The ’74 Cuda was the swan song for the legendary Mopar pony car—the Barracuda era ended under bumper and smog laws.
Nevertheless, there was nothing in the rule book about upgrading the car 50 years later.
That’s the story behind this 1974 Cuda.
Jerry Sutherland
Travis Neater is the proud owner of this clearly non-stock ’74 Cuda and one look at the car tells you this Mopar is far from factory.
It has a monstrous, all-aluminum 540 cubic inch hemi under the hood that easily pumps out 1100 horsepower and can be tuned to over 2000 horsepower. That’s light years away from the smog-controlled engine that came with the car.
Travis bought the car built essentially like it is, but it had a mere 426 hemi for a heart and he wanted to bump up the power. The current hemi in the car was built by one of the most famous hemi builders in the country, so there’s no question this engine is a producer. There’s a jacked-up Torqueflite to handle the massive horsepower and the car has a 22” tub to accommodate the massive rubber at the back.
The Cuda has a racing history—Travis believes it was a track car from North Carolina, but it likely never had the brute force power is has now. The car was painted in rainbow colors but Travis brought it back to Sassy Grass Green for a more traditional look.
That’s why the Cuda’s future role is unexpected because it’s going to be a street machine, so it’s tamed down a bit from its full potential. The car is still a beast because Travis said it could easily raise the front wheels with the proper setup and it would crack out some seriously good track times but that isn’t currently the game plan.
This car’s biggest job will be fun runs. It’s going on typical weekend excursions to car shows and pick up grocery items because Travis wants to protect his investment. One misstep at a drag strip is a nightmare in the making.
The engine alone has over 100,000 dollars in it and the car itself is in mint condition. The hood has a powered lift that opens forward to showcase the monster that lives under it. There’s a roll cage inside, but Travis won’t need that on a run to the store.
Travis was working on the idle speed because he wanted to dial in a civilized beat to the big hemi, but he was sure he had it nailed. There’s a reason for his attention to detail—this car is going to be a family experience, so his daughters are really pumped about driving it. They’ll have Travis riding shotgun to protect his car, but they’ll get a rare experience.
The game plan for the Cuda isn’t written in stone, because Travis admits it may eventually see some track time—but that’s in the future.
For now, he’s working out the details on the Cuda’s role as a family car.
Jerry Sutherland
