1970 Plymouth Barracuda vs Chevrolet Camaro Dealer Promo Film Mopar is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC. Master Tech series training materials are the property of Chrysler Group LLC and are used with permission. MyMopar.com
In the autumns of the late 50's and throughout the 60's our gang of guys would enthusiasticall converge upon the local dealerships in our small town to gaze upon the new wild auto designs; many times the dealers would still have the new models covered-up and hidden in the back compelling us to sneak back and lift up the tarps for different angled peaks!!! "1957" stood out with Chrysler Corporation's big finned "forward look" promotion. Back in those days autos had noticeable changes each model year. Moving into the 70's, however, all that seemed to change with many autos becoming "boxie" with very little imaginative designs. Miss those good 'ole days!!!
I worked at Chrysler at this time and was able to do some Competitive Analysis on the Camaro. I took the new z302 (not expecting much) and proceeded to run our engine max power Dyno runs. Although the 302cu. In chevy didn't make big max power numbers it made a great long high power curve be didn't knock it at all. Until the valve rocker studs started to walk out of the head and seeing as i was using a electric research Dynamometer i was able to catch the power loss as it happen and shut down the test before real failure. We asked chevy if we could but screw in rocker studs we did. And it worked well, 69 or 70. Our 305 AAR engine was being developed at this time, can't say anything was borrowed but ours didn't need any help.:-) our AAR CUDA is what turned me into a performance drive. I used to tell people "i even get paid to be their" best job ever, buy American.
I always thought both of these cars were beautiful. I would be happy to drive either of them now, but the Barracuda just grabs me a little more. My dad bought one new in 1970, B-7 Jamaica Blue with a black vinyl top and blue bench seat interior. I have a lot of memories of riding in that Plymouth. I guess I'm a little partial.
The Barracuda is just simply gorgeous and they didn't even show a Cuda with a shaker hood and hockey stik stripes and dual exhaust tips coming through the splash pan, let alone a Cuda convertible.
1970 was definitely the peak of the American automobile industry. It’s good to see the muscle car is making a come back but they are not gonna be around much longer because of the Democrats and the green new deal
Both cars are classics and legendary. The bean-counters at Chevy made so many features optional to bring base price down that it backfired on paper, but dealers usually added a lot of the little things for stock cars. Stepping up to a Firebird made sense back then.
@Edysin Simon yeah that hot ole Detroit iron is awesome, but I'd rather have a 70 Challenger TA over the Pontiac any day myself and like the 67 to 69 Firebird n Camaros over the 70 models hands down
@@lovethesmellofracefuelinth7374 Auto writer veteran Joe Oldham would disagree. He was not a fan of Mopar quality, or the lack of it, according to him. He said you had to step on the Hemi to get it to move (because the power was in the high rpm range, according to Oldham), and he remarked the GMs and FoMoCos were better built.
We had 1970 Plymouth Cuda 383 V8 dual exhaust 4brl carb, Slapstick automatic metallic purple, white vinyl top and white interior very powerful American muscle car. Glass headlamps glass driving lights chrome bumper cragar mags, No plastic like the crap they make today.
Wow in the 70’s people really expected design changes every year. That must have been expensive - retooling the body factories every year and stocking different spare parts for each model year.
Yes. People did expect it. People traded in their cars more often than today. In those days, if you had a car that was 5 years old, it was considered “old” and outdated. Cars then were built to wear out sooner and they did. By the time they had 100kmiles, they were considered tired and ready for the salvage yard
I am a Mopar guy and the 'Cuda wins hands down. I did have a '70 Camaro in the early '90's as I had a 396 basically given to me and was gonna swap in. The swap just never happened and I drove it as a clapped out 6 with a powerglide for a while and then sold it for parts. Camaros were the same basically from '70 - 81.
Just think of the day in 1970 you could go into any dealership and just check off options and get the hottest muscle car at that time and that today would be worth many, many times more.. (talking about getting the Hemi's, 6-packs, Boss's, BB Chevy's for like around $4-5k..) Guess it's kinda like today.. Sure, you can go in and try to get a Hell Cat, Viper, Shelby 500, Vette and the like, but it's gonna run you some $80k +.. So, why didn't my Dad get a Hemi Cuda or Boss 429 back in 1970?? Well, he had a family, middle class, making only around $10k a year, so he got an F250 instead... I remember the day we picked it up, brand new.. There on the Ford lot was all kinds of brand new Mustangs, Torinos, and muscle cars of the time... Oh well, days gone by and we can only remember those old days and say "could'a, would'a, should'a"... :)
1970 was a last gasp of quite an era in cars - hard to compare in real dollar terms with new vehicles which we must admit are cleaner, safer and do more than drive in a straight line, lol
Yes but $6000 in 1970 is $40000 today; $5000 is $34000...still fairly equivalent to today. You can still get a Scat Pack Charger for around 40K brand new. I'm not saying it's cheap just mentioning the average person today can still afford a modern muscle car
Back in the day I had a 70 Camaro and I wouldn't have bought any of the car regardless of what people had to say. I love that car I had it when I was a senior in high school. Now I'm in search of another one I'm over 60 years old and I will find that car before I die! LOL
I'll take Barracuda for the 67-69 model years, and Camaro for 70+...but I'll take a 70-74 Chanllenger, 68-69 Coronet, or a 68-70 Charger, over a 70-74 Camaro or 67-69 Barracuda... For the record I love them all
@silverbird58 now the 352 was a damn good motor.. little stronger than the 289 better than a 302. people ask where would you put the 352 I say basically I put it online with the 389 Poncho. 352 got replaced the course by sort of with 390and then of course the 389 Pontiac was replaced by the 400.. I think that's a good reference when people ask me why do I think about the 352 Ford
the 1970 Camaro was rather ugly but the Z-28 Ralley Sport with the LTI-370 HP solid lifter cam motor and 11 to comperession was down right bad ass and it looked good with the reat spoiler and much better suspension on the Z-28 GM sold millions of 2nd Gen Camaro from 1970 Until 1981 and Trans Am and Fire Bird May have sold even more.. Pontic had the WS-6 Suspension with 4 wheel disc brakes 455 and 400 CI motors over the years.. Trans Ams had nicer interieor and sharper looking Instrument panels too .. GM has gone down the Tubes and Chrysler is Foreign owned . Mine is a '79 Z-28 .
Larry Niles I don’t know why you cannot see the same waterfall shape quarter panel, quarter glass, body contour, rear deck rear facial, rear bumper and style as the 69 Camaro when it’s obvious.
In the 80’s my buddy had an old beatup 72 Barracuda with a 318 and automatic. I loved it. Fast fwd to when sat in a 2014 Challenger 100th Anniversary and my gosh did that bring back instant nostalgia. But I think the 6th gen Camaro is insanely sexy. Love them both!
I always like the second gen Camaro, especially the first year. And I always liked the first two model years of the ‘Cuda. Tough choice here. In a perfect world, I’d have both. Now, if I was going completely stock, it’s the ‘Cuda (Plum Crazy, Hemi-Orange, or Tor-red). However, if I were to mod one into a Pro-Touring mode, the Camaro - hands down!
Ok here's my 26$!! now gimme my 30hp,torsion bar suspension , woodgrain steering wheel,highback bucket seats , full width rear seat, hidden wipers , extra gauges ,rear bumper guards and trunk floor mat. Car? No thanks I got one already 😁
why don’t someone come up with a modern suspension and bigger correct tire size package for these old muscle cars? I bet they would handle, and accelerate on par with current super cars of today!!
I will put it this way: I like the styling of the 67-69 Barracuda fastbacks the best- prettier and slimmer than the bulked up 70-74's, but I like the 70-74 Camaro Z28 and Trans Am as much!😎
Chevrolet has always been ahead of the curve. Sometimes too far, i.e. the Corvair. The Cuda is a gorgeous car, but it looks a lot like a first generation Camaro. I like the 70 to 73 small back windows. But I'm sure they could've kept selling that 67 to 69 body style for several more years. I think the 68 to 70 B body Road Runners and GTX look a lot like the 66 & 67 Chevelle. The best looking Mopar of All Time is the 68 to 70 Dodge Charger. That is a Beautiful car to look at and more original in design. No mistaking it for anything else.
@@MisterMikeTexas in terms of performance, torque, durability, and sound? Positive! And you can with today's technology mod and tune em to make crazy wicked amount of power like a supercar.
You know you've got a hot new product when the competition has to compare itself to it in order to try and convince people that your Plymouth is a better car. Personally I've always preferred the looks of the Dodge Charger over that of the Barracuda. And that 1970 Camaro wasn't that bad looking either. That's probably why GM sold 430K Camaros from 1971 to 1974 compared to 114K for the Plymouth Barracuda. But still, I've always had a soft spot for the underdog, that's why I drive one of the 1682 Kia Stingers GT Limited sold on the Canadian market in 2018. 😉
It’s funny they left all the Z71 options off 😂 witch would have matched up better with this Cuda. I lean and have more chevys but I do have 3 roadrunners and I am just cracking up at this. I mean Really what the hell kinda reply Commercial could have Chevy done back in the day without sounding like a crying kid
OK all you Ford and GM guys out there...Camaro sold more blah blah blah mustang this mustang that blah blah blah… Which one is worth more now?!?… Exactly! Mopar or no car!
