Plymouth Barracuda - the anti-Mustang from Chrysler

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Plymouth Barracuda - the anti-Mustang from Chrysler

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Created on April 16, 2020

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Bruno von Rotz

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Bruno von Rotz

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Ruedi Menzi

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Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - lots of torque, power from the cellar

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - dynamic coupé with the power of eight cylinders

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - almost 180 km/h fast with the weaker V8

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - rigid rear axle

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - characteristic rear view

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Brakes with drums

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - many people had to hurry to follow it back then

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - elegant coupé almost 4.8 meters long

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the Barracuda is still close to the Valiant at the front

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the large rear window was its unique selling point

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - all-round visibility is good, but the rear window distorts the view to the rear

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - no B-pillar, frameless side windows

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - elegant coupé

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - View through the tinted rear window into the interior

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - classic American interior architecture

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - plenty of space in the cockpit

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - sit in and roar off

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the operation is hardly puzzling

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - thin-walled steering wheel, blue cockpit

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - three additional instruments for water temperature, fuel level and charge level

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - without rev counter

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - manual transmission and therefore with clutch pedal

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - classic H-shift

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the Blaupunkt radio was probably a Swiss optional extra

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - effective heating and ventilation system

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - somewhat slippery plastic upholstery

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - fold-down rear seats, the partition to the trunk can also be removed, creating a two-meter-long loading area

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Door panel

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Barracuda lettering also in the interior

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - stylish interior lighting

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - longitudinally mounted V8 engine

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - one twin carburetor had to be enough

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - V8 engine with 4490 cm3 and around 180 SAE hp

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Nameplate

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the Valiant V in the internal turn signals is a tease

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - four-eyed face

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - internally mounted indicators

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - lots of chrome at the front

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Plymouth lettering

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - V8 lettering

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the reference to the V8 engine

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Steel wheels and hubcaps

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Rear view mirror left

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Side mirror left

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - retrofitted right side mirror

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Barracuda lettering

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the rear design differs significantly from the Valiant model produced at the same time

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the sheer size of the rear window is particularly evident here

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - fully glazed

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the largest rear window in America at the time

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - when lighting design was still achieved by shaping the rear lights

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - ornate rear lights

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - Valiant emblem under the rear window

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Plymouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - the Fleurop sticker on the rear

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - weeks before the official unveiling, Chrysler pointed out the newcomer - still in Erlkönig livery

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Chrysler Valiant (1960) - presented at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show

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Chrysler Valiant (1962) - minor visual modifications for the 1962 model year

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - traditional technical concept

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - the relatively compact saloon at the 1959 London Motor Show

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - Presentation at the London Motor Show 1959

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - the station wagon was also praised for its generous space and low fuel consumption

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - as a spacious station wagon (hunting scene)

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - Image embargo until October 25, 1959

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - the "Valiant" was praised for its fuel economy (30 miles per gallon)

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - Sedan for the whole family

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Chrysler Valiant (1959) - Presentation in Switzerland

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Plymouth Valiant (1963) - smoothed body design

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Plymouth Valiant (1963) - shapely rear of the stylistically completely revised car

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Plymouth Barracuda (1964) - at a car show

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Plymouth Barracuda (1964) - 'Surfside' - showing the sunny side

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Plymouth Barracuda (1964) - Fastback coupé with a length of just under 4.8 meters

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Plymouth Barracuda (1964) - the first vehicles still had 'Valiant' lettering on the rear

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Plymouth Barracuda (1966) - the differences to its predecessors were limited

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Plymouth Barracuda (1964) - large rear window and voluminous trunk, but small hatch behind it

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Deborah Walley on a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda

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Plymouth Barracuda (1965) - with long roof, released at the end of 1964 - Geneva Motor Show 1965

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Plymouth Barracuda (1966) - on a test drive

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Plymouth Barracuda (1966) - Advertising in the USA in 1966

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Plymouth Barracuda (1964) - with stiffer dampers and rally stripes, the Barracuda could be upgraded to a 'real' sports car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - lots of chrome on the test car

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Plymouth Barracuda (1966) - a test car in 1966

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - impressive front of the test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - rear view of the test car

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Plymouth Barracuda (1964) - the car with the largest rear window

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - test car - entry into the sports coupé

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - generous space in the test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - Barracuda lettering on the interior trim of a test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - Test car - View of the ashtray

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - clearly visible mechanical elements in the rear of the test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - View into the trunk of a test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - Folded down rear seat of a test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - View of the V8 engine of the test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - View into the engine compartment of a test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - Front left headlight

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - Tail light of a test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - Panorama rear window of the test car

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Plymouth Barracuda S (1966) - Barracuda emblem on a test car

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Plymouth Barracuda (1967) - the new hatchback version was sold worldwide for the first time

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Plamouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - RAID Suisse-Paris 2017

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Plamouth Barracuda V8 (1965) - RAID Suisse-Paris 2017

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Summary

The Ford Mustang created a new vehicle category called "pony cars", i.e. not too big, sporty cars with everyday utility and coupé stature. But this honor actually belonged to Chrysler/Plymouth, because the Barracuda appeared two weeks before the Mustang. And the Barracuda also made its mark. The first series was notable for its huge rear window. This vehicle report tells the story of the early Plymouth Barracuda and shows it in historical and current pictures, as well as in the sales literature.

This article contains the following chapters

Presentation (almost) in silence
Chrysler/Plymouth Valiant as a starting point
Not a completely new car
Rear window as a unique selling point
Reliable everyday sportiness
More power and the Formula S
Faster than a Porsche?
Revised annually
Replacement after a good two years
A very special story
Further information

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Chrysler beat Ford to the punch by a few days and was thus the actual founder of a new vehicle category. The Plymouth Valiant Barracuda (named after a predatory fish) was announced on April 1, 1964, while the (unofficial) world premiere of the Ford Mustang took place in Bern on April 12, 1964. However, the Mustang was more popular with the public and sold eight times as many cars, so the new vehicle category was henceforth called "Pony Cars" and not "Fish Cars". Unlike Ford, which turned the launch of the Mustang into a global "happening", Chrysler presented the Barracuda in the company of the other models at the 1959 New York Auto Show. The Automobil Revue commented at the time: "At this year's New York International Auto Show, the Chrysler-Plymouth Division launched a completely new type of vehicle aimed primarily at America's sporty and younger generation, which is due to go into production soon."

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