Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: PhillyRag]
#3120366
02/09/23 10:58 PM
02/09/23 10:58 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,504 God's Country Maryland
GODSCOUNTRY340
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Huge drop in sales from 1970 to 1971. Plymouth figured the dual headlights hurt sales so they went back to single lights. Dropped from 55,499 to 18,690.
I love the smell of Deer guts in the morning, it smells like... VICTORY!
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: GODSCOUNTRY340]
#3120370
02/09/23 11:24 PM
02/09/23 11:24 PM
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Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 9,445 Super Spudsville
Mr PotatoHead
Half Baked
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Half Baked
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The hotrod mag review I have didnt think much of it. Spoke highly of the 340 version of the car as well over the BB.
STOP POTATO HATE!
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: A990]
#3120400
02/10/23 08:21 AM
02/10/23 08:21 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,391 Abilene, Texas
fastmark
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The article I saw thought the car was too gimmicky and busy. I figured it was just an isolated review, but I guess not. I agree to this day. I've owed a 70 since 1974. Always thought the 71 was too busy. I’m not in love with shakers either. Too much work to get to the motor. I think the AAR Cuda is about the best looking car ever made.
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: fastmark]
#3120408
02/10/23 09:17 AM
02/10/23 09:17 AM
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,378 St. Charles, MO
wingman
Uncreative Title
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Unlike these days, it was normal for cars to be updated every year or two.
And IMO, the '71 is one of the best looking cars mopar ever made, so I guess there's no accounting for taste.
1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee 383 A4 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 440 FC7 (sold)
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Kudakidd]
#3120435
02/10/23 12:13 PM
02/10/23 12:13 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,439 So Cal
Sinitro
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Keep in mind.. The grilles in 69 mostly were made of metal by going to plastics in 70 they had multiple issues for endurance.. Mainly the grille mounting points under stress would develop cracks. Early plastics did not hold up well for exposure to the sun... Just my $0.02...
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Sinitro]
#3120441
02/10/23 12:51 PM
02/10/23 12:51 PM
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Joined: Oct 2005
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ChryCoGuy
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The '70 only lasted one year as well, not to mention each and every year before that. Seemed like '72 - '74 was when Chrysler started to figure out that they could amortize tooling costs over 2 or more years to save development/manufacturing costs.
I would guess (after all, we can only guess unless somebody who was 'there' can tell us the real story) based on how development cycles went and lead times required for styling approval, engineering drawings to be finalized, and tooling to be created in time to refit the factories in the summer of '71, that the '72 grille was decided long before reaction to the '71s, for better or worse, was known.
I would expect that it wasn't reactionary to sales, but that's not to say that it couldn't have been fast-tracked based on reaction to magazines' negative press. It's hard to be sure, but I agree that it is odd that they went to quad headlights for only one model year. Maybe Dodge complained that it looked too much like Challenger? There was a Dodge/Plymouth in-house rivalry happening at the time.
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: ChryCoGuy]
#3120450
02/10/23 01:28 PM
02/10/23 01:28 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,018 Morningside
AdventurerSport
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All comes down to sales; as mentioned earlier, there was a HUGE drop in sales from 70 to 71 for Barracuda and 'Cuda. E Bodies never sold particularly well, even with the decent first year sales. Changes in 71 were likely planned before the 70s went on sale, so this was a planned update and when sales #s fell so sharply, they backed off, made the cars more plain to attempt to appeal to a wider audience and simply kept building them til the stampings wore out. See Pontiac Aztek for a similar track, albeit 30 years later (they deleted body side moldings and updated a few features, but basically then just built out the car until the stampings wore out). Another instance of sales didn't meet expectations.
