Dodge Viper Sheds its Scales for Classic ‘Cuda Look

Built by Street Toys Hot Rods & Customs in Mexico, it is one of the coolest rebodied Vipers we have ever seen.

Prior to the introduction of the modern Dodge Challenger, the Plymouth Barracuda was arguably the most famous of the Mopar muscle cars. The demise of the Plymouth brand coupled with the booming success of the modern Challenger has allowed the Dodge to overshadow the Cuda, but a shop in Mexico recently created a classic Plymouth Barracuda with the chassis and running gear of a Dodge Viper.

According to The Drive, this 1970 Plymouth Barracuda with Dodge Viper bones was built by a shop called Street Toys Hot Rods & Customs in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and it is one of the coolest rebodied Vipers we have ever seen. Even though the Viper and Cuda have very different proportions, the build to combine the body of the Plymouth muscle car with the chassis of the Dodge supercar was done so well that this looks like a Cuda with modern wheels.

Until you open the hood, that is.

Cuda Face, Viper Soul

If you saw this 1970 Plymouth Cuda sitting with its hood closed at a local car show, you might pass it off as just another clean E-Body Mopar muscle car, but this is anything but an average machine.

This car began its life as a ZB I Dodge Viper, which ran from 2003 through 2007, but at some point it was wrecked, the body was stripped and it was sold as a rolling project car.

At some point, the shop in Mexico got their hands on this bodyless Viper while also acquiring the body from a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. The chassis of the supercar had to be modified to allow the body to fit, stretching the wheelbase a bit to better match the dimensions of the Cuda.

The interior was also worked to fit inside of the Cuda body, so in addition to a modern chassis and power plant, this old school Mopar has a modern, high-tech interior.

Extra Power

Simply putting the body of a 1970 Plymouth Cuda on the chassis of a ZB I Dodge Viper is impressive, but the shop didn’t stop there. While fitting the body to the supercar chassis, the team also installed a Paxton NOVI 2000 on the 8.3-liter V10, lifting the output from 500 horsepower to 710 horsepower. That power is sent to the rear wheels by means of the proper manual transmission and the wheel and tire combination from the Viper, so this car will run with just about anything on the street.

Frankly, we are a little shocked at how well the body of a 1970 Cuda fits on an altered chassis of a ZB I Dodge Viper and we imagine that most hardcore Mopar fans will love this incredible muscle car just as much as we do. While the heavier body likely has some impact on the driving dynamics of your average Viper, this V10-powered Plymouth likely offers similar driving excitement to the Dodge supercar.

Click here for dozens more pictures of this wicked creation before, during and after the build.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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