Motorious Explores The Plymouth Barracuda

⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious

The Plymouth Barracuda - A Valiant-based pony car built to rival the Ford Mustang!

An American two-door vehicle built for the pony car market, the Plymouth Barracuda was produced for an entire decade from 1964 through 1974 model years. Utilizing the same hybrid design as Ford for the Mustang decreased the time to create as well as development and tooling cost for Plymouth's all-new model. The first Barracuda was introduced in fastback form on April 1, 1964.

First-Generation (1964 - 1966)

The first-generation Plymouth Barracuda had a production run from 1964 through 1966 model years. A two-door hardtop fastback with a distinctive wraparound back glass, the car sat on the A-body platform and was based on the Valiant.

The 1964 Plymouth Barracuda shared plenty of components with the Valiant including the 106-inch wheelbase, hood, headlamp bezels, windshield, vent windows, quarter panels, doors, A-pillar, and bumpers. New parts included the trunk and some of the glass. Even the two versions of Chrysler's slant-6 six-cylinder engine (a 2.8-liter with 101-bhp; 3.7-liter with 145-bhp) used in the Barracuda were the exact same as the Valiant. The highest-performing engine given to the Barracuda was Chrysler's all-new 273-cubic-inch (4.5-liter) LA V8 engine topped with a two-barrel carburetor that produced 180-brake-horsepower. The car was shifted via Torqueflite automatic transmission (the last year for the transmission) and a "TorqueFlite 6" for the V8.

For 1965, the U.S. market used a 225-cubic-inch slant-6 as the base engine for the Barracuda while Canada retained the 170-cubic-inch six-cylinder. The 273-cubic-inch could be upgraded to a "Commando" version with a four-barrel carburetor, a 10.5:1 compression, and a more aggressive camshaft that bumped the output to 235-brake-horsepower.

The 1965 model included a Formula 'S' package given the Commando engine, suspension upgrades, bigger wheels and tires, unique emblems, and a tachometer. After the start of the '65 model year, factory air conditioning and disc brakes were offered.

For 1966, the Deluxe models were given turn signal indicators atop the fenders, larger bumpers, new tail lamps, new front sheet metal, new instrument panel, a grille with a strong grid pattern, and an optional center console.

Second-Generation (1967 - 1969)

Heavily redesigned, the second-generation Plymouth Barracuda was still based on the Valiant and was built from 1967 through 1969. For this second-generation, the two-door car was offered as a fastback, hardtop, and convertible.

The 225-cubic-inch slant-6 still remained the base engine. The 273-cubic-inch V8 was available in two- and four-barrel versions. In addition, there was the "B" big-block 383-cubic-inch V8 (6.3-liter) with 280-bhp was was seldom ordered as part of the Formula S package.

For the 1967 'Cuda model, the front and rear bumpers were identical with the same license plate indent and mounting bracket.

For 1968, a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) LA engine replaced the 273ci as the smallest V8 offered, and Plymouth offered a new 340ci (5.6-liter) LA four-barrel V8. The 383 Super Commando was equipped with upgrades including intake manifold, camshaft, and cylinder heads from the Road Runner and Super Bee. Restrictive exhaust manifolds still had it at 300-bhp.