Words & Photos: Clive Branson Car Owner: Kyle Biggar
When I hear the word, ‘scientist,’ images of a stereotyped picture flash in my mind of someone with an introverted demeanour, be-speckled, donned in a white lab coat with pens in the breast pocket, and interests in science-fiction to stamp collecting. So it seemed a shocking contradiction that an emerging scientist would be so enamoured with one of the most iconic muscle cars in existence – the 1973 Plymouth Cuda – a metal G-spot in American engineering. But then, I’m not just talking about any scientist.
Kyle Biggar is a young researcher and assistant professor at Carleton University, and his dedication has earned him the prestigious John Charles Polanyi Prize for outstanding early-career research in determining how low oxygen contributes to tumour progression and chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer. “My lab is primarily interested in the characterization of how proteins coordinate and collaborate to achieve a particular cellular function (known as functional proteomics). This includes the study of how proteins interact with each other, and enzymes select substrates, to define their signaling and networking that accompanies disease progression or resistance to treatment.” It all began when Kyle was studying something quite different, turtles. To survive the winters, turtles hibernate, submerged in mud, and can lower their metabolism to roughly one beat per minute while holding their breath for three months.
It seems incredulous, but turtles can intake oxygen from the slight flow of pond water trickling across their body surfaces that are flush with external blood vessels and actually ‘breath’ through their...butts. I’ve heard of people talking through them, but these amphibians actually breathe through them. The trouble is, cancer cells thrive in environments that are deprived of oxygen and Kyle noticed tumours developing on turtles. Such discoveries eventually led to his decision to switch to cancer research.
Though the original Plymouth Barracuda (1964 - 1969) and the ‘70’s Plymouth Cuda (1970 – 1974) were designed for the pony car market, the only family DNA similarities they shared were V8 configurations. They were built on different body frames. And from a visual perspective, they are about as close as Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew. The Cudas, designed by John E. Herlitz, removed all its previous commonality with the Valiant, giving it a lower, wider stance and distinguished it as one of the sexiest muscle cars ever to hit the tarmac, and a perennial favourite for collectors. The Cuda has magnetism that oozes sleekness and prowess from every curve, making other muscle cars seem philistine in comparison. The Cudas merged A- and B-body components to fashion a sporty, attractive car that could house any engine Chrysler had to offer. Since the convertible model had been discontinued in 1972, the Cuda hardtop was the only other model available (other than the base model). In addition to the body coloured grill, the ‘73 brand was visually identified by its moldings around the wheel openings, drip rail and deck lid. It was also upgraded from a six-cylinder engine to a generous 314 CID V8 powerplant (and further elevated to a 360 engine during the same model year) supported by heavy-duty suspension, large tires, a scooped hood, and a 7-blade Torquefan. “The Cuda wasn’t my first choice ,” explains Kyle rather sheepishly. “My passion was for Demons and Darts . It was my father who was responsible for my interest in classic cars. I grew up with a few classics in the barn, including a ’71 Dodge Demon 340 and a ’71 Boss Mustang 351. I vividly remember our 500-foot paved driveway well-marked with burn-outs.”
It was a family friend, Shawn Livingstone, who owned the car and used it as a street and drag-strip racer. He established quite the reputation as the challenger-to-beat . Over 12 years, Shawn and his father, Orrin, raced the Cuda in Atlantic Canada, reducing their timing and increasing their status from 15.86 seconds to 10.96 seconds in the ¼ mile. It won first overall four times in its class and in 1996, they continued their streak by winning the Fastest Streetcar shootout at the old Maitland dragstrip in Nova Scotia. “By the time I moved from Prince Edward Island to Ottawa, I had the available space and means to buy the car in 2015, but the car was stored on the Island. The odometer read close to 100,000 miles.” Still, for a 42-year old car, it was in amazing shape. “Over the years, I would travel intermittently back to PEI and, together with my father, we got it to its present state. My father really kept the project moving between my trips.” They installed LED bulbs to emphasize the brake lights, converted the clock mechanism to a quartz movement, installed a new tach circuit board to work with the MSD ignition system and replaced all the windows (alignment turned out to be the hardest part). An original AM radio was modernized to accommodate bluetooth audio, new re-chromed front and rear bumpers were added, a modification to the front brackets to inset the bumper a little further into the car than stock, removed the roll-cage, which meant replacing the old carpets and package tray, and employed about 20 hours of scrubbing the under carriage to remove years of oil used to protect the car from rust. New front suspension bushings were incorporated while the manual steering box was enhanced from a 24:1 to a 16:1 though, as Kyle expresses assuredly, “it does need your attention out on the road.” The car has a 727 automatic transmission with a high stall torque converter and manual valve body and needs to be manually shifted. I can easily bolt the front tires off the ground, and in the past, its violent thrust has twisted the metal around the roof’s rear frame above the fenders, causing a small hairline fracture in the paint and marking its history from the drag strip.
The accoutrements that would have been long gone due to the deterioration from rust, but remained intact, including the high performance 340 cu. in. 5.6-liter V8 and all the original body panels. Furthermore, it has only been repainted once (it is an original TX9 black car, one of the least common colours, only applied to about 1 percent of cars) during the 1990s. But above all, besides looks that could unlock the keys to heaven and speed that is as scary as “American friendly fire”, is the sound. It is comparable to a Hiroshima-class rumble. It sounds like rolling heaves of anger with each touch of the throttle. It is soul food for anyone with Castrol in their veins. Regrettably, it was during the ‘70s when government regulations forced car manufacturers to acquiesce the restrictions concerning safety, pollution and gas consumption. The writing was on the wall and it was the demise of the muscle car, legislating less big-block, gas-guzzling, low-lead horsepower to meet reduced compression ratios and emission restrictions. Soaring insurance policies also diminished sales. Although the Cuda series rebounded to a 22,213 sales total, up from 18,450 sold in 1972, it was the end of the road and the last one built was on April 1, 1974. No April Fool’s joke. I ask Kyle how he views the future of classic cars. He turns my question over in his mind before answering. “I think most people recognize that car collectability ebbs and flows with certain vehicles having broader generational appeal. I think that vehicles like a ’69 Mustang Mach 1, or the ‘70’s Cudas, will always have a broad appeal and remain collectable throughout the years. I think that E-body Mopars will be similar – the new Challenger helps with that.” Kyle’s car is meant as a driver, not a show car. “I drive it to work in the summer and enjoy it on the weekends. When I get behind the wheel of my Cuda, it is my escape from work. I have a great job, but it is always a relief to leave work behind and just enjoy the drive.” It is also homage to his father. “Restoring the car with my father will likely always be a memory strongly associated with the car.” And with that, Kyle turned on the car, a roar filled the air, the ground reverberated beneath us and smiles stretched across our faces.
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