Plymouth Barracuda (1967-1969)

The Plymouth Barracuda was well known for competing against the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro during the late 1960s. However, the Barracuda initially got its start back in 1964. A fastback A-body 2-door vehicle, it was created and developed after the Valiant. Due to the similarities between the two vehicles, Plymouth decided to do a major overall in 1967.

Plymouth started the redesign by using Barracuda-specific sheet metal. 1967 also introduced three different versions of the Barracuda:

* Convertible
* Fastback
* Notchback Hardtops

The A-body the Barracuda used offered a smaller rear wheel drive, which was used by four Plymouth vehicles in the 1960s (Barracuda, Duster, Scamp, and Valiant). The wheelbase fluctuated throughout the first half of the sixties. From 1960-63, the wheelbases were 106.5 in and were a half-inch smaller between 63 and 66 on most vehicles. By the time the 1967 Plymouth Barracuda was released, it offered the 108 in wheelbase. Only the Valiant and Dart offered larger versions in the 1960s (111 in).

In order to break-away from the similarities of the Valiant, the 1967 Barracuda was less rectilinear. The style of the front and rear end was completely different, and it offered coke-bottle side contours. Also, when you compared the roof of the fastback coupe, it was easy to see that the rear portion was more streamlined for aerodynamic purposes.

 
If you look at most of the muscle cars in the early part to mid-60s, the majority of them offered their play on sidemarker lights or reflectors. When the 67 Barracuda was in production, the Federal Auto Safety Standards were being implemented into the motor industry. Therefore, the sidemarker lights and reflectors were not integrated into the 1967 Barracuda.

We would see a huge popularity increase in the pony-car class throughout the last few years of the 60s. In order to keep up with the competition, it was important for Plymouth to revise the engine choices of the Barracuda. The standard version was a 225 Slant-6, which was primarily used as a detuned street version. If you planned to race your Barracuda, Plymouth offered the opportunity to drop a 273 cu in or a 383 "B" big-block. Keep in mind; the big-block was only available in the Formula S package.

Don't confuse the 383 short-stroke B engine with the RB version released in 1960. Muscle car owners knew this engine to be the "Golden Commando," which was the perfect addition if you wanted to use it for drag-racing purposes. In 1968 this 383 version would become even more popular when the Road Runner was introduced. The problem with the Barracuda version in 68' is that it was restricted to only 300bhp. This was due to the exhaust manifolds designed for the A-body vehicles wouldn't provide the same type of output.

One of the most exciting times for the 1968 Plymouth Barracuda was when potential buyers paid an upgrade fee to get their hands on the 426 Hemi engine. It was primarily used for the Super Stock circuit (drag racing), but could also be found in other parts of the racing world. These vehicles were so powerful they could run a quarter-mile in about 10.5 seconds and could not be used on public roads. It even had a sticker on it to show it couldn't be used publicly.

In 1967 there were over 66,000 Barracudas sold. The fastbacks and coupes hovered around 30,000 each, while the convertibles sold over 4,200. Only 50 of those vehicles were made with the 426 Hemi. In 1968, the Barracuda was only able to sell a little over 46,000 vehicles. Over 28,000 of them were built with a V8 engine.

Even though the Barracuda was one of the best performing muscle cars of its time, each year saw decrease in sales. When 1969 rolled around, Plymouth wanted to put an emphasis on marketing performance. Instead of using the 383 from a year ago, it was tweaked to provide 330bhp. There were over 31,000 Barracudas sold in 1969, but it was clear that other cars were cutting into the profits.

Plymouth even made a Mod Top version for consumers, but it was only able to weather the storm. This vinyl roof covering offered a new look for the streets, but didn't provide the same "muscle" appear as past Barracudas. The company also offered a variety of engines options in 1969, which included the 440 Super Commando V8. Unfortunately they weren't able to provide the same success as previous Barracudas.

One of the biggest problems was not being able to hook-up the car off the line. The tires would continue to spin, which resulted in 14 second, quarter-miles. Even changing the tires to slicks only provided a 2 second increase. Most critics during that time believed street tires were even better than the slicks.

In fact, some of the 1969 Barracudas with the 383 could reach 145mph on the open road. These were definitely pretty fast for so-called "street versions.” In the end, it's just what you got to enjoy when you lived during the muscle car era.