Unrestored Legend: 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda with 8,500 Miles

If you’re a Mopar fan, this is the kind of car that’ll stop you in your tracks.

Lou Costabile, host of the “My Car Story with Lou Costabile” YouTube channel, recently featured one of the most pristine examples of a 1970 Plymouth AAR ’Cuda you’re ever going to see. What makes it so special? It’s unrestored, all-original, has just 8,500 miles on the clock—and believe it or not, it still rides on the original factory-installed tires.

This particular AAR ’Cuda was originally sold in Canada and stayed with its first owner all the way until 2020. It was driven sparingly and only in good weather during its early years. By 1977, it was put up on blocks and tucked away in proper indoor storage for the next 43 years. The original owner kept the fluids fresh, fired it up regularly, and even took it on one 40-mile drive during that entire time.

When it finally changed hands in 2020, it landed in the hands of none other than Tim Wellborn, the well-known Mopar collector. Fast-forward to Mecum’s Kissimmee 2024 auction, and the car was sold again—this time to its current owner, Brad Weber, for a staggering $240,000 before fees. That price makes it one of the highest public sales for any AAR ’Cuda, sitting just behind a black example that sold for $242,000 and a Moulin Rouge one that fetched $308,000.

What makes this specific E-body so jaw-dropping is how well-preserved it is. The factory Limelight Green paint looks showroom fresh. The white vinyl interior is bright, uncracked, and perfectly preserved. Even the fiberglass hood, notorious for warping on AAR models, is straight and clean—something you rarely see after 50+ years. And yes, those are the original Goodyear Polyglas GT tires still wrapped around the rally wheels.

Under the hood, the AAR ’Cuda packs a 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) Six-Barrel small-block V8, factory-rated at 290 horsepower. It came with a trio of two-barrel carbs, side-exit exhaust, a matte-black fiberglass hood with hood pins, and that distinctive AAR graphics package. These cars were built to meet SCCA Trans-Am series homologation rules and were Plymouth’s way of battling the Boss 302 Mustang and Camaro Z/28 on the racetrack.

Only 2,724 AAR ’Cudas were ever made, and all were built in 1970. While not the rarest Mopar on paper, finding one in this kind of survivor condition is nearly impossible today.

In Lou’s video, the new owner takes the car out for what’s arguably its first real drive in decades—and yes, he even lets that Six-Barrel breathe a little. It’s the kind of footage that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a time machine.

We can only hope this car sees a little more sunlight now and then. Survivors like this deserve to be driven, even if just sparingly. It’s too special to live out its days collecting dust—especially when it still has the heart (and the sound) of a factory-built race car.

1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda in Limelight Image Gallery: