Plymouth Barracuda

The Plymouth Barracuda is a two-door car that was manufactured by Plymouth from the 1964 to 1974 model years. The first-generation Barracuda, a hardtop fastback A-body based on the Plymouth Valiant. It featured a distinctive wraparound back glass and was marketed from 1964 to 1966.

The second-generation 1967 to 1969 Barracuda, though still Valiant-based, was heavily redesigned. Body designs were now available in fastback, hardtop coupe, and convertible versions.

The third-generation 1970 to 1974 E-body Barracuda, was no longer based on the Valiant. The completely new design was shared with the Dodge Challenger and available in hardtop and convertible body styles. The Barracuda was discontinued after the 1974 model year. One of the worst kept secret was that Ford was planning to introduce a new sporty compact car based on the "lowly" Ford Falcon chassis and running gear, but the extent of the other changes was not known.[3] Chrysler stylist Irv Ritchie sketched a fastback version of the compact Plymouth Valiant as this body style "has always been considered sporty."[3] Budgets were limited, but the company's executives wanted to have an entry in this quickly growing sporty-compact car market segment and to capture some of the sales from Chevrolet's Corvair Monza models.[3] Plymouth's executives had wanted to name the new model Panda, an idea that was unpopular with its designers. In the end, John Samsen's suggestion of Barracuda prevailed.[4]

Based on Chrysler's compact A-body platform,[5] the Barracuda made its debut in fastback form on April 1, 1964. The new model used the Valiant's 106 in (2,692 mm) wheelbase and the Valiant hood, headlamp bezels, windshield, vent windows, quarter panels, doors, A-pillar, and bumpers; the trunk and some of the glass was new. Utilizing the same hybrid design approach as Ford did turning its Falcon into the Mustang significantly reduced Plymouth's development and tooling cost and time for the new model. The greatest effort was put into creating its distinguishing 14.4 sq ft (1.34 m2) rear window,[1] a collaboration between Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) and Chrysler designers that created the largest ever installed on a standard production car to that time.[6]

Powertrains were identical to the Valiant's, including two versions of Chrysler's slant-6 six-cylinder engine. The standard-equipment engine had a piston displacement of 170 cu in (2.8 L) and an output of 101 bhp (75 kW); the 225 cu in (3.7 L) option raised the power output to 145 bhp (108 kW). The highest power option for 1964 was Chrysler's all-new 273 cu in (4.5 L) LA V8. A compact and relatively light engine equipped with a two-barrel carburetor, it produced 180 bhp (130 kW).[7] The Barracuda sold for a base price of US$2,512.

The 1964 model year was the first for the Barracuda and also the last year for push-button control of the optional Torqueflite automatic transmission,[citation needed]. It also marked the first use of the smaller "TorqueFlite 6" (A904) transmission behind a V8.

In the marketplace, the Barracuda was "obviously" a fastback version of the Plymouth Valiant that had a frugal family transportation image. The sales brochure for the first Barracudas pitched it as a car "for people of all ages and interests."[3] The more "sporty" Ford Mustang was marketed with abundant advertising to young professionals and with youthful image and proved widely successful following its mid-1964 introduction.[3] This became known as the "pony car" niche of modestly appointed compact-sized sedans and convertibles, which came with standard 6-cylinder engines and basic interiors, but could be outfitted with powerful V8s and "custom" appointments and luxury features. The success of the Mustang has long obscured the fact that the Barracuda actually predated the Ford's introduction by two weeks.[8] The abbreviated sales season for the 1964 Barracuda totaled 23,443 units compared to the 126,538 Mustangs sold during the same time.