Cars - Plymouth Barracuda

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	Cars - Plymouth Barracuda

The Barracuda was a two-door compact/midsize car manufactured by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1964 through 1974.

1964-1966

The original Plymouth Barracuda was built upon the A-body chassis, which was also common to several other vehicles manufactured by Chrysler, including the popular Dodge Dart. It was directly spun off of the existing Valiant series to appeal to a sportier market, and it it is also considered the first pony car, because it preceded the Ford Mustang to market by two weeks.

The first generation Barracuda's main claim to fame was its enormous fastback wrap-around rear window, considered the largest piece of automotive glass ever installed at that time. Powertrains were identical to the Valiant's, including two versions of Chrysler's legendary inline 6 — a 170 in³ (2.8 L), 101 hp (75 kW) version and an optional 225 in³ (3.7 L), 145 hp (108 kW) version offered. A two-barrel 180 hp (134 kW) 273 in³ (4.5 L) V8 was the top engine option for 1964, so performance at first was modest. The 170 in³ six was later eliminated as an option, leaving the 225 in³ 145 horsepower version as the smallest engine option. The Barracuda sold for a base price of $2,500 USD, and unlike any other year, all automatic 1964 Barracudas had a push button shifter on the dash.

The 1965 production year saw the introduction of two important options; the 273 in³ (4.5 L) Commando, a 235 hp (175 kW) four-barrel V8, and the Formula 'S' package, a performance package that included the Commando V8, upgraded suspension, wheels, and tires, and a standard tachometer.

In 1966 the Barracuda would receive a slightly new taillight design and a facelift, making it easily distinguishable from the '64 and '65 versions. As a move to further the car's image from that of the Valiant, the blue and red "V" shaped Valiant emblem below the rear glass on the center of the vehicle was replaced mid-year by a Barracuda fish emblem.

Influential design

The Barracuda would influence other designs, particularly others in Chrysler's stable. Across the pond, Chrysler's United Kingdom offshoot developed the Hillman Hunter estate based Sunbeam Rapier Fastback coupe for 1967, which clearly emulated the 1964-66 Barracuda's profile.

1967-1969

In 1967 the Barracuda remained an A-Body but was fully redesigned. To complement the fastback model, the vehicle now offered coupe (notchback) and convertible options, replacing 1966's Valiant versions. This second generation Barracuda would last for three years, from 1967 on through 1969.

As the pony car class became established and competition heated up, Plymouth began to revise the Barracuda's engine options, which came to resemble those of the larger Plymouth Road Runner more than the Valiant's. From the small-block 273 V8 in 1966, the car began to offer a big-block 383 in³ (6.3 L) B engine in 1967 and then the massive 440 in³ (7.2 L) RB single 4-barrel in 1969, available straight off of the showroom floor. There was even a limited production of 50 Super-Stock, non-street legal, Hemi powered Barracudas (and another 50 Darts) built in 1968 for use in drag racing.

1970-1974

As 1970 rolled around, another redesign was in order for the Barracuda. This new design looked quite a bit different than the previous models. One of the reasons was that it was now built on a new, slightly shorter and sportier version of Chrysler's existing B-body platform, the E-body. This new generation eliminated the fastback, but kept the two-door coupe and convertible versions. It also had a Dodge twin known as the Challenger; however, not one exterior body panel interchanged between the two cars. They were bulky, but aggressively and cleanly styled, although they were clearly influenced by the first generation Chevrolet Camaro. After the switch to E-body platform, which featured a larger engine bay than the previous A-body, Chrysler's famous 426 in³ (7.0 L) Hemi would now be available from the factory in the 'Cuda.

Race car drivers, Swede Savage and Dan Gurney drove identical factory-sponsored Barracudas in the 1970 Trans-Am Series, although with no success. With the 440-6 and 426 Hemi, the performance from these production 'Cudas ended up being legendary. The 1/4 mile times for these were 13.7 s @ 103 mph and 13.4 s @ 108 mph - both among the fastest times of the day. These engines were very easy to slightly modify and drop into the 12s, but either way - stock or modified - one could virtually have a 5-passenger race car. Barracudas also came with decal sets, hood modifications, and some unusual colors (Go Mango, Plum Crazy, and Panther Pink).

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Cars - Plymouth Barracuda

1964-1966

Influential design

1967-1969

1970-1974

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