A funny thing about the 2nd gen Camero, they didn't leave enough room for a good high-performance exhaust system, that's why the 396 is 25 HP lower than it would be in a Chevelle. If you compare a Chevelle with a 396 or an LT1 350 with a Camero with the same engines and drivetrain the Chevelle will be a little faster despite being heavier.
Glad I saw this before making the wrong purchase. According to the announcer and those with-it teens, the 1970 1/2 Camaro is a real piece of crap! I’m gonna save $36 and go for the Barracuda. I’m gonna take that saving and buy a speedboat.
This was my favorite Camaro.....the RS split bumper was still a fine car....the full bumper was ugly and got fatter and the doors weighed a million pounds with cheap hinges....the horse shoe shifter was nice touch......still miss gear reduction starter more
If you're using the ease of releasing the front seat back to access the rear seat as a selling point worth mentioning to try and make the Camaro look bad, you ain't got much going on...
Personally, I'd say the camaro was strong until 74 and only got good again in 82. I'd choose an 82 berlinetta any day over a 81 as far as looks are concerned.
hi everyone ok pertaining to the 70 Camero there all 70 and 1/2 Camero because there was a 6 month strike in the first half of the year that's why the dealership didn't have them yes I had 70 and 1/2 701/2 Camero Z28 plus 71 Z28 and 72 Z28 the 72 had rally pack add to the Z28 pack all with and 4 speeds and and two 70 chevelle SS 1 with a 350 cid one with a 454 cid yes I owned a 70 Plymouth cuda it had the 440 six pack pistol gripe 4 speed and sure grip rear end all this is no line no bull shit and have owned a lot more than this worked my ass off for all of it :-)
This is my favourite gen of the early Camaros, I really liked the styling. The Cuda was a fine car though, I would have checked out both cars. Wouldn't even consider the Mustank.
For me - person from Europe - these videos are extremly interesting. First thing, that these cars were so simple comparing to european or japan ones. Huge engines and suspension, like from 50's. Leaf springs in 400 HP car? Really? In Europe stupid, communistic Skoda 100 had control arms and stabilizer. Second interesting thing is, that you were pointing at things, that completelly doesn't matter in Europe. Like if you can lift seat in 0,5 or 0,6 seconds or if the window moves to front or back. Two completelly different worlds of cars.
I liked the Camaro when it changed the grill and bumper 1974 to 1978 i think before they painted the bumpers, and the Cuda was a nicer car But it was a Sedan dressed in a Coupe design, not lower like mustang and Camaro .1972 the plymouths all went to cheaper interior and small blocks when they had the 400 as an Option in the Road runner for 73-74
both cars are good they both American cars ill like both cars ill like the camaro and ill like the cuda the cuda is bigger than the camaro it hard to pick so the cuda had quarter window look stronger and heavy the camaro is light weight little short probably take the Plymouth cuda look more car look more fancy and the interiors look luxury so ill pick the cuda
Look at those push-up boobs on those models! I was in high school when both of these came. The father of a friend bought one of these Barracudas, being a Mopar guy. My impression at 5'10" was always like I was sitting in a bathtub, the very same feeling I had a couple of years later with the last of the Mustangs. I really enjoy watching these old marketing presentations, but it's so patently obvious that this was made by some middle-aged guys who were trying to be hip. Did they really think that the average customer cared about back seat comfort? C'mon, now. I say go back and look at the sales figures; that'll tell you what people think, not these bimbos posing. Incidentally, I was a Pontiac guy and loved the new 70 1/2 Firebird...
Who wouldn't wanna go down to their local dealer, and not only check out both cars you might want back to back, but literally be allowed climb all over them. LOL The voices never look right for the people they are supposedly coming from
Hear me out: I never really liked this generation of camaro... it looks like a gasping fish. Don't get me wrong, I don't know anything about the performance or handling (i bet its pretty good) I just hate how it looks.
Our dad had a '68 he bought new off the showroom floor. He hated all the other models that came after it. Throughout the 70's and 80's it was his daily driver, and he never saw it as something that would eventually be regarded as a classic. It wasn't until the early 1990's that mom and I had someone follow us home from the grocery store and offer to buy it. After that, the car was always getting attention. It's funny how when you grow up with something like that, you don't really think of it as something special. Little brother has it in his garage now.
That's probably more true of the RS with the split bumper as the full width bumper on the standard Camaro has quite a different look. That said, the RS is generally considered to be the more desirable style.
Had a 70 Barracuda in the early eighties as a winter beater, I wish like hell I had it today, but isn't it funny how it's styling is like a better looking first generation Camaro?
yeah but after 75 came around a few years prior to Pontiac Camaro got the Ttops damn things didn't leak like the trans ams did. nothing like checking out the 10-year old at the time 76 or 77 TransAm of the first thing that hit use the smell of mildew from the water leaking in on the carpet