US soldier in Vietnam ordered 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda at base
- This Vietnam War veteran has had his Plymouth ‘Cuda since 1970
- He ordered it whilst stationed in Vietnam and picked it up in Brooklyn
- He’s kept the car ever since
Published on Sep 06, 2024 at 6:58 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Sep 20, 2024 at 6:31 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A US soldier stationed in Vietnam ordered a 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda through the base’s post exchange.
Ray Eugenio was nearing the end of his service in the summer of 1969, so he was starting to think of home – namely Brooklyn.
Inevitably he began thinking about what type of car he’d have upon his return to the States.
He decided he wanted a new muscle car, but didn’t want to wait to get home to place his order.
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Getting a ‘Cuda in ‘Nam
Originally, he’d had his mind set on a Mustang, but he ultimately went with a 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda, the performance version of a Barracuda.
Ray spent $4,050.83 on his car, opting to go for a Black Velvet color.
It’s a cool color and would broadly be popular, unlike this mint color that one driver opted to paint their BMW.
His was an automatic with power steering, air-conditioning, a rear-window defogger and tons of other cool perks.
On the day he was giving his orders to leave Vietnam, he sent them over to the salesperson.
A month later, he picked up his car at Flatlands Plymouth in Brooklyn.
He’s kept ahold of it all these years, even though he briefly contemplated selling it.
Speaking to Hagerty, he said: “By the late 1980s, the driver’s seat was starting to rip, and there were some [bodywork] dings, so I thought maybe I should get something new.
“I put a for-sale sign in the window, asking $5000. The phone didn’t stop ringing, so I figured I’d made a mistake and decided to keep it.”
A closer look at the modified Barracuda
Of the 55,499 Barracudas produced in 1970, 18,888 were ‘Cudas.
About a third of these got the 340 four-barrel engine, which could accelerate the cars through a quarter-mile in 15 seconds at 94mph.
To look at it, the ‘Cuda may look like a car of its time but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t aged like a fine wine.
Ray’s in particular looks very cool, with some red ‘hockey sticks’ added to the sides in 1996.
This isn’t the first time a US soldier has picked up something whilst serving – this soldier found a super rare watch whilst in Germany.
