Plymouth Barracuda

The Plymouth Barracuda, built by the Chrysler Corporation between 1964 and 1974, is considered to be a classic example of a muscle car. The Barracuda was born out of previous models of the Plymouth Valiant that were altered and refitted.

Making a few model changes to the Valiant gave Chrysler Corporation what they thought would be an outstanding selling vehicle. In the mid 1960’s Plymouth believed they had the answer to the Ford Mustang in the form of the Barracuda. However, the 'Cuda, as it was then called, didn’t quite measure up and the Mustang far exceeded it in sales and popularity.

The Ford Mustang and the Plymouth Barracuda are considered “pony” cars, which means they are inexpensive, sporty, highly stylized performance vehicles. Executives at Plymouth wanted to call the car the Panda, however designers were not inspired by the name, and John Samsen prevailed with his idea to name it the Barracuda.

Throughout the 1960's the Barracuda used the Valiant’s wheelbase and hood design, but also incorporated a huge wraparound rear window. The window was designed by Pittsburgh Plate Glass in conjunction with the Chrysler designers, and was the largest ever used in a car up until that time.

The competition between the various "pony" cars intensified as the years passed, which prompted changes in the options available to drivers. In 1965, Plymouth introduced what they called a Formula S package. Included in this option was a powerful V-8 engine, larger wheels and tires, and some alterations to the vehicle's dashboard. Sometime after the start of the 1965 design season, disc brakes and factory installed air conditioning were also made available

The Barracuda never did surpass the Ford Mustang in sales and production was eventually halted in 1974. The Plymouth Barracuda lives on today, however, as a connection to the bygone muscle car era of the 1960's and 70's.