Wicked. Challenging. Frighteningly fast.
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Corners like a bulldozer!
(Read on for a little MORE on THAT subject!)
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Blame it all on THIS guy:
Mr. Norm. (See link to 'Mr. Norm's Chicagoland Speed', please)
He STARTED IT!!!
Yep. Stuffing 383s in the all-new-for-1967 Dodge Darts. The idea caught on quickly. 1967 also saw the release of (in my opinon) the most elegant designs the Barracuda was in. All the "A" Bodied cars saw a much larger engine bay, although nowhere NEAR as spacious as the new "E" Bodies would be in the 1970-1974 model year. The "E" body RWD platform was essentially a "B" Body (Belvedere, Satellite, GTX, RoadRunner, Coronet, SuperBee, Charger, *pant*pant*, catches breath...
crikey-how-MANY-vehicles-did-Ma-Mopar-MAKE-on-this-platform???) in WIDTH, and an "A" Body (Valiant, 2nd-gen 'Cuda, Dart, Duster, Demon, Scamp, Swinger) in length. Meaning, plenty of room for monster engines like the 383, 440, and the legendary 426 HEMI. Without all the twisty tweaked tubing they called exhaust pipes the big-block "A" Bodies had.
Mother Mopar, inspired by Mr. Norm, embraced the idea that there is NO substitute for cubic inches of v8 power. Like the old adage went: "There's NO replacement for DISPLACEMENT!"
So... in 1967, stuff like THIS started happening:
Sweetly designed, svelte Barracudas.
Bigger TEETH! Ouch! Well, Ford was enjoying some "successes with excesses", cramming a big block 390 in their ponycar. Steve McQueen would make it pretty darned popular with his 1968 movie "Bullitt".
Although, me personally??? I'd like that beautiful triple black 4-speed 440 Super Commando Dodge Charger, please!!! And hold the body-damage! Oh, and DE-SELECT the "shotgun-toting-hitman-riding-shotgun" option, PLEASE!!!
But DO substitute a set of four Magnum500 rims on blackwall Michelin 70-series touring radials, in lieu of the magically-detaching-yet-re-appearing-but-good-looking-Dodge-hubcaps-
on-the-dual-stripe whitewalls... Thank you very much!
So, perhaps because Ford had such a good time with their 390 Mustang GTs in '68, for the 1969 model year, Ma Mopar unleashed the furious little A13 'Cuda440 straight-liner. Paraphrasing a bit, note the observation of ace performance car writer / tester Ro (Roland) McGonegal (words of which appear in his excellent article about the A13 option), "Critics labeled this car: 'A DISTURBING automobile!', and with GOOD reason, too!" He would, as well, in the "Summer Of Love", especially after attracting the attention of a New Jersey State Patrolman with the little beastie's keen abilities to easily VAPORIZE the rear Goodyears! CUE: The Flashing Roof Lights And Siren!
After impressing the heretofore UNIMPRESSED law enforcement officer with his then-current "Super Stock" Magazine creds and scientific findings, he was able to get back on the New Jersey roadways... and enjoy "gas mileage like someone poked a HOLE in the tank"!
Along with such OTHER notable A13 features, like:
*The mandatory "no A/C" (just PERFECT for long, humid summer commutes and road trips!) ...think 'SAUNA'...
*The "sorry-you-have-no-choice-in-the-matter" 4-wheel DRUM brakes (MANUAL, at THAT)
*The super-resistance-training-upper-torso-workout-NO-power-steering-on-
a-not-too-responsive-steering-gearbox-assembly
(clearly NOT suitable for certain canyon roadways!)
*The super-soft Goodyear Redliner 70-series wide ovals on stock 14" steelies that grip for... oh, let's be generous, and sayyy... about the first half-hour or so...
Well, there WAS a bigger engine bay than the '63 - '66 A-Bodies, BUT, not THAT much more room! Enough room for a power boosted larger brake master cylinder for some disc brakes would have been nice! Just a bit more clearance for a power steering pump would have been a superb idea, too! BUT, this was history in the making!
NO ONE had a BIGGER engine in a ponycar for 1969! True, Pontiac would start bringing out Super-Duty 455s in Formula and TransAm Firebirds for the 1970½ model year, and Chevrolet would do likewise with their 454 as well going into 1971. But then, there would be the counter-attack with Ma Mopar's cool new E-Body 'Cudas and Challengers with plenty of room for the legendary 426 HEMI between the inner fenders!!!
Ro has been involved in many of our favorite go-fast publications, most notably HotRod magazine. For an enjoyable read, please navigate to Ro's A13 article, and read all 4 pages of it, please. You WON'T be disappointed! http://hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/113_0304_cuda/index.html
Here's Ro launching the little fish in a slightly modified photo:
Check out that left rear tire there. Dig that groovy sidewall flex happening already!
Y'know... ya just CAN'T FISHtail PROPERLY without one of these dandy little A13s!!!
I remember seeing a few of these little brutes just before my Dad got his last new car, a 1969 B-5 Blue Barracuda Premium Fastback. Of course, I did my very BEST to talk 'em into a 383 Formula-S, or even ticking off the dangerous little A13 option. But nothing doing, there, Sport! As it turned out, Father indeed, knew best! His little 318 with A/C sprinted nicely, handled beautifully, and got reasonably good fuel economy even in the days when straight-line-speed ruled! Plus, it looked good to boot! Gotta live in the real world, even back in the days when Al Gore was fathering the internet!
I also remember how GOOD the A13s sounded, but oddly enough, how SLOWLY their owners took them around turns. I remember thinking: "Why don't they just ENJOY all that THROTTLE they PAID EXTRA FOR, and just simply POWERSLIDE around corners in a classic tire-smoking Joe Mannix style??? After all, they DID check the "A13" option, did they not??!!??"
The REAL reason they tended to go easy in the turns was because there was just a little too much weight up front! Where the 318 and 340 'Cudas handled quite nicely due to a closer 50/50 weight balance, the A13 'Cuda 440s handled like BULLDOZERS!
Conservative estimations placed the 440 models at 57% to 60-something% weight up front. Coupled with the slow ratio manual gearbox and bias-ply tires. Not pretty.
Pity the poor little F70-14 Goodyears doing their darndest to cling and grip to any little bit of friction course available, and check out the picture of a brand-new A13 TRYING go FAST around a corner:
Well, I guess payment books, and the looming threat of insurance rate hikes may have been in their minds. In looking back, I believe they probably had quite a few sleepless nights after a little late night tire-frying, too. So, perhaps THAT may have been the awakening of their common sense. The beginnings of family life may have been there, too. I wonder how many of those little brutes were traded in later for 318 Satellite Wagons with the prerequisite fake-bark siding???
Bet they sure miss THOSE good old Rapid-Transit-System days:
Well, it sure was a blast while it lasted! Thanks for visiting, hope this gave you a nice flashback to 1969, The Lunar-Landing-Moon-Walking, Crazy Outdoor Rock Concert In Upstate New York period of time also known as:
"The Summer Of Love", but without all the nasty chemical hallucinogens!
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