1970 AAR Cuda 340 Video: Muscle Car Of The Week Episode 255 V8TV

[@xyrzmxyzptlk1186]

Side exhausts make any musclecar look cooler, and this is one of my top 10. Good episode Kevin.

[@cincyspin178]

Yes to sidepipes!

[@andrewipp426]

A buddy of mine Ralph from the Bronx, NYC had a AAR Cuda one he bought new and that thing screamed, he still owns it. I bought one in 2008, it was a 70 Cuda (IMO the best looking pony car) 383 big block w/727 trans, 3:55 gears unfortunately someone else liked it more and it was stolen and never recovered! One day I will get another one !

[@Johnnycdrums]

It was probably shipped overseas within hours.

[@andrewipp426]

Johnnyc drums you are probably right.....frustrating thing is I spent 6 years restoring it it was on the road for a 1½ years

[@cincyspin178]

@@Johnnycdrums Is that what they do nowadays?. Interesting. I wouldn't have thought of that. What about customs? I had a buddy who used to export performance cars to Japan and he had a good bit of paperwork to do for each car, but I don't know the specifics.

[@cincyspin178]

@@andrewipp426 The best year and a half of your life?

[@andrewipp426]

@Cincy Spin Yeah it was such a beast, it had such attitude and a killer exhaust note. When driving it made every moment behind the wheel memorable...one day I will get and build another one! 1 second ago

[@victorh.truman3954]

Got hooked on these as a 9-10yr old when my dads buddies kid was in the Navy. He would take us for rides in the “Cuda”.A panther pink aar with a 4 speed topped with a pistol gripped shifter.A real treat to this day.made me go out and buy a modern day Dodge Challenger Hemi.

[@60viking]

Nice to see my work talked about. Really i worked in development at Chrysler engineering in Highland park. Vary involved in our Mopars. Being a development Dynamometer operator was great but i was also a driver. Man what a job i got because of my honorable discharge from the Navy in 68.

[@michaelclarke9488]

That AAR Cuda is so cool it even manages to make that pea soup green paint look good!

[@MuscleCarOfTheWeek]

That's Ivy Green Metallic, my friend. A beautiful color, until it starts rusting.

[@michaelclarke9488]

Looks like it really comes to life in the sun.

[@cincyspin178]

F8 green. Had that on my 69 RR.... I love the hot, high-impact colors too, but it's nice to have a cool, understated color like this that isn't screaming for attention.

[@cincyspin178]

@@MuscleCarOfTheWeek Couldn't the same be said for all of them or do you think there's something particularly obnoxious about the Ivy and rust?

[@patbruno265]

I seen the same cuda,color,bench seat at Eisenhower Park in long Island n,y..at super Chevy show on the grass,in the corner set aside near a large tree was the cuda,I was young and amazed,my buddy lived the 69 Z but me ,that green AAR blew me away.over 40 years ago

[@bobsilver3983]

Love the color!

[@michaels3897]

Although I drove a Formula 400 back then, the AAR was one of my favorites. Horsepower--like the 428 Cobra Jet, Boss 302 and Z28, was grossly under rated.

[@johntechwriter]

4:20 Note how the body curls around under the car rather than being squared off at the rocker panels. This is known as “fuselage design,” inspired by aircraft. It is the “secret sauce” that made Cudas, Challengers, and Chargers of that era so easy on the eyes.

[@scotchbudmeister9018]

What a beautiful use of green. Thanks again!

[@cincyspin178]

Chrysler paint code F8. Yes, beautiful.

[@austinpowers1514]

Great episode!!

[@MuscleCarOfTheWeek]

Thank you!

[@ZeroBoostBuick]

That green on any other car would not look good. But on this Cuda it's phenomenal !!

[@michaelclarke9488]

Another great episode!

[@iastguy]

A top 10 in my book!

[@billabell2756]

Absolutely a all time favorite.looks. so tuff

[@Duececoupe]

Another winner guys! 👍👌👏😍

[@jswan9658]

Car just looks fast just standing still. Remember these Cuda's very well.

[@djdonohue]

When I was 15, I was in Auto Mechanics in High school and found a Complete, Not running, Purple/Black int, bucket seats, '70 AAR Cuda 4 speed, with 2 intake and carb setups, in an alley 3 blocks from my house with a dusty 'for sale' sign on it. The guy wanted 2,000 CDN for it, but my stepfather wouldn't let me buy it, and being under 16, I couldn't legally purchase the car myself. I haven't spoken to my stepfather in a long time.

[@thefettfan3994]

That's my idea of a perfect public street and highway muscle car. Blends in well in public as a 1970's everyday automobile but put your foot down and i'd say heads would turn and the general response from bystanders is WOW!!! Lovely well presented machine without a doubt!! Well done guys. Regards.

[@aaronhussain3873]

Not strictly muscle/pony car related, but Ferrari also named a car after their race team - in the form of the 275 N.A.R.T Spyder. That stood for 'North American Racing Team' which raced Ferrari's at Le Mans throughout the 1960s.