76 Dodge Adventurer Sport Power Wagon W100 318, 727, NP203 Fulltime 4x4 Russet Red 06 Jeep Commander Ltd 4x4, 5.7L Hemi, QuadraDrive II 06 Chrysler 300C AWD 5.7L Hemi 10 Mopar 10 Challenger R/T, #483/500, 5.7L HEMI 10 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd 4x4 5.7L HEMI 11 Dodge Ram 1500 LoneStar Quad Cab, 5.7L HEMI, Fulltime 4x4, Deep Cherry Red 16 Jeep Cherokee Limited 3.2L Pentastar V6, 9 Speed Torqueflite, 4x4, Black
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Dart 500]
#3120467
02/10/23 02:46 PM
02/10/23 02:46 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,467 So Cal
autoxcuda
Too Many Posts
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Too bad the 68/69 charger and 70/71 cuda weren't built until the late 70's as is. The money spent on the 71 charger alone was likely much better saved, no matter how ugly the 2nd gen would have looked with 5mph bumpers I thought 71-74 Charger sold quite well. The window vents, exposed wiper arms, flat interior door cards, even that slab dash pad was all dated by 1971
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: wingman]
#3120485
02/10/23 03:40 PM
02/10/23 03:40 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,018 Morningside
AdventurerSport
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waaaay out there in left field
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Morningside
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See Pontiac Aztek for a similar track, albeit 30 years later (they deleted body side moldings and updated a few features, but basically then just built out the car until the stampings wore out). Another instance of sales didn't meet expectations. You just made history. I think that's the first time anyone has ever compared a '71 Cuda to a Pontiac Aztek. I do my best! Similar expectations vs sales, though...:) JS
76 Dodge Adventurer Sport Power Wagon W100 318, 727, NP203 Fulltime 4x4 Russet Red 06 Jeep Commander Ltd 4x4, 5.7L Hemi, QuadraDrive II 06 Chrysler 300C AWD 5.7L Hemi 10 Mopar 10 Challenger R/T, #483/500, 5.7L HEMI 10 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd 4x4 5.7L HEMI 11 Dodge Ram 1500 LoneStar Quad Cab, 5.7L HEMI, Fulltime 4x4, Deep Cherry Red 16 Jeep Cherokee Limited 3.2L Pentastar V6, 9 Speed Torqueflite, 4x4, Black
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Sinitro]
#3120486
02/10/23 03:42 PM
02/10/23 03:42 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,419 Kalispell Mt.
HotRodDave
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I Live Here
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Keep in mind.. The grilles in 69 mostly were made of metal by going to plastics in 70 they had multiple issues for endurance.. Mainly the grille mounting points under stress would develop cracks. Early plastics did not hold up well for exposure to the sun... Just my $0.02... Plastic won't hold up very long on any car but let it float in the ocean and it will last millions of years.
I am not causing global warming, I am just trying to hold off a impending Ice Age!
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: topside]
#3120517
02/10/23 05:52 PM
02/10/23 05:52 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,395 Highland, MI.
Sunroofcuda
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It's all conjecture unless someone who was involved & responsible for the decision can comment, but:
The '71 seem grille - and tail lamps - seem the most expensive to make, and Chrysler was generally always trying to cut costs. Yearly updates, and several treatments being designed, likely contributed to '70-'70-'72 facelifts.
Personally, I like the '72 grille & rearend treatments the best, and feel the '71 is indeed a bit heavy on decoration. But I wouldn't be likely to kick one of any year out of the garage. I like that folks have their own favorites, as I've said many times before; it would be boring if we all liked and drove the same thing. I'll try to get a comment from some old retired Chrysler guys. Personally, I MUCH prefer the styling of the 1970 to the 71. I thought the design of the 71 B-Fishes were too busy compared to the clean styling of the 1970. I absolutely love the front parking lights on the 70's, and the whistle they made when driving by.
No Man With A Good Car Needs To Be Justified
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Sunroofcuda]
#3120535
02/10/23 07:21 PM
02/10/23 07:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,532 Eagle, Idaho
Neil
The Doctor is in.
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I like the 71 slightly more than the 70. Also wish 71's came in sublime green or lemon twist.
71 with the dual headlights and billboards may be a little less likely to be confused as a Camaro with less knowledgeable car people. Sit in the stands at the races or a car show and listening to someone call a 70 Cuda a 69 Camaro is always entertaining. Doesn't seem to happen as much with the Challengers, but those Plymouth E bodies trip them up for some reason.
Last edited by Neil; 02/10/23 07:25 PM.
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Kudakidd]
#3120554
02/10/23 08:50 PM
02/10/23 08:50 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 810 CO
Redbird
super stock
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super stock
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The 1971 Barracuda grill was kind of panned in the press at the time.
Grills changed often, reference 1968, 1969, and 1970 Charger.
In the 1970-71 Chrysler Parts Collision Parts catalog a basic bare 1971 Barracuda front grill listed for $ 45.85. It was available in White, Tor-Red, Blue, Green, Bronze, Red, Avocado, Yellow and Plumb.
In the same catalog the basic bare 1970 Barracuda front grill listed for $ 25.45 for the center piece, and $ 5.10+$ 3.00 for each side of the headlight pieces.
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: PhillyRag]
#3120581
02/10/23 10:17 PM
02/10/23 10:17 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Kudakidd
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WRT E-Bodies overall: Plymouth was "recognized" as the Performance model, while Challenger was for "Styling". They were targeted to different age groups overall. Challengers were always Challengers regardless of the build. But Barracudas became 'Cudas with a performance build. But weren't the Chally R/T's the Cuda of the Challenger pack?
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Neil]
#3120597
02/10/23 11:53 PM
02/10/23 11:53 PM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,248 fredericksburg,va
cudaman1969
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I like the 71 slightly more than the 70. Also wish 71's came in sublime green or lemon twist.
