Dodge Boss Says Chrysler is considering New Barracuda

Is there room in the U.S. market for an another retro-style muscle car? According to Ralph Gilles, Chrysler's chief designer and boss of the Dodge brand, the answer to that question is yes. At last week's SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas, Gilles told show-goers at the Mopar stand that he is "seriously thinking of how to revive the Plymouth Barracuda."

"There's a lot of pressure on us to bring the 'Cuda back," said Ralph Gilles. Speaking with reporters he added that "the customers have (been) stomping their feet for it."

Being that the Plymouth brand was phased out from the Chrysler Group's portfolio back in 2001, if the 'Cuda were to be revived, it would probably be marketed under the Chrysler brand. And like the original 1970s model, it would be based off the current Dodge Challenger.

This is not the first time that Chrysler Group has toyed around with the idea of bringing back the 'Cuda nameplate, but due to ownership changes and of course, last year's bailout, the company was forced to put all plans on hold.

Over the past years, we've seen a few concept models of the Cuda. At the 2007 edition of the SEMA Show, there was a custom-made build called the "BBP Project 'Cuda". That's the one featured in our photo gallery here.

The 'Cuda concept was handcrafted by Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters, which coincidentally, was the same company that manufactured the original Challenger Concept that lead to the current production model.

Though many might think that it isbased on the Challenger, the 'Cuda study is actually built on shortened version of a brand new 2007 Charger SRT8. The design of the car was inspired by its 1970-74 "E" Body ancestors. It was auctioned off by Barret Jackson in 2008 for $159,500. Metalcrafters also created a convertible version of the 'Cuda concept, which you can check out here.

Source: USA Today , Concept photos: Barret Jackson

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2010 Plymouth Road Runner Concept by Mopar Enthusiast

More of a result of pipe-dreaming than actual inside info, the 2010 Plymouth Road Runner Concept that’s featured in the August/September issue of Mopar Enthusiast magazine is based on the new Dodge Challenger using styling cues from the ’71-’72 model year Road Runners. The folks at Mopar Enthusiast beleive that if the car were to be produced today, it should be powered by a HEMI 5.7L V8 as standard with 6.1L and 7.0L V8 HEMIs being offered as optional equipment. -Continued

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Mopar Enthusiast

eBay: Plymouth Prowler Go-Kart

Being the adolescent car nuts that we are, we couldn’t resist posting this Plymouth Prowler look-alike go-kart that we found for sale on e-bay. True, you’d probably have a very hard time trying to fit in that miniscule cockpit –well, unless you look like Twiggy that is, but if anything else, you’d offer plenty of chuckles to anyone that happened to be around. -Continued

Link: ebay

Pimp My Ride Gets Chumped: Pimped Voyager for Sale on eBay

Ever wonder what happens to those dilapidated cars on MTV’s show Pimp My Ride? Well, we always thought the car owners just drove off happily with pimped rides and everyone lived happily ever after. Not the case for Laila, who is selling her pimped 1999 Plymouth Voyager on eBay for a starting bid of $22,999. She got her 5 minutes of fame and made about $22,998 from the deal since she bought the car from her dad for $1. Xzibit won’t be too happy about this one. The guys at West Coast Customs should demand some sort of royalties. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below

*Update: We received an e-mail from Joe M, supporting that he is the legal owner (and seller) of the pimped Voyager. According to Joe's own words, "Laila is moving out of the country in the near future and cannot take it with her. She enjoyed owning the car very much. "

Posted by Dani

Links: eBay & MTV

Tulsa’s Buried '57 Plymouth Heading For De-rustation

About a month back we had reported on Miss Belvedere, a 1957 Plymouth that was sealed up in a time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The vehicle was exhumed and despite the capsules ability to survive a nuclear attack, unfortunately it did not survive major water damage (see here & here). Now, the car is headed to Hackettstown, New Jersey, where Ultra One Corporation is based, and the manufacturers of a product called Safest Rust Remover. The owner of the vehicle, Robert Carney who appears to be the nephew of the person who most closely guessed Tulsa's 2007 population in 1957, and Ultra One came to an agreement to have the Plymouth chemically de-rusted and preserved. -Continued after the jump

As you can see from the pic, Ultra One certainly has their work cut out for them. But the solution is claimed to be “non-toxic, non-corrosive, and biodegradable, removing corrosion while leaving metal, rubber, plastic, seals, and most paints untouched The rust removal process is estimated to take about six months and the company promises to document the whole process on their website. There are also plans to get the engine running and all the lamps working before the final unveiling. We’ll keep everyone posted on the de-rusting process as it unfolds.

Posted by Dani

Via: hemmings