[@SolamenteVees]

The zenith of the muscle car era. And the Mopar Trans Am twins perfectly represented everything that was right about 1970.

[@willmaster5640]

One of my dream cars.....

[@johnr5252]

Now that’s a nice looking car. Nice wheels, no ridiculous spoiler. Very nice.

[@mollydog26]

Awesome!!! Mopar E bodies are my favorite! Cudas rule!

[@williamboardman9476]

Phone company fleet green unique on these...usually hot 1970 colors. Bench /column automatic and only one painted sport mirror...wild !

[@cincyspin178]

F8 Ivy Green. What phone co. did you have?..don't remember this on any phone trucks.

[@budlanctot3060]

This is only the 3rd AAR I've ever seen with column shifted auto/ bench seat, and I've seen about a 100 over the years.

[@OnTheHighWatch]

"Peel the stickers off" LOL

[@rrmech11]

Beautiful Car Kevin

[@jeremythompson9122]

Maybe my favorite small block muscle car ever made...along with the Challenger T/A

[@terryschnereger8531]

Yesss!! And it is without a vinyl top!👍🏁

[@rightlanehog3151]

I'm sorry, the column-mounted automatic is a heartbreaker.

[@austinbeech7558]

That's ok if your not a mopar guy

[@rightlanehog3151]

This car is fantastic but I just can't believe someone chose that shifter when a floor-mounted automatic and 4 speed manual were available.

[@aarmancuda3570]

You have to blame the dealer since they were the ones who ordered them..It wasn't the buyer..people had to take what was available on the showroom floor..

[@rightlanehog3151]

When a time machine is available, I'll go back to 1970 and do a factory order for 4 on the floor.

[@ryanstuckey8677]

that shifter makes this car very rare

[@rescalante26]

Beautiful car 🚗

[@izaiahsmith1228]

I love this car

[@bgh70]

Best looking muscle car hood ever. Didn't these cars get a front spoiler too?

[@DoudD]

Some had small spoliers in the front, as seen in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWKufGuVbtiGh8k I think they were called "cheek spoliers". I'm no MOPAR expert but I think these were optional, shipped loose, and installed by the dealers prior to delivery...which may account for variances seen in mounting positions/angles from car-to-car. Hopefully a MOPAR authority will chime in

[@cincyspin178]

@@DoudD Well, I'm not a Mopar authority but I read at the "Stock Mopar" site that they're called an "eyebrow" spoiler. I'm a bit baffled about how they came up with that name. Could have just as easily been called the "cheek" spoiler from what I can see.The shape? Or is it the eyebrow for the tire eye? I think Kevin said, somewhere around the 2:10 mark that the rule book required that if the race version had a particular body modification , like a spoiler, then the street version had to have it too. Not an exact copy, and thank goodness for that. The race version had a front spoiler that could have doubled as a snow plow. I didn't see 'em on this car, but I suppose there was no law against removing them once you bought the car. About 1/2 the street AAR Cuda's that I've seen have them, and about 1/2 don't. It looked to be primarily cosmetic on the street version, anyway.

[@PJAvenger]

You had me at shorts with white socks... oh and the 340 six pack

[@OFLHLGZ28]

Pure awesomeness

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

I started my driving life behind the wheel of 72 backarudda old commercial then went to 70 challenger but these cars had 440 suspension bars to be very anti roll for good cornering attitude which cant be said for most muscle cars back then unless u knew how to option the cars out to get what no body else had but these cars were a one of the best handling cars ever plus the horsepower rating does not mean much if the car doesn't give u the power in a curve or rpm range that's useful but the six pack would give u better air flow and quicker power delivery I got a auto trans from one of these cars an it totally change my challenger's personality I no longer head to search for a performance response from the car so I can imagine how the whole AAR upgrade worked if I got 50 percent increase in my 70 318 challenger s drive train just from me installing the trans from an auto 6 pack car...shame I passed on the TA challenger 340 that was in a wheel barrel fir 350 dollars.....hey the 318s were great 230horsepower for a 2 barrel with single exhaust oh I would die to have a AAR 4 speed car it was that solid lifter cam that made this car scoot as they say......thanks u know when ever I started buying an owning E bodys that green always looked like puke by 1982 when I got my first car.....my friend had a green 70 this one looks great in it's new base clear green goes well with the rally's and what I called the dash stripes but u said its called a strobe stripe that a cool name for it.its still the nicest stripe on any stock auto.....I'm a challenger only person an I like the cuda stripes better thanks

[@bultacowally]

R U on every freaking AAR/ T/A video blabbering your MOPAR ignorance????

[@johntechwriter]

Stream cf consciousness. Employed by James Joyce and other great writers.

[@charlesmacgilchrist3648]

When I heard him say 290hp gross after talking about race car parts on a 10.5:1 and 6 barrel induction engine, I thought lf! 320hp net from the wheels on the dyno is more like 370hp net at the crank or well over 400hp gross. Not unlikely give 427 hemis were measured to make over 500hp.

[@scootosan]

I like the non-Pop art color and nothing compares to those Iconic side pipes

[@jimcolegrove443]

What you said about race cars looking like street cars- or used to. I agree with your sentiment. You peel off the stickers and you can't tell one "brand" from another. That's one of the reasons I have lost all interest in NASCAR.