71 with the dual headlights and billboards may be a little less likely to be confused as a Camaro with less knowledgeable car people. Sit in the stands at the races or a car show and listening to someone call a 70 Cuda a 69 Camaro is always entertaining. Doesn't seem to happen as much with the Challengers, but those Plymouth E bodies trip them up for some reason. I had a 70 Cuda, Ed funny car body I made into a door car, about 4” narrower. It had the Mopar decal at top of windshield, some dude came over and asked why I had Mopar on a Camero? He was kinda pissed when he realized it was a Cuda. We laughed at that all nite!
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: ChryCoGuy]
#3120600
02/11/23 01:12 AM
02/11/23 01:12 AM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,204 Someplace you aren't
SomeCarGuy
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The '70 only lasted one year as well, not to mention each and every year before that. Seemed like '72 - '74 was when Chrysler started to figure out that they could amortize tooling costs over 2 or more years to save development/manufacturing costs.
I would guess (after all, we can only guess unless somebody who was 'there' can tell us the real story) based on how development cycles went and lead times required for styling approval, engineering drawings to be finalized, and tooling to be created in time to refit the factories in the summer of '71, that the '72 grille was decided long before reaction to the '71s, for better or worse, was known.
I would expect that it wasn't reactionary to sales, but that's not to say that it couldn't have been fast-tracked based on reaction to magazines' negative press. It's hard to be sure, but I agree that it is odd that they went to quad headlights for only one model year. Maybe Dodge complained that it looked too much like Challenger? There was a Dodge/Plymouth in-house rivalry happening at the time. Back at that time, Ford and Chrysler got their designs hashed out about 6 months before a model change so they didn’t pay the tooling companies any overtime or rush charges. Gm did everything last minute.
I want my fair share
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: cudaman1969]
#3120610
02/11/23 03:56 AM
02/11/23 03:56 AM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493 Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog
Striving for excellence
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Striving for excellence
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I had a 70 Cuda, Ed funny car body I made into a door car, about 4” narrower. It had the Mopar decal at top of windshield, some dude came over and asked why I had Mopar on a Camero? He was kinda pissed when he realized it was a Cuda. We laughed at that all nite!
How is it that people still can't spell "Camaro" ?
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Kern Dog]
#3120725
02/11/23 05:19 PM
02/11/23 05:19 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,395 Highland, MI.
Sunroofcuda
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Here's one response so far from the "old breed:"
The Stylist for the 71 front 10 “ was Don Hood. He may have been responsible for more but I know that for sure. Don did a large aggressive rendering of the 71 in color and this painting hung in Dick Macadam, , head of styling, office until he retired and Delarosa came in. He called Don and told him he better come and take it before he left Chrysler, which Don did. I believe this painting became the inspiration for those surreal aggressive posters MoPar had in the early 70s.
My point here is that if the VP of design liked it enough to leave it on his wall so long he must have thought highly of the design. Don moved to Texas in 1980 and remained a close friend till his passing a few years ago. You can google Don Hood designer to learn more. He did a presentation at Lawrence Tech about 10 years ago. Marv Raguse
No Man With A Good Car Needs To Be Justified
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Kern Dog]
#3120741
02/11/23 06:19 PM
02/11/23 06:19 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
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HotRodDave
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I love the 71 Grille design in both the Barracuda and Challenger. It is my favorite for both models. I also prefer the 67-69 Barracuda in coupe/notch form versus the fastback. My thoughts exactly on all that.
I am not causing global warming, I am just trying to hold off a impending Ice Age!
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: Kudakidd]
#3120809
02/11/23 11:48 PM
02/11/23 11:48 PM
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Joined: May 2006
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PhillyRag
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WRT E-Bodies overall: Plymouth was "recognized" as the Performance model, while Challenger was for "Styling". They were targeted to different age groups overall. Challengers were always Challengers regardless of the build. But Barracudas became 'Cudas with a performance build. But weren't the Chally R/T's the Cuda of the Challenger pack? You missed the point: they were still called "Challengers"
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Re: Why Did the '71 Cuda Grille Last Only ONE Year?
[Re: PhillyRag]
#3120933
02/12/23 02:40 PM
02/12/23 02:40 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,107 Byron, NY
W.I.N. Racing
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Interesting to read this post. As a younger person I had more than my share of 70 Cuda's - 7 to be exact. but always liked the 71 better - never owned one. I am Dog Dish, Big Motor type of Muscle car fan but yet the 71's were more about the flash - Shark Tooth type grill, Billboards. but I still think if I get and E body Id get a 71... That would be true for a RR as well... with Dog Dishes.
'01 P1500, Blown/Inj BAE,/Veney ,Bruno/CS2,Dana 60 '01 Dodge 3500 S Cummins Auto, Fresh air kit, 4" Exhaust, '05 Dodge Magnum R/T - Too Much to list '60 Willys CJ5 '01 International LPX - Project,DT466, Allison '64 Plymouth Valiant, Inj 528 Hemi, 2spd
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