When you take a look back into the history of American motorsport you can't go past the likes of the Shelby Cobra, or the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40, but there was another car that Carroll Shelby worked on that didn't receive the same time in the spotlight.
That car was the 1970 All American Racing Plymouth Barracuda, a homologation special that wears a set of stripes that became iconic in the 1970 American Trans-Am season.
Back in 1964, before Carroll Shelby started work on the now-iconic GT40, he started a racing team by the name of All American Racing alongside a Formula 1 driver by the name of Dan Gurney.
Based in California, AAR competed in a raft of racing series’ across the globe, including American sportscar racing and Formula 1, but despite this, the best was still yet to come.
In order to compete in the 1970 Trans-Am season, the team needed to create a homologation special. This led to 2,802 road-going versions of the Barracuda being built, and this one here making its way down to little old New Zealand.
History aside, let's dive into what makes this AAR 'Cuda that's listed on Driven special. Under the hood sits a 340ci V8 (that was de-stroked to 304ci to meet regulations) with a six-barrel carburettor sitting on top, and a 727 auto transmission sending power to the rear wheels.
Back in its day, this engine was good for 290hp and 454Nm of torque, which allowed the muscle car to hit 100km/h in 6.7 seconds and run the quarter-mile in just under 15 seconds.
In the Driven listing, the seller notes that this is a full matching numbers, factory-correct car that has undergone a meticulous restoration. "All factory options are still present including rare trans cooler and two speed wiper unit, and of course the standard side exit AAR TA exhaust."
Only OEM panels were used in this restoration, and with an engine bay and underside that looks like it could be eaten off, it's amazing to think that this car has clocked up almost 100,000km throughout its life.
On the inside, you wouldn't be blamed for assuming that the interior was new. Almost every single aspect of the cabin has been impeccably restored, retaining as many original parts as possible.
If you are interested in this 1970 All American Racing Barracuda, click here to view its listing on Driven. But be warned; an iconic piece of American automotive history like this doesn't go cheap.