Plymouth Built Just 108 of These 1971 ‘Cuda Four-Speeds — One Is Crossing the Block in Las Vegas This Weekend

A numbers-matching 1971 Plymouth ‘Cuda with the rare 440 Six Barrel engine and a four-speed manual is about to cross the auction block in Las Vegas — one of only 108 Plymouth ever built with that exact combination. Its quad headlights and shark-gill fender vents mark it as a one-year-only design, and its drivetrain still carries the original numbers. Here’s what makes this ‘Cuda worth watching when the gavel drops.

Some muscle cars get discovered in barns. This one is being discovered on a stage, under studio lights, in front of a live auction crowd. The 1971 Plymouth ‘Cuda crossing the block at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas auction this weekend isn’t just another Mopar with a big-block badge — it’s one of only 108 ‘Cudas Plymouth ever built with the 440 Six Barrel engine paired to a four-speed manual transmission, and both the engine and transmission are still the numbers-matching originals that left the factory with the car. In a model year when tightening emissions rules and rising insurance surcharges were already choking off the muscle car era, most buyers who ordered a big-block ‘Cuda checked the box for the easier automatic — which is exactly why so few stick-shift cars like this one exist today. This particular example carries the quad headlights and shark-gill fender vents that appeared on the ‘Cuda for a single model year, details that instantly separate a real 1971 from every other Barracuda built. For collectors who know what they’re looking at, a 440-6, four-speed ‘Cuda with matching numbers is one of the hardest combinations to find at any price — and it’s about to find out exactly what that scarcity is worth in front of a room full of bidders.

A Barrett-Jackson “First Look” Ahead of the Block

The clip comes from Barrett-Jackson’s own YouTube channel as part of its “First Look” series previewing standout consignments ahead of its Las Vegas auction, held September 10–12, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. These short features are Barrett-Jackson’s way of spotlighting the cars its own team considers the most significant lots on the docket before hundreds of vehicles start crossing the block, and this one puts the spotlight squarely on the drivetrain: a matching-numbers 440ci Six Barrel V8, backed by a matching-numbers A833 four-speed manual transmission built by Chrysler’s New Process Gear division in Syracuse, New York. “Matching numbers” means the engine and transmission currently under the car are verified as the exact units it left the factory with — not date-code-correct replacements, not a later service-replacement block, but the originals. That distinction matters enormously to serious Mopar collectors, and it’s a big part of why Barrett-Jackson chose to feature this specific ‘Cuda ahead of a three-day auction packed with consignments.

Viewers reacting to the video have leaned nostalgic rather than technical. Several commenters mentioned fathers or older relatives who owned a ‘Cuda just like it, and the overall reaction has been pure appreciation for the car’s presence rather than debate over its numbers. That’s a common thread with ‘Cudas of this generation — the styling does almost as much talking as the drivetrain.

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Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas event has grown into one of the larger stops on the collector-car calendar, drawing hundreds of consignments to the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center over three days. Today marks the final day of the 2026 event, which means this ‘Cuda is scheduled to cross the auction block sometime in the next several hours rather than sitting on the docket for a future date — part of why the “First Look” preview matters to anyone tracking the sale in real time.

A Six-Barrel Combination Almost Nobody Ordered

The 1971 ‘Cuda rode on Chrysler’s E-body platform, introduced for the 1970 model year as a shortened, widened version of the B-body chassis that also underpinned the Road Runner and GTX. Plymouth used it to build the third-generation Barracuda, while a nearly identical Dodge Challenger arrived on the same architecture with a two-inch-longer wheelbase. The two cars would carry Chrysler’s pony-car fight against the Mustang and Camaro all the way through 1974.

The 440 Six Barrel — commonly called the “440-6” or “440 6-Pack” — was Plymouth’s answer for buyers who wanted Hemi-adjacent performance without the Hemi’s price tag and maintenance headaches. Fed by three two-barrel carburetors instead of one big four-barrel, the option carried engine code E87, added $253.20 to a ‘Cuda’s window sticker, and was factory-rated at 330 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque under the new SAE net measurement standard Detroit adopted starting in 1971 — a rating that undersells just how much engine is on tap once all three carburetors open up. But 1971 wasn’t kind to big-block manual ‘Cudas commercially. New insurance surcharges and tightening emissions standards were already pushing buyers toward smaller engines, and Plymouth’s total 440-6 production for the model year fell to roughly 254 units across every transmission choice — a steep drop from the year before. Of those, only about 108 left the factory paired with the four-speed manual instead of the far more common TorqueFlite automatic.

The One Year Plymouth Gave the ‘Cuda Four Eyes

1971 was also the only year the ‘Cuda wore quad round headlights and simulated shark-gill vents on its front fenders — styling cues Plymouth dropped after a single model year when the Barracuda was restyled again for 1972. Combined with a new segmented grille and revised taillights, a genuine 1971 ‘Cuda is instantly identifiable to anyone who knows the lineup, and instantly more desirable to collectors who specifically want that one-year-only look. It’s a similar story to other Detroit muscle cars whose most distinctive year turned out to be their briefest one; our deep dive on the 1966 Dodge Coronet covers a comparable case of a model quietly building a cult following around a single, short-lived production window.

Why This Combination Commands Real Money

What makes this particular ‘Cuda worth a closer look isn’t just the rarity written on its build sheet — it’s that the rarity is backed up by the metal itself. A numbers-matching 440-6, four-speed ‘Cuda is the kind of car where paperwork and drivetrain have to agree, and Barrett-Jackson’s consignment team doesn’t hand a car a “First Look” spotlight unless the documentation checks out. The market has already shown what buyers will pay for the right example: numbers-matching 440-6, four-speed ‘Cudas have routinely brought six-figure sums at auction in recent years, and rare convertible variants of the same drivetrain combination have sold for seven figures. For bidders walking the floor in Las Vegas this weekend, the combination of documented rarity, a distinctive one-year-only look, and a drivetrain that still delivers real muscle-car performance is exactly what separates a six-figure Mopar from a car that just looks the part.

Watch the full video above and let us know your thoughts in the comments.