1971 Barracuda coupe

No, my 'cuda wasn't an AAR, though someone had installed all the right bits to make it look like one. They did a good job, too, and only the serial numbers gave it away. I knew that going in, but bought it anyway, because it ran sooo good!

It was red, but otherwise was the spitting image of the file photo. It had a 340 cu. in. 4-barrel engine and automatic trans, and all the special AAR bits, from the rubber bumpers, side stripes, and flat-black hood, to the special interior trim. Unfortunately, it was also very, very rusty, and in the worst places; the area surrounding the hood hinges was totally eaten away, for instance. I had planned on restoring the car, but it soon became apparent that it would take more time/work/money than I was willing to spend. If it had been an actually AAR, I'd have gone for it, perhaps...

I drove it for a couple of years, and had an absolute ball with it. This was one seriously fun car! Part of that was probably due to the fact that it wasn't in good shape, so I felt I had nothing to lose. It handled great, and the 340 was a really sweet-running engine; I regularly revved it to 6,500 rpms, and it would go to 7,000 before valve float set in. It felt a lot faster than it actually was, if you know what I mean. Heck, it was in fact a pretty fast car. But it felt like an absolute rocketship!

In the end, I sold it by running an ad in a trader rag touting "'71 Barracuda AAR parts". I got lots of calls, and the callers were very surprised to find that the parts came attached to a complete running car. <grin> It sold within 2 days of the ads appearance, and I made a few bucks on the deal.

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