By C.M. Frederick
Most Americans, along with many other car enthusiasts throughout the world, dream of collecting muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s. Few people ever get a chance to drive a highly-sought-after automobile, much less own one. Those who do get to enjoy one of these timeless classics, cherish the memories created while using the automobile, and Lester Bentley, a Mopar aficionado, is a collector always willing to share his passion with others.
Over the years, Mopar muscle cars have become situated near the top of the American classic-car hierarchy. Some of their popularity can be attributed to television shows, movies, and racing sports from the period. Auction prices for these cars reflect this idea, and doing a quick internet search for the most expensive muscle cars will yield many links highlighting this phenomenon. King of all Mopar muscle, in terms of collectability, is the E-body Plymouth Barracuda of the early 1970s.
Before the E-body was designed, the Plymouth Barracuda went through two other body designs, both based off of the A-body platform. Somewhat styled after the Plymouth Valiant, the first incarnation of the Barracuda was produced from April 1, 1964 — sixteen days before the release of the market-setting 1964½ Ford Mustang — until 1966. The second version of the vehicle, fitted with an extended wheelbase, conceded to entering the market with more engine options, including the 440 and the 426 Hemi. This generation of the muscle car was produced from 1967 until 1969.
Breaking away from previous Valiant-inspired designs, Jon Herlitz created an all new Plymouth Barracuda. Completed in 1969, the third generation of the Plymouth Barracuda was derived from the use of a wider but shorter adaptation of Chrysler’s B platform. This new design, with a 108 inch wheelbase, became known as the E-body, which would be used from 1970 until the Barracuda’s last production year, 1974. The same body-style with different features was also famously used in the production of the originally more expensive Dodge Challenger.
Within this four-year period, Plymouth created the “working-man’s” pony-car that attracted many followers and speed enthusiasts alike. Part of the attraction was its new, more aggressive styling, while a wide range of engine options for the E-body interested others. Due to the larger engine bay, the 1970 Barracuda and the sportier, upgraded ’Cuda offered Mopar engines from the Slant Six 225 up to the 426 Hemi and the 440, which was available in two versions, including the Six Pack carburetor.
The same year, three package options could be purchased from Plymouth: the base model Barracuda, a Gran Coupe level package, and the high-performance version badged as simply “’Cuda”. Each of these packages came in a hardtop coupe or the rarer convertible configuration. Moreover, the muscle car offered 18 different color options, including Limelight Green, TorRed, and Lemon Twist Yellow.
Attempting to launch into the world of racing, Plymouth produced a special AAR (All American Racers) edition of the 1970 ’Cuda in an attempt to rival Ford’s Mustang in the Sports Car Club of America’s road racing events. Overall production of this version of the car sporadically took place from March 10th to late April 1970. Because of the inconsistency of its production, estimates of the total number of AAR ’Cudas ever manufactured range from around 1,500 to 2,700. Some of these AARs were equipped with four-speed manual transmissions, while the majority of them utilized the three-speed automatic transmission. Current estimations indicate that only 900 of the AARs still exist.
Named after Dan Gurney’s All-American Racing team, each ’Cuda AAR came with the 290 bhp, 340 ci, six-barrel engine, a unique strobe stripe with the AAR logo, a fiberglass hood, and a fiberglass rear spoiler. Because of the ideas concerning radio signal interference, the car’s antenna was mounted to the passenger’s side rear of the vehicle. Additionally, the AAR’s exhaust emerged from the sides of the vehicle in front of the rear tires. In addition to E60-15 front and G60-15 rear tires, each vehicle was outfitted with special suspension and quick-ratio steering to improve handling. Furthermore, most of the cars were produced with 3.55:1 gears, with the occasional 3.91 option being selected. Combining all these components, the ’Cuda AAR could reach 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds and run the quarter mile in 14.4 seconds.
As previously noted, very few of the AARs are still in existence, and even fewer have all matching numbers, like Lester Bentley’s ’Cuda. Originally, his rare Lemon Twist Yellow AAR was bought new in San Diego, and several years later in 2005, it was offered up for auction through Barrett Jackson. After the auction, the winner of the car took it back to San Diego, kept the car for a year, and sold it to Bentley in 2006.
What drew Bentley to the AAR was its special factory options, which included rear defrost, an eight-track player, and signal light indicators, as well as its spectacular original condition. The vehicle even had the original wiring, rally wheels, and rally dash, including the factory tachometer. The car has only had one paint job throughout its life span. The seats have been reupholstered once, and the vinyl top has been replaced one time. All restorations were made to meet factory specifications as indicated by the manufacturer’s plate codes. To make the car unique, Lester Bentley’s ’Cuda AAR has been signed by Dan Gurney and NASCAR champion Richard Petty. The only modern addition to the car is a CD player in place of the original 8-track, but don’t worry, the 8-track player is on-hand and can quickly be reinstalled.
Speaking with Bentley for 10 minutes, one can understand his passion for automobiles and his fascination with Mopars. He and his wife, Pam, take the AAR to car shows, often letting children and adults alike take pictures sitting inside of the vehicle. Bentley believes that this helps others become more enamored with old automobiles, and it can literally “make their day”.
Truly, Bentley’s 1970 Plymouth ’Cuda AAR is an original classic muscle car that is rarely equaled in such condition; it’s a piece of history preserved for all to enjoy. •
