REES WITH the ‘Cuda, back in 1969.

When Curt Rees sold his ‘69 Plymouth Barracuda, just a few months after taking delivery of it in 1969, he never dreamed he’d be driving that same custom car 44 years later. He only owned the car from May until fall one year, but never could get it out of his head.
Rees ordered the 340 ‘Cuda in March of ’69, before he got out of the Army. He and his wife, Dianne, enjoyed the car for their honeymoon, but decided to sell it later on that fall while they were living in Mitchell. “It was just not a wintertime car,” he said. The last time he saw it was in 1970.
In 1995 he crossed paths with the car again. A man from Geddes owned it at the time, the third owner. Rees wanted to buy it, but just didn’t have the money.
This past May, he felt the ‘Cuda tug again while looking through old photos of it and decided to see if he could find it. He contacted that third owner, who now lived in Sioux City, and found out he had sold it to another man in Sioux City, who had sold it to a fellow in Omaha.
The man in Omaha had sold the ‘Cuda in 2002 to a restorer in southern California, but he couldn’t remember the man’s name. Rees hit a dead end.
So, he got on the internet and joined a Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth Web site called “For A Bodies Only.” He posted a story and photos of the car asking if anyone had any information on the car. Only 68 Barracudas were built that year and all the options were made to order, making his particular car very unique and rare.
Rees received several replies to his message, but one stood out. The man was from New York and was able to send him build sheets for the Barracuda’s model. A car with the right options was built on March 11, 1969 and another on March 13. Rees didn’t think either one were his car, until the man sent him pictures of a car that could have been its twin.
As it turns out this “twin” ‘Cuda was THE car he and his wife had owned all those years ago in 1969 South Dakota. Rees immediately offered to buy it, offering to pay full price, if the price was fair enough.
The man had to think about it and Rees had just given up hope when he received a message offering the car for sale. Finally at the beginning of October, the owner from New York settled on selling it and a price. Rees left almost immediately on the 1,655-mile, one way, trip to pick up the car.
Rees has already begun the restoration process on the car, although for being 44 years old, he says it is not in bad shape and will not need as much work as most comparable cars need. Most of the issues are mechanical, rather than cosmetic.
The car is a 340, four-speed with a 3:91 Sure Grip rear end notch back. Rees says all the numbers, including the engine, transmission and body serial numbers, VIN number and dash number all match, making the car even more rare.
Rees says he didn’t think finding the car would be possible, but he sure is happy to have done so. “It is going to be fun to drive it again!” he says.