After 50 years off the road, this Chicago barn find 1970 Plymouth Barracuda 340 is finally free

50 years. That’s how long this 1970 Plymouth Barracuda 340 sat tucked away in Chicago, untouched since 1974.

Not abandoned, but rather put on pause.

Life got in the way, and the car was shuffled between garages, always indoors, always waiting.

Now, with the help of Ryan from the Auto Archaeology YouTube channel, this barn find has finally rolled out into the sunlight again.

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The Plymouth Barracuda 340 barn find comes back to life

The car started as a dream project.

Back in ’74, the owner – a body guy by trade – began customizing his Plum Crazy Plymouth Barracuda 340.

He shaved the side markers flush, molded the fender turn signals straight into the body, and even shifted the front wheel opening forward about three-quarters of an inch.

Out back, a full-length spoiler was blended into the rear, and he’d even begun tucking the antenna into the bodywork before marriage, kids, and real life happened, and the project came to a halt.

The interior tells a similar story.

The dash survived in great shape, but the seats are a mashup of white vinyl and tan leather from a parted-out Grand Coupe.

It even still has its 1974 Chicago city sticker on the glass – a tiny reminder of the last year it was driven.

Then there’s the detail work.

The gas tank and fan shroud sprayed in black metal flake. Brake drums painted purple. Shock towers detailed in pearl-white paint.

Even masking tape from the 1974 paint job is still stuck inside the engine bay, untouched for 50 years.

The Auto Archaeologist filmed a ’71 Challenger barn find on the owner’s family property last year – that’s how he learned about the Barracuda and got the invite to cover its rescue.

Wash, revived, and ready for what’s to come

After decades indoors, the car has finally pulled into the open.

The owner and his brother gave it a long-overdue wash, scrubbing away 50 years of dust until the Barracuda’s Plum Crazy paint and chrome trim caught the light again. 

For the first time since 1974, it looked less like a forgotten project and more like a muscle car with a future.

The family has had plenty of other cool classics over the years, so this Cuda was always stashed away for a rainy day. 

Now the plan is to restore it to its original condition, raising the question: should those quirky custom touches from the ’70s stay, or be wiped away in the name of originality?

For now, this Barracuda 340 isn’t quite road-ready, and it’s headed back into storage until the owner figures out his next steps. 

But watching it breathe again after 50 years proves one thing: even forgotten muscle cars can still come back swinging.

And thanks to Ryan’s camera, we all got to see it all unfold.

Head to Auto Archaeology on YouTube for more rare barn finds, or watch the full video below:

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