The Birth of the Plymouth Barracuda
Meet the First Plymouth Barracuda, but Probably Not the Last
In 1964, the Chrysler Corporation shipped the first Plymouth Barracuda. It started out as a grocery getter, but turned into a full-blown muscle car when they started building the second-generation cars in 1967. The perfect sized car at the right time in history makes a Barracuda one of the most desirable Mopar classic cars you can get your hands on.
Here we'll talk about some history of the automobile, review some of the most interesting option packages and talk about its untimely demise ten years after its birth. Finally we'll explore the possibilities of a rebirth of the iconic name utilizing the present day Dodge Challenger platform.
The …show more content…
Chrysler realized the Plymouth Barracuda would be more than capable of holding its own with a few performance upgrades. They developed the company’s first high-performance small block engine. The Commando V8 with an impressive 10.5 to 1 compression ratio, fitted with a [four barrel spread bore carburetor], easily produced 235 HP.
This led to the launch of the first factory performance package known as the Barracuda Formula S. It included the Commando V8 engine and an exterior styling package featuring [Mopar's factory mag wheels] and a centered racing stripe running the entire length of the automobile.
Second-generation Big Block Barracuda
They built the second-generation cars from 1967 through 1969. For the first time in sixty-seven you could order the compact and relatively lightweight Barracuda with a big block 383 CID V8 engine. However, this is a rare option as most stuck with the small block V-8 now punched out to 318 CID. In 1968 the all-new 340 small block became the most popular engine …show more content…
Nevertheless, this was just the beginning of an escalating arms race between the big three. In 1969, The 383 commando V8 produced 330 hp and a new Super Commando 440 CID V8 pumped out 390 advertised horsepower. An interesting note about the last year for the second generation cars is they stopped calling the performance model the formula S and re-badged it as the
Meet the First Plymouth Barracuda, but Probably Not the Last
In 1964, the Chrysler Corporation shipped the first Plymouth Barracuda. It started out as a grocery getter, but turned into a full-blown muscle car when they started building the second-generation cars in 1967. The perfect sized car at the right time in history makes a Barracuda one of the most desirable Mopar classic cars you can get your hands on.
Here we'll talk about some history of the automobile, review some of the most interesting option packages and talk about its untimely demise ten years after its birth. Finally we'll explore the possibilities of a rebirth of the iconic name utilizing the present day Dodge Challenger platform.
The …show more content…
Chrysler realized the Plymouth Barracuda would be more than capable of holding its own with a few performance upgrades. They developed the company’s first high-performance small block engine. The Commando V8 with an impressive 10.5 to 1 compression ratio, fitted with a [four barrel spread bore carburetor], easily produced 235 HP.
This led to the launch of the first factory performance package known as the Barracuda Formula S. It included the Commando V8 engine and an exterior styling package featuring [Mopar's factory mag wheels] and a centered racing stripe running the entire length of the automobile.
Second-generation Big Block Barracuda
They built the second-generation cars from 1967 through 1969. For the first time in sixty-seven you could order the compact and relatively lightweight Barracuda with a big block 383 CID V8 engine. However, this is a rare option as most stuck with the small block V-8 now punched out to 318 CID. In 1968 the all-new 340 small block became the most popular engine …show more content…
Nevertheless, this was just the beginning of an escalating arms race between the big three. In 1969, The 383 commando V8 produced 330 hp and a new Super Commando 440 CID V8 pumped out 390 advertised horsepower. An interesting note about the last year for the second generation cars is they stopped calling the performance model the formula S and re-badged it as the