SP Rides: Oooo … Barra, Barracuda!
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Dean Nishizaki
Age: 58
Occupation: Sound and Lighting
Hobbies: Cooking, playing music, cars
Year/Make/Model: 1970 Plymouth Cuda AAR Clone
Color: Black with vinyl striping
Engine: 383, Mopar cam, headers, Edeldrock intake, Holley carb, electronic ignition
Drivetrain: Hemi 4 spd trans, 8 3/4 rear w/ 3.91 sure grip
Suspension: Stock w/ front / rear sway bar , Monroe shocks
Wheels: Stock Rallye Rims w/ BF Goodrich tires
Pauoa Valley native Dean Nishizaki is intimately familiar with the ’70s Plymouth Barracuda. While a student at Roosevelt High School, he got his first chance at owning the model, thanks to the influence of several friends who were avid domestic muscle fans, and immediately jumped at the opportunity. Nishizaki would go on to spend the next 10 years drag racing at the former Hawaii Raceway Park until an unfortunate auto accident — a Vette rear-ended him — led the car lover to sell his most prized possession.
“I still don’t know why I sold it,” he recalled. “Someone was bugging me and I just sold it to them.”
After parting with his beloved “Cuda,” Nishizaki would go on to own a wide variety of other domestic sheet metal: ’69 Dodge Dart, ’70 Duster, ’68 442, ’73 Vette, ’70 El Camino and ’70 Challenger. Given that lineup, it’s safe to say he possessed a true fascination with the classic American muscle car.
But the loss of his Cuda still bothered him — so much so that Nishizaki felt it was time to come full circle with his first love. With the passing of his parents as a stimulus, Nishizaki searched online for two years until he found this exquisite 1970 Plymouth Cuda AAR Clone for sale in California. Nishizaki immediately purchased the automobile and soon, the black beauty was on a barge and making its way to the Islands.
All older cars have quirks, so upon arrival, Nishizaki set out to eliminate any of the remaining gremlins the car had, including replacing a few interior and exterior components along with some mild massaging for the current big block 483. Currently, he’s in the process of swapping back in the original motor that came with this model.
“Putting in the 340 will make it complete” said Nishizaki, who spent many days racing a fully modified 340, and thus prefers the familiarity. Since there’s no viable venue to drag race here on Oahu, a bit of pressure has been taken off his shoulders. Instead of constantly rebuilding the car to maximize its potential, Nishizaki now spends his days simply enjoying the ride for what it is.
And there’s no doubt about it — this ride is gorgeous. The body is muscular and authoritative, graced with sweeping lines that are enhanced by the vinyl graphics. An aggressive hood helps set off a rather unique front fascia, while both the interior and exterior are absolutely immaculate. The black on black motif leaves you breathless while the dual side-exit exhausts add the growl.
Indeed, this ride is stunning.
Nishizaki firmly believes that life is too short to waste second chances. It’s the reason he didn’t hesitate when the opportunity to own another Cuda presented itself.
“No matter how old we are, if it’s possible to own your dream car, you should,” he said. Nostalgia is a powerful feeling we all experience and Nishizaki is no different — especially when it comes to this bad, black Barracuda.
