Model Plymouth Barracuda

Plymouth Barracuda

Manufactured by Chrysler from 1964 through 1974 the Plymouth Barracuda was a 2 door. The first generation based on the Plymouth Valiant came out as a fastback coupe. The fastback had wraparound glass in the rear, with a very distinctive look. The fastback produced by Chrysler was available from 1964 to 1966.

Still based on the Plymouth Valiant the second generation came out in 1967. The Plymouth Barracuda underwent a very significant redesign and became available in a convertible, notchback and traditional fastback.

In the next generation 1970 through 1974 Chrysler produced an E- body for both the coupe and the convertible.

The “pony car” automotive trends of the 60s had all the car manufactures hopping to get the bigger share of the market. The Plymouth Barracuda beat the Mustang to market by two full weeks on April first 1964.

In search for a new car name the Plymouth exec’s wanted the new car to be named “Panda”. The car’s designers though this was silly. But a John Samsen suggested the name “Barracuda” which caught on and was selected.

Power options were identical to the Valiant's, including two versions of Chrysler's slant-6 engine. The standard-equipment engine had a displacement of 170 cu in and an output of 101 hp; the 225 cu in option raised the power output to 145 hp for a little more pep.

A sportier power option for 1964 was Chrysler's all-new 273 cu in V8. A relatively light engine equipped with a 2-barrel carburetor, it produced 180 hp. The Barracuda at $2,512 base price was a great car.

The 273 was replaced by the 318 cu in V8 engine as the smallest V8 available, and the new 340 cu in V8 with a 4bbl was released. The 383 Super Commando engine was upgraded with the intake manifold, camshaft, and cylinder heads from the RoadRunner and Super Bee. The hp was limited to 300 hp because of the more restrictive exhaust manifolds specific to the A-body cars.

Chrysler for 1968 made approximately 50 fastback Barracudas equipped with the 426 cu in V8 Hemi for Super Stock drag racing. The Super Stock cars were assembled by Hurst Performance and featured fiberglass front fenders, and hood with scoop, lightweight seats, and sound deadener and other street equipment such as rear seats left out. All 50 included a sticker that indicated that the car was not for use on public roads. These cars could run the quarter in the mid 10s.

We have located a number of Plymouth Barracudas models from some of the top listings to add to your collections.