The Plymouth Barracuda was a family Valiant in a sporty fastback disguise
Chrysler knew Ford was preparing a sporty compact, so on a tight budget it gave its sensible Valiant a fastback and a giant wraparound rear window. The Barracuda went on sale on April 1, 1964. Ford's Mustang arrived in mid-1964 and claimed the pony-car crown anyway.
Ford's plans for a stylish compact built on the cheap Falcon were one of Detroit's worst-kept secrets. Chrysler's money was tied up developing its Turbine Car, so stylist Irv Ritchie sketched a fastback version of the Valiant. The finished Barracuda reused the Valiant's wheelbase, hood, windscreen, doors, bumpers and much more, adding a new boot and some new glass, most memorably the vast curved rear window. As with Ford's Falcon-to-Mustang trick, sharing parts slashed development cost and time.
Engines came straight from the Valiant. The base slant-six made 101 brake horsepower, a larger six made 145, and the top option was a new, compact 273 cubic-inch V8 producing 180. The base price was $2,512. It was also the last year Chrysler's optional automatic gearbox was controlled by push buttons.
Marketing was the weak point. The Barracuda looked like what it was, a fastback Valiant with a thrifty family image, and its brochure pitched it at people of all ages and interests. Ford aimed the Mustang squarely at young professionals with heavy advertising, and its success defined the pony-car niche. Plymouth fought back with a Commando version of the V8, raised to 235 horsepower with a four-barrel carburettor and higher compression, plus a Formula S package with stiffer suspension, bigger tyres and a tachometer. Disc brakes and factory air conditioning followed during 1965. For 1966 the Valiant script disappeared from American cars in favour of a Barracuda fish emblem, although Canada and South Africa kept Valiant badges.
The second generation, from 1967 to 1969, got its own sheet metal on a slightly longer wheelbase and added notchback and convertible versions. The third generation, from 1970, moved to a new platform shared only with the Dodge Challenger. Production ended with the 1974 models.
Source: Plymouth Barracuda
