Plymouth Barracuda

With the Barracuda, Plymouth actually beat Ford to the market with a youthful coupe, it was in the showrooms two weeks before the Mustang. It was really just a tided up Valiant saloon (Plymouth’s compact’) with a dramatic fastback roofline that incorporated a large warp around rear window. It was fast (with the V8), handled really well and came with a huge range of options, but somehow failed to steal a march on the Mustang. It’s styling was too obvious based on the bargain basement Valiant, the front end was clumsy and the wrap around rear window dated rapidly. Few were surprised when the Mustang out sold the Barracuda by a ratio of ten one ten.

Later version became less tied in with the Valiant. They also featured smoother styling and ever more powerful engine options Plymouth began to pursue a performance image. By the end of the 1960s, Plymouth had decided the 383-3 was the top of Barracuda range. It came with 235 bhp V8 applied to heavy duty suspension and brakes. The car was totally restyled for 1970, with the Muscular ‘Cuda 340 as the most powerful model in range.

Emission regulations eroded the car’s performance gradually in the early seventies, and as the Plymouth name became increasing associated with utilitarian transport, the model name was dropped. In many ways this was a kindness and it has certainly helped ensure that the name is best remembered for the starting vehicles of the 1960s as opposed to the dull ones of the 1970s.