dodge Challenger) was produced on the E-body platform, which featured a more spacious engine compartment that more easily fit the 383 and 440 engines along with myriad options, or the 426 Hemi. Nevertheless, the 340 was still highly popular was well in its remaining years, powering A-bodies, E-bodies, and even some B-bodies in the early 1970s, as high-performance big-block engine availability started to wane on the latter two platforms.
Though ’Cudas weren't produced in large numbers for 1969, they were still the first regular production Barracudas to “officially” use the name. While the 383 and 440 versions may generate a higher wow factor given their engine specs and rarity, the buyers who opted for the ’Cuda 340 received more balanced handling and higher overall economy than its big-block siblings could provide, and the 340 didn’t have their option restrictions.
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By Thomas A. DeMauro on Mar 21st, 2019 at 2:58 pm
Interesting reading regarding Plymouth's performance testing with the 'Cuda 340. Vintage ads courtesy of the Automotive History Preservation Society.
Comments: 19
In This Article
Category: Vintage ads
Make: Plymouth
Model: Cuda
A performance image builder for Plymouth's A-body during the muscle-car-saturated late 1960s, the inaugural ’Cudas are now a half-century old. The 1969 ’Cuda 340 and 383 packages, and the 440 that arrived later in the model year, were available on the hardtop and sport fastback body styles. This article will focus on the 340 version.
Visually bolder than the comparatively subtle yet equal-performing 340 Formula S-equipped Barracuda, the ’Cuda added hood stripes and non-functional scoops, large name and engine callout decals on the fenders, and black lower body stripes. Black grilles and dual exhaust with chromed tips were included with the Formula S and the ’Cuda.
Standard in the ’Cuda 340 was a bench seat and a Hurst-shifted four-speed. Heavy-duty suspension, shocks, 14-inch wheels, and E70-14 red streak tires used on the Formula S were also employed. Rear gears were 3.23s with 3.55s and 3.91s optional. Sure-Grip, the TorqueFlite, and bucket seats were also available at extra cost.
A ’Cuda 340 kicks up some dust in this vintage ad.
Producing 275-hp and 340-lb.ft. of torque, the lightweight small-block LA-series Commando 340 V-8, which had debuted in the 1968 Formula S, made the ’Cuda 340 a versatile performer and it received positive comments from road testers. Though the ’Cuda was conceived as an affordable yet powerful package, it could still be equipped with various comfort, convenience, and style options, including A/C, if the buyer desired them.
Conversely, the B-series 330-hp Super Commando 383 and the RB-series 375-hp 440 produced more power than the 340 but were heavier and commandeered more under-hood space. They also required some modifications to fit the tight engine compartment, not the least of which were A-body-specific exhaust manifolds with the driver’s side one more flow-restricted than those used in B-bodies. Until 1969, power steering wasn’t available in a 383-powered Barracuda, and the engine had been offered in it since 1967. If the optional automatic transmission was ordered with the 383, bucket seats and a console were required. The 440’s A13 Engine Conversion Package for the ’Cuda had even more restrictions. It was paired only with the TorqueFlite, console, and bucket seats, and couldn’t be ordered with power steering or front disc brakes. A/C wasn’t available with either of the big-blocks.
FCA Historical Services provided this press image of the ’Cuda 340 wearing optional deluxe wheel covers.
Everything would change for 1970, however, when the Barracuda (and Dodge Challenger) was produced on the E-body platform, which featured a more spacious engine compartment that more easily fit the 383 and 440 engines along with myriad options, or the 426 Hemi. Nevertheless, the 340 was still highly popular was well in its remaining years, powering A-bodies, E-bodies, and even some B-bodies in the early 1970s, as high-performance big-block engine availability started to wane on the latter two platforms.
Though ’Cudas weren't produced in large numbers for 1969, they were still the first regular production Barracudas to “officially” use the name. While the 383 and 440 versions may generate a higher wow factor given their engine specs and rarity, the buyers who opted for the ’Cuda 340 received more balanced handling and higher overall economy than its big-block siblings could provide, and the 340 didn’t have their option restrictions.