[@Johnnycdrums]

NASCAR definitely got worse and are totally defeating the original point of "Stock" car racing. They sit about 1/2 in. off the deck for crying out loud.

[@rjwintl]

all the right curves at all the right places !!! ... Koolische !!!

[@deluxe5341]

The 70 AAR cuda is one of my all time favorite cars. Shame this one was optioned with a bench seat and column shifter. Also that boring green doesn’t belong on an AAR in my opinion.

[@MuscleCarOfTheWeek]

It is interesting to see all the different colors that came on these. We agree, it's pretty conservative in dark green, but still cool!

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Most street cars dont have the luxury of solid lifter performance cams because they require adjustments more frequently but the performance gains far out way the time to adjust it.....thanks what I have been taught by older hot rodders I was only 18 when I started collecting cudas n challenger s and had been waiting since I was ten to get one they were worth the wait thanks Chrysler job well done.....

[@bultacowally]

Gee Professor Go fast tell us more!!!!

I grew up with this. 👍

[@boerharms2209]

really good looking car!!

[@kanukster]

Just wish MOPAR made a better flowing small block head for their awesome 340.

[@Timinator62]

They did, they were called the W2, available over the counter from a Mopar Dealer with a choice of 2 different Sized Combustion Chambers.

[@kanukster]

I should have been clearer and stated "as OE or stock".

[@bultacowally]

Better flowing than what???They were better than Ford or Chevy heads because they had 18 degree valves no one else did at the time. Chevy was 22 not sure about Ford.

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

I have learned from this guy dodge sprinkled extra special pixie dust on these limited edition AARs and TAs I never new they made a rare EB5 Blue it was a nice touch as time in sun is not kind to older enamels and lacquers I paint now because back when I got my E bodys body shops were just starting to do big money collision work so anyone with a possibility of rust got kicked down the road first place I went with small rust hole in my 1972 barracuda the guy say were dont work on old cars an mumbled something about what restoration what the heck is that I thought as I walked away...thinking one day I'll teach myself to paint u primidonnas and i did 6 months i started with no experience i work as a taper and a painter's helper for a short time till my supervisor knees was so bad he quit an i had know teacher he was a Mercedes painter prior and a good teacher....he used to tell at me this ain't Maaco and then come over an show the proper way to do a quality job.....now I'm thank full....piece out

[@bultacowally]

i think you've been snorting too much dodge pixie dust...WTF there kellie ann

[@timbenson428]

GREATEST MUSCLE CAR EVER MANUFACTURED. Makes all the other 70's cars look like grandma's car. You have to be stupid and boring to buy a Camaro or Chevelle with this exquisite looking car shaking the ground. I will never understand how Chevy & Ford sold any cars at all in 1970-1971. Just look at them. UGLY BOXES our parents bought.

[@thunderray1987]

Damn this is a nice car! I personally like the Challenger T/A alittle better than the AAR 'cuda. I sometimes still have a hard time deciding which one I like better though, lol. But I'm sticking with the Challenger T/A being #1 and the AAR 'cuda being #2!

[@bricklinhh3481]

Cool cars, Trans Am was better than toilet bowl racing, fun fun until government regs and insurance companies took it away. Those were the days!

[@cincyspin178]

Lol..."toilet bowl racing"...never heard that one before and it is just so humorously descriptive...

[@tripjet999]

@3:14 - Uh, oh. Hose is chopped off!

[@shelbydupree6157]

Not sure if you’re serious but that’s supposed to be there, it’s a drain hose for rain water from the scoop

[@imoffthegrid2158]

Great car 👍. Automatic on the column sucks .😫

[@cincyspin178]

Depends on whether you're looking for performance or participation. The column auto shifter works just as well as the console auto shifter. And they both work as well as a the manual. The Torqueflite 727 auto could perform as well/better than a human. But if you're a hands on kind of guy, there's no substitute for the manual. Appearance-wise, I think I prefer the auto on the console.

[@FarmerWithDragTires]

My god is she beautiful

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

My delete car that I almost bought but passed on had that same seat an AT shifter for the wife I was told...

[@ronaldmoparornocar9590]

Never bought that aar and ta made 390 hp when a 440 six pack was having a hard time hitting the mark factory still cool cars but the camero and mustangs were way over rated for their horse power also... have worked on everything from the 2.2 turbo,the 225 hillside hemi,273,318p,318,340,360,361,383,400,440,426w,426mw,426hemi,ect ect.love me some Mopar!

[@timothyl3761]

dream whip

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Green is a daily sleeper car

[@Markbeb3]

NASCAR need's go back to the old stander of the 70.

[@bultacowally]

Haa yeah sure like that would ever happen.....

[@earli3693]

Back when men got the specs. and designed a car with the manufacturer in mind..

[@Fenrir_ours]

Вподобайка!).

[@jennifermorgan6913]

total clone of my aar...wish I still had it

[@TroysMilitaryHistory]

Z/28 eater!