Designed as Chrysler's tandem answers to the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro, the Plymouth Barracuda and Dodge Challenger went on to become two of Detroit's most revered muscle cars. Profiling special engine options and drive train packages, Newhardt gives the lowdown on the finest Barracudas and Chargers in existence. 85 color photos.

Revive the muscular good looks and horsepower of your E-body! This helpful guide contains hundreds of detailed photos, factory illustrations, and helpful data tables covering everything from decoding VIN tags to applying the correct finish to virtually every part on your car. All the information you'll ever need to authentically restore your monster-engine musclecar to show-winning perfection!

Chrysler entered the pony-car market with the capable but unlovely Barracuda in the early 1960s. The car was refined over the years, becoming a true muscle car, and a rather handsome one at that, but it wasn’t until the advent of the E-body pony cars from 1970-1974—Barracudas, the Dodge Challenger, and Plymouth ‘Cuda—that Chrysler became a true player in the pony-car market. This book tells the story of Chrysler’s pony car series, from the advent of the original Barracuda in 1964 to the final days of the smog-motored Challengers and ‘Cudas of the mid-1970s, focusing on the series’ heyday in the early 1970s.

“Just what is a Muscle Car?” Road Test magazine asked in June 1967. The answer: “Exactly what the name implies. It is a product of the American car industry adhering to the hot rodder’s philosophy of taking a small car and putting a BIG engine in it. . . . The Muscle Car is Charles Atlas kicking sand in the face of the 98 horsepower weakling.” Unconcerned with such trivial details as comfort and handling, the vintage American muscle car was built for straight-line speed and quickly became the ride of choice for power-hungry racers and serious gearheads. In a country where performance was measured in brute force, a quarter mile at a time, the muscle car was the perfect machine. In the intervening years, these down-and-dirty, high-performing beauties have earned their place in the automotive pantheon. As prized by collectors and aficionados as they are by denizens of garages and drag strips, classic muscle cars now fetch upwards of a million dollars at auctions and feature in any story of America’s automotive glory days. The icons of muscle car art—including Camaro and Chevelle SS, the Hemi and 440-6 ’Cuda, Challenger, Roadrunner, Super Bee, GTX, Super Bird, Daytona Charger, Super Cobra Jet and Boss Mustang, Talladega Torino, Buick GSX and W30 Oldsmobile 442, and AMX Javelin—are all here, on full display in this lavishly illustrated volume, each described in a detailed essay followed by a gallery of portraits and special gatefold presentations that capture the art of the muscle car at its finest.

1966-1967 precursors to the Scat Pack and Rapid Transit System -- 1968 Dodge Scat Pack program -- 1969 Dodge Scat Pack program -- 1970 the Scat Pack continues -- Bold new designs for 1971 -- 1968-1969 toward the Plymouth Rapid Transit System -- The Rapid Transit System is born -- Rapid Transit System for 1971 -- Scat Pack version two 2014-2017

The 1970–1974 Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Challengers are compact, lightweight, and extremely powerful pony cars; some are considered to be the greatest Mopar muscle cars of the era. The platform, known as the E-Body for this generation, was Chrysler’s response to the competition from the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. Today, the E-Body Barracudas and Challengers are some of the most valuable and popular muscle cars ever built. In The Definitive Plymouth Barracuda and Dodge Challenger Guide: 1970-1974, seasoned journalist Scott Ross has unearthed new information from the key personnel involved in designing, engineering, and building these brash muscle cars. Ross provides comprehensive engine, transmission, and interior options as well as essential trim package and color code information. You learn the bottom line on original equipment packages and options. Ross covers Special Edition, R/T, Gran Coupe, and Rapid Transit System packages. And of course, the preeminent models in the lineup, Hemi Cuda, Challenger 440 six pack, AAR Cuda, and Challenger TA are covered in extensive detail. The large option list (and which options were available on which cars) is covered in great detail, which will greatly assist you with authentication. Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Challengers are some of the most powerful and valuable Mopar muscle cars ever built. If you have been searching for the comprehensive story and vital option information for these classic Mopar muscle cars, you don’t need to look any further.

The LA-series small-block Chrysler engine is a powerful, efficient, and quick-revving engine that has dutifully powered millions of Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth cars and trucks from 1964 to 2003. And it's also a power unit for many renowned Mopar muscle cars, including the Charger, Barracuda, Challenger, Dart, and others. The LA designates the small-block as "Lightweight A," which was a huge improvement over the previous Ageneration engine. With its compact size, 50-pound weight savings, thin-wall casting, and polyspherical heads, it cranked out a lot of torque and horsepower, which made it ideally suited for the street and a formidable opponent on the track. Although this venerable small-block has delivered impressive performance in stock trim, it can be easily modified to produce much greater power for almost any application. The LA was offered in 273-, 318-, 340- and 360-ci iterations, and a full range of aftermarket products are offered for these engines. Mopar engine expert and author Larry Shepard identifies the best parts and clearly guides you through the specific techniques to extract maximum performance from this platform. In particular, he delves into the heads, cams, and valvetrain products and modifications that will achieve your horsepower goals. In addition, he provides in-depth build-up instruction for other essential components: blocks, cranks, pistons, rods, ignition systems, intakes, carburetors, and exhaust. If you own an LA small-block–powered Mopar car or truck, this invaluable guidance and instruction will allow you to optimize performance and maintain reliability. Whether you're building an engine for street, street/strip, or racing, this vital information saves you save time, money, and delivers results. Add this to your Mopar library today!

Naturally aspirated Mopar Wedge big-blocks are quite capable of producing between 600 to 900 horsepower. This book covers how to build Mopar's 383-, 400-, 413-ci, 440-ci engines to these power levels. Discussed is how to select a stock or aftermarket block for the desired performance level. The reciprocating assembly is examined in detail, so you select the right design and material for durability and performance requirements. Cylinder heads and valve train configurations are crucial for generating maximum horsepower and torque and this volume provides special treatment in this area. Camshafts and lifters are compared and contrasted using hydraulic flat tappet, hydraulic roller and solid flat tappet cams. Also, detailed engine builds at 600, 700, 800, and 900 horsepower levels provide insight and reveal what can be done with real-world component packages.