Its strange how some of the coolest cars started coming out in the Mid-60s. We had more than an era of Hippies and flower power. We also had an era of some of the hottest street machines ever made. There were songs sang about these cars. Beach Boys, Jan & Dean just to name two. The car I’m going to write about this time is the:
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PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA. They also had a cool color that I loved, the lime green. I’m sure it wasn’t called that, it probably has some strange name, but I always called it lime green.
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In the mid 60s all the US automakers were starting to make sporty compact cars. Chrysler had an A-body Plymouth Valiant. And who can forget the Ford Mustang, which outsold the Barracuda. The Mustang had an effect on most of the muscle cars of this era. It became common for the cars to be called “pony cars”. But the Plymouth Barracuda fastback was released 2 weeks before the Ford Mustang. Can you believe the executives wanted to name this muscle car the PANDA? John Samsen’s suggestion of Barracuda was selected. The Barracuda sold for a base price of $2,512. 1964 was not only the first year for the Barracuda, but was also the last year for pushbutton control of the optional torqueflite automatic transmission, so 1964 models were the only Barracudas so equipped.
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1966 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S. For 1966, the Barracuda received new taillights, new front sheetmetal, and a new dashboard. The latter had room for oil pressure and tachometer gauges on models so equipped. The 1966 front sheetmetal, which except for the grille was shared with the Valiant, gave a more rectilinear contour to the fenders. Deluxe models featured fender-top turn signal indicators with a stylized fin motif. The bumpers were larger, and the grille featured a strong grid theme. A center console was optional for the first time.
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1967-1969. A 1967 Barracuda fastback. The second-generation Barracuda was fully redesigned with Barracuda-specific styling and its own range of models including convertibles and fastback and notchback hardtops. The new Barracuda, styled chiefly by John E. Herlitz and, was less rectilinear than the Valiant, with coke-bottle side contours and aggressively designed front and rear end styling. Design cues a concave rear deck panel; wide wheel openings, curved side glass, and S-curved roof pillars on the notchback. The fastback had a streamlined rear roof. The back glass had a substantially horizontal rake angle, and was significantly smaller than the 1964-66 back glass. The amount and conspicuity of chrome trim was restrained. The phased introduction during this timeframe of the first US Federal auto safety standards provide the means to discern the model year of a second-generation Barracuda: the 1967 models have no sidemarker lights or reflectors, the 1968 models have round sidemarker lights without reflectors, and the 1969 models have rectangular sidemarker reflectors without lights.
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As the pony car class became established and competition increased, Plymouth began to revise the Barracuda’s engine options. There was even a limited production of 50 Super-Stock, non-street legal, Hemi-powered Barracudas (and 50 Hemi Dodge Darts) built in 1968 for use in drag racing. With fiberglass hoods and front fenders and light steel doors, these Hemi-powered Barracudas were capable of quarter-mile times of under 11 seconds at top speeds of over 130 mph. In 1968, a new option was the Mod Top, a vinyl roof covering with a floral motif. Plymouth sold it as a package with seat and door panel inserts done in the same pattern.
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Also in 1968,Chrysler made approximately 50 fastback Barracudas equipped with the 426 Hemi. These cars were assembled by Hurst Performance and were strictly for use as drag race cars in the super stock class. These cars featured lightweight items such as thin Corning side glass, fiberglass front fenders and hood with scoop, lightweight seats and all sound deadener and other street equipment omitted. Today, original Hemi super stock Barracudas (and similarly configured Dodge Darts) are highly prized collector vehicles, with original unaltered cars commanding high prices.
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1970-1974. For 1970, the Barracuda lost all commonality with the Valiant. The all-new 1970 model, styled by John E. Herlitz, was built on a shorter, wider version of Chrysler’s existing B platform, called the E-body. The fastback was deleted from the line, which now consisted of coupe and convertible models. There was also a Dodge near-twin known as the Challenger; however, no sheet metal interchanged between the two cars, and the Challenger had a slightly longer wheelbase. Both were aggressively styled, and the high-performance models were marketed as ‘Cuda. The E body’s engine bay was larger than that of the previous A-body, facilitating the release of Chrysler’s 426 in Hemi for the regular retail market.
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Two six-cylinder engines were available — a new 198 in version of the slant-6, and the 225 — as well as six different V8s: the 318, 340, 383, 440-4bbl, 440-6bbl, and the 426 Hemi. available. The 440- and Hemi-equipped cars received upgraded suspension components and structural reinforcements to help transfer the power to the road. Barracudas were available with decal sets, hood modifications, and some unusual “high impact” colors such as “Vitamin C”, “In-Violet”, and “Moulin Rouge”.
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Race car drivers Swede Savage and Dan Gurney drove identical factory-sponsored AAR (All American Racers) Cudas in the 1970 Trans-Am Series, with great promise (3 poles), but little success (0 wins). The street version AAR Cudas were equipped with the 340 cid “six pack” (three two-barrel carburetors).
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With the 440-6 and 426 Hemi, the straight-line performance from regular production Barracudas became legendary. The 1/4 mile times for were in the vicinity of 7.66 seconds 150 mph to 13.4 s 108 mph – both among the fastest times of the day. However, this sort of performance came at a price: road tests noted the cars’ cramped, uncomfortable passenger compartment and extremely limited luggage capacity. Poor handling and braking were also common complaints, particularly with the larger, heavier engines.
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1971 440 ‘Cuda. The Barracuda was changed slightly for 1971, with a new grille and taillights. This would be the only year that the Barracuda would have four headlights, and also the only year of the fender “gills” on the ‘cuda model. The 1971 Barracuda engine options would remain the same as that of the 1970 model, except the 4-barrel carbureted 440 engine was not available; all 440-powered Barracudas had a six-barrel carburetor setup instead. The 426 Hemi option would remain, and the Hemi-powered 1971 Barracuda convertible is now considered one of the rarest and most desirable collectible automobiles. Only twelve were produced (7 American, 3 Canadian, 2 European), selling for US$2,000,000 or more each.
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In 1970 and 1971, two significant options were available: the shaker hood and the Spicer-built Dana 60 rear axle. The shaker hood was available with 340, 383, 440-4bbl and 440-6bbl, and 426 Hemi engines. The heavy-duty (and heavy) Dana 60, with a 9-3/4 in ring gear, was standard equipment with manual transmissions and 440-6bbl and 426 Hemi engines, and was optional on those with the automatic transmission. All engines were slightly detuned and the compression reduced to accommodate the new low-lead gasoline.
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After another grille and taillight redesign in 1972, the Barracuda would remain unchanged through 1974, with dual headlights and four circular taillights. But as with all other vehicles of the time, these years saw a progressive decrease in the Barracuda’s performance due to the loss of big block engine options, and tightening safety and exhaust emission regulations. Engines were detuned year by year to reduce exhaust emissions, which also reduced their power output. At the same time, bumpers grew larger and heavier and heavy steel side-impact protection beams were installed inside the doors for 1973. By 1974, only the 318 and 360 engines were available. Higher fuel prices and performance-car insurance surcharges deterred many buyers as the interest in high performance cars waned; sales had dropped dramatically after 1970, and Barracuda production ended April 1, 1974, ten years to the day after it had begun.
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1975-Current. A 1975 Barracuda was planned before the end of the 1974 model year. Plymouth engineers sculpted two separate concepts out of clay, both featuring a Superbird-inspired aerodynamic body, and eventually reached a consensus upon which an operational concept car could be built. Due to a rapidly changing automotive market, the concepts were scrapped before the 1975 Barracuda would roll off the production line. The Barracuda is today among the most valuable of muscle cars sought by collectors, although the rarity of specific models and option combinations today is largely the result of low buyer interest and production at the time.