Plymouth Barracuda Cars For Sale

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Automotive trends in the early to mid-1960s drove US automakers to create sporty compact cars. Chrysler also made efforts in this direction. The Plymouth Valiant was taken as a basis. The result was the quintessential rear-wheel-drive muscle car that rivaled the Ford Mustang to some extent, with its April 1, 1964 premiere 2 weeks ahead of Ford's bestseller.

The sports car of the subsidiary of Chrysler Corporation Plymouth Barracuda was produced from 1964 to 1974 at two plants: in Hamtramck (Michigan) and Windsor (Ontario, Canada). Three generations of Barracuda were produced, all of them were 2-doors.

The first generation of the model was based on the Plymouth Valiant A platform and was produced from 1964 to 1966. Body dimensions were 4780/1781 mm (length / width) with a wheelbase of 2692 mm. The hood, headlights, windscreen wipers, bumpers and some of the panels were from Valiant, other bodywork was original. This approach has significantly reduced the time and cost of creating a model.

Cars installed Chrysler 6-cylinder Slant gasoline engines-6 with a volume of 2.8 liters (101 hp) and 3.7 liters (145 hp), as well as an LA V8 4.5 liters. The compact and powerful enough LA V8 engine developed a maximum power of 180 hp. The power units were paired with a Torqueflite automatic transmission.

In 1965, in light of increased competition in the muscle car market, the LA engine was increased to 235 hp. The Formula S equipment appeared, which included such a motor, an updated suspension, oversized wheels, special emblems and a tachometer. Since 1965, the Barracuda has been equipped with disc brakes and an air conditioning system.air flow. The body panels have undergone some changes; facelift gave the car a more rapid shape.

Produced from 1967 to 1969, the second generation Barracuda, although it was basically the same Valiant, but its exterior had already been sufficiently changed. Consumers were offered cars in coupe and convertible bodies. The wheelbase has increased to 2743 mm. The engine lineup included the 3.7-liter Slant-6, the LA V8 4.5L, 5.2L and 5.6L, as well as the 6.3-liter B V8 (330hp) and RB 7. 2 p.

In 1968, about 50 Barracuda coupes were produced for racingequipped with 7-liter Hemi Super power units. These cars were built using lightweight materials and interior details such as seats. The surviving examples of these Barracudas are of considerable interest to auto antiques collectors.

A small number of Savage GTs were also built. For the South African market, Barracuda versions were offered with a 3.7-liter 190 hp engine. with increased torque and lower requirements for the level of exhaust gas emissions.

From 1970 to 1974, the third generation of Barracuda was produced, now on the E platform, significantly different from previous models. Similar models were the Plymouth Cuda and Dodge Challenger. Barracuda cars of this generation traditionally had coupe and convertible bodies. The color scheme of the cars received new bright colors: "Vitamin C", "Ultraviolet" and "Moulin Rouge".

Thanks to the new, more powerful and enlarged platform, the serial use of the 7 hp Hemi engine became possible. The list of other powertrains installed on the Barracuda, suggest enoughflax: Slant-6 3.2 l and 3.7 l, LA V8 with 5.2 l, 5.6 l and 5.9 l, V8 6.3 l and RB V8 7.2 l. Cars equipped with Hemi and RB V8 engines had a more powerful braking system and reinforced suspension. It should be noted that only 11 Barracuda units were produced with 1971 Hemi engines; this explains the high, up to $ 2 million, value of well-preserved "copies".

The rise in fuel prices and higher insurance rates have stalled many buyers, as a result of which Chrysler's interest in producing especially powerful cars has weakened. Sales dramatically lowEither after 1970, and the management of the corporation was forced on April 1, 1974 to declare the termination of production of Barracuda, a decade after its start.

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