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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Cuda Cabriolet Concept Appears at Cars & Coffee Meeting

The custom made Cuda Cabriolet concept that we first told you about back in May made yet another public appearance, this time at this past weekend’s “Cars and Coffee” car gathering in Irvine, California. Like the Cuda Coupe Concept that stirred a bit of a commotion at last year’s SEMA Show in LA, the retro-penned Convertible was also built by “Metalcrafters”. From the little we know about it, it's based on the Chrysler 300 / Dodge Charger platform using a modern HEMI V8 engine. -More pics after the jump




Pics Via: Cars & Coffee

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Cuda Concept in Convertible Flavor

Remember the one-off, modern interpretation of the Cuda Coupe (click here for pics and here for a video) that was revealed at last year’s SEMA Show ? Well, it seems that that the guys who built the Chrysler 300 / Dodge Charger based Cuda Coupe liked it so much that they came up with a convertible version that made its first (?) appearance at this past weekend’s Mopar Spring Fling Speed Festival. All we know about the car for now is that like the Cuda Coupe, the Convertible was also built by “Metalcrafters”.

Via: Cardomain

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2008 Cuda Concept Design Proposition

Looks like the one-off, custom made 2008 Cuda coupe that made its appearance at last year’s SEMA Show (see video here) has enliven the interest in the Plymouth Barracuda. This computer generated rendering is the work of Rafael Reston, a digital designer from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

According to Reston, the Cuda Concept is based on the platform of the Chrysler 300C, while the proposed power source is a 5.4-litre bio-fuelled HEMI V8 engine. If you ask us, the overall design seems a little bit too “Hot-Wheelish” for our tastes. Feel free to disagree with us -or agree of course, by leaving a comment below. -High res image gallery after the jump

Images: Rafael Reston ,Via: Seriouswheels

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Video: 2008 Cuda Concept Owner Shows Off His Car

We’ve been (painstakingly) trying to gather official info on the Cuda Concept and here’s what we came up with; a video with the owner of the 2008 Cuda Concept showing off his car at the “Mopars At Playboy Mansion” event that took place on October 19, 2007. -Video and details after the jump

The owner of the 2008 Cuda Concept is a guy named Curt (no, he didn’t reveal his surname). But Curt is not only the owner, he’s also the designer of the modern Cuda which is equipped with a 6.1-liter Hemi V8. Curt revealed that the Cuda Concept is dressed with a carbon fibre made body made by “Metalcrafters”, a Californian company that has built many Chrysler’s concepts, including the carbon fiber bodied Dodge Challenger Concept. According to Curt, the Cuda project could lead to a production version if all goes well.

For the record, the Cuda appears right in the beginning of the video but you’ll have to wait about 3 minutes to see details and of course, the owner of the concept talking about his creation. For the Playboy gals, you’ll have to wait a bit longer…

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Chrysler Unveils New ‘Cuda Concept At SEMA!

These scoop pictures were taken from the SEMA showroom in Las Vegas today giving us a sneak peak of what the Chrysler Group has in store for us tomorrow morning. For the time being however, there’s no info whatsoever on the new ‘Cuda but it's obvious that the concept is based on the 2009 Dodge Challenger (click here) and it's wearing a Dodge Charger interior. We’re not going to get delirious and talk about a production version, but being the 60 & 70’s muscle car lovers that we are, we wouldn’t mind at all. -More images after the jump

UPDATE: Video - 2008 Cuda Concept Owner Shows Off His Car

Via: groups.cardomain